By DOUG SCHMITZ

Iowa Correspondent

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — During a June 7 visit to the Central Iowa Power Cooperative in Cedar Rapids, USDA Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Anne Hazlett announced the agency is investing $309 million in 16 projects to improve rural electric infrastructure in 12 states, which includes Iowa and Ohio.

“Robust, modern infrastructure is a foundation for quality of life and economic opportunity, no matter the ZIP Code in which you live,” she said. “Under USDA Secretary (Sonny) Perdue’s leadership, the USDA is committed to being a strong partner in addressing rural infrastructure needs to support a more prosperous future in rural communities.”

The loans are being made through the USDA’s Electric Infrastructure Loan and Loan Guarantee Program, designed to help finance generation, transmission and distribution projects, system improvements and energy conservation projects in communities with 10,000 or fewer residents.

According to the USDA, these investments will build or improve 1,660 miles of electric line serving rural homes, farms and businesses, funding infrastructure improvements for utilities in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, North Carolina, New Mexico, Ohio, South Dakota and Washington.

Funding for these loans was included in the fiscal year 2018 omnibus spending bill, which allocates significant resources for infrastructure investments, including $6.25 billion to the USDA for electric loans.

The measure directs Perdue to make investments in rural communities with the greatest infrastructure needs. In addition to funding in the omnibus, President Trump has proposed a $200 billion infrastructure investment plan that allocates 25 percent ($50 billion) to rural projects.

Last April, Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January, Perdue presented its findings to him, which included 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America.

Perdue said increasing investments in rural infrastructure is a key recommendation of the task force. In Iowa, as a member of the Central Iowa Power Cooperative, Farmers Electric Cooperative in Greenfield is receiving a $1.4 million USDA loan to invest in smart-grid projects.

With these funds, farmers plan to install more than 5,800 single-phase meters and additional meter-reading equipment in the west-central Iowa service area.

“These types of investments are the result of strong partnerships that the USDA has formed over the years with local communities and leaders,” Tim Helmbrecht, USDA-Iowa Rural Development acting state director, explained.

In addition, Harrison County REC in Woodbine is receiving a $6 million loan to build 20 miles of electric line, improve 57 miles and make other system improvements, which includes $578,000 for smart-grid projects.

“Together, we can ensure that USDA investments in rural infrastructure will create jobs, expand economic opportunities and help ensure that rural communities continue to be great places to live, work, start a business and raise a family,” Helmbrecht said.

In Ohio, David Hall, USDA-Ohio Rural Development state director, announced a $9 million loan to St. Mary’s-based Midwest Electric. He said the loan to Midwest Electric will help build or improve nearly 75 miles of line and includes funding for smart-grid projects that will support residential and commercial customers in seven west-central Ohio counties.

“More than 80 years ago, the Rural Electrification Administration first lit the way for farmers, ranchers and residents in small towns across America,” he said. “Today, access to reliable, affordable electricity remains a core component of the USDA’s efforts to modernize rural infrastructure.”