Rural Communities Have a Difficult Time Taking Advantage of Clean Energy Incentives

Tuesday, April 18th, 2023 -- 9:01 AM

(By Joe Schulz, Wisconsin Public Radio) The federal Inflation Reduction Act provides historic clean energy incentives to local governments across the country, including in Wisconsin.

But taking full advantage of those opportunities is often more difficult for rural communities than urban cities. The law offers financial incentives for renewable energy projects and electric vehicles, as well as several grant opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, reducing pollution and addressing environmental justice.

It also boosts investment in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program. But Wisconsin’s small cities, towns and villages may be at a disadvantage in terms of their ability to apply for grant funding because they have fewer administrative staff to work on applications or plan clean energy projects, according to Toni Herkert, director of government affairs for the League of Wisconsin Municipalities. 

"There are communities where you have very slim administrative staff, and then part-time chief executives where they just can't put together the resources in order to apply," she said. As they work to navigate federal programs, rural officials often also have to address aging public infrastructure necessary to keep their communities running.

"Because of the smaller staff, and the road projects that are building up or delayed maintenance on a wastewater treatment facility or a drinking water treatment facility, they may be more interested in securing grants or loans in our state programs," Herkert said.

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