US Edition
Some Farmers Bet on Solar, but Trump Changed Rules
USDA has not awarded a dollar in rural energy grants this fiscal year as developers rush to meet new tax-credit deadlines.
- On March 31, the USDA suspended all Rural Energy for America Program grant awards to update regulations, stalling renewable energy projects nationwide amid new tax credit policies under President Donald Trump.
- REAP has funded more than $1.8 billion in grants to rural businesses since its inception nearly two decades ago, though the program was supercharged by the Inflation Reduction Act before congressional Republican scrutiny triggered regulatory pauses.
- Developers are abandoning projects due to uncertainty; Alpin Sun canceled investments worth about $6 million, while RIC Energy is scrambling to advance its 150-project pipeline to meet shifting federal tax credit deadlines.
- In Sheridan, New York, Tim Covert, a former dairy farmer, faces financial uncertainty as his solar project stalls; he relies on project revenue to help manage recovery from cancer treatment.
- New tax rules require commercial solar projects to be under construction by July 2026 to qualify for credits, changes that industry leaders say favor large-scale operations like Doral LLC with greater financing flexibility.
34 Articles
34 Articles
Some American farmers bet on solar. Then Trump changed the rules - The Morning Sun
Over the past few years, Kentucky sheep farmer Daniel Bell has been expanding his flock, and that meant he needed to build a new barn. His land is far from the power lines he’d need to heat it, so he figured rooftop solar would be ideal. To help pay for it, he wanted to apply for a renewable-energy grant through the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP — only to find that the Trump administration had effectively …
American farmers bet on solar. Then Trump changed the rules.
Over the past few years, Kentucky sheep farmer Daniel Bell has been expanding his flock, and that meant he needed to build a new barn. His land is far from the power lines he’d need to heat it, so he figured rooftop solar would be ideal. To help pay for it, he wanted to apply for a renewable-energy grant through the US Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP — only to find that the Trump administration had effective…
Some American Farmers Bet on Solar, Then the Rules Changed
WASHINGTON — Over the past few years, Kentucky sheep farmer Daniel Bell has been expanding his flock, and that meant he needed to build a new barn. His land is far from the power lines he’d need to heat it, so he figured rooftop solar would be ideal. To help pay for it, he wanted to apply for a renewable-energy grant through the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Energy for America Program, or REAP — only to find that the Trump administration had…
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