The Rural Energy for America program will see cuts of about two thirds of its funding levels this year.
The Rural Energy for America program, which funds energy diversification and efficiency in rural Oregon, will see cuts of about two thirds of its funding levels this year.
REAP funded 36 projects in Oregon in 2011, from grants totaling $1.29 million. One recent project at Northeastern Oregon auto retailer SPS of Oregon was atypical only for its use of small-scale hydro.
SPS owner Vern Spaur said he used a $19,695 REAP grant combined with tax breaks and other incentives to fund a $75,000, 10.5 kilowatt turbine in an irrigation ditch. SPS is located between Wallowa and Lostine, and the ditch runs 7 miles from the Lostine River.
The SPS project is typical of REAP’s impacts in rural Oregon. Most are improvements for less than $20,000 that target farms, ranches, orchards and other rural businesses.
Read more at Sustainable Business Oregon.
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