Energy Partners: The USDA-Rural Development’s Rural Energy for America Program funding notice, with deadlines, was announced on Friday, January 20, 2012.  This program provides grants and loan guarantees to promote non-residential energy-related projects by agricultural producers and rural small businesses.  Fact sheets are attached for each one of the kinds of funds provided by this program.  Each one provides a short description of the applicant and project eligibility, the selection and application process, deadlines for submission, and Rural Development staff contact information.  If you are a potential applicant, I encourage you to contact an RD staff member so that we can begin to help you with your application.  The REAP deadlines are as follows:

1. Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Grants and Loan Guarantees:  Grants and loan guarantees for energy efficiency improvements (changing out lighting, freezers, boilers, pumps, insulation, roofing, etc. for more efficient ones and the purchase and installation of renewable energy systems (wind, solar, geothermal, biomass and others—including flexible fuel pumps).  Applicants can be agricultural producers, small rural businesses, corporations formed under Section 17—or those similarly organized, and rural electric and telephone companies and certain other utilities.  Deadlines:  For grants and grant/loan guarantee combinations, March 30, 2012.  For loan guarantees (without grants), applications are accepted on an ongoing basis, but to compete for Fiscal Year 2012, applications must be submitted to USDA Rural Development by June 29, 2012.

1. Renewable Energy Feasibility Study Grants:  Grants for feasibility studies for renewable energy projects.  Applicants can be agricultural producers, small rural businesses, corporations formed under Section 17—or those similarly organized, and rural electric and telephone companies and certain other utilities. Deadline:  March 30, 2012

1. Energy Audit and Renewable Energy Development Assistance (EA & REDA):  Grants to conduct and promote energy audits and to provide renewable energy development assistance for rural small businesses and agricultural producers (see #1 above); eligible applicants for this grant can be a unit of State, tribal, or local government; a land-grant college or university, or other institution of higher education; a rural electric cooperative; a public power entity; or an instrumentality of a State, tribal, or local government).  Deadline:  February 21, 2012 (there is a one month application period this year)

How to begin the application process.  The application period is rather short this year, so RD recommends that any potential applicant contact a New Mexico Rural Development office immediately to

1)  Ensure that the applicant and the contemplated project are eligible;

2)  Provide preliminary environmental information to RD so that RD can begin any environmental review (these can take some time, so RD needs to start on this even before the application is submitted); and

3)  Request and complete the appropriate application template.

Please give us a call.  We look forward to helping you!

B. Jesse Mofort Bopp l State Loan Specialist, NM Rural Energy Coordinator

Rural Development

U.S. Department of Agriculture

6200 Jefferson NE, Rm 255

Albuquerque, NM  87109

Phone:  505.761.4952 l FAX:  505.761.4977 l jesse.bopp@nm.usda.gov

www.rurdev.usda.gov

DOCUMENTS:

FY_2012_REAP_EA__REDA_fact_sheet_1-17-2012.docx

FY_2012_REAP_feasibility_study_fact_sheet_1-17-2012.docx

FY_2012_REAP_grant_fact_sheet.docx

FY_2012_REAP_loan_guarantee_fact_sheet_1-17-2012.docx

REAP_FY_2012_Training-ABQ_Silver_Las_Cruces_Farmington_SFE.pdf