Press Releases

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) today announced USDA Rural Development has awarded two Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grants to businesses in Maine’s First Congressional District, totaling $21,343. REAP assists farmers, ranchers, and rural small businesses in developing renewable energy systems and in making energy-efficient improvements to their operations. 

“As a member of both the House Agriculture and House Appropriations Committees, I’ve advocated for federal funding that supports rural small businesses while simultaneously transitioning our communities to cleaner energy sources,” said Pingree. “Rural farms and small businesses offer a tremendous opportunity to fight climate change at the local level. I’m proud to have fought for this funding and look forward to the impact these grants will have on Scarborough and Richmond.”

Details of the grants are as follows:

• TMDE Calibrations, Richmond, Maine: This Rural Development investment will be used for the purchase and installation of a 16.32 kW solar array for TMDE Calibrations Lab, Inc. This project will replace 21,690 kWh (over 100%) of business energy usage and realize $3,535 of savings annually. 
• Frith Farm, LLC, Scarborough, Maine: This Rural Development investment will be used for the purchase and installation of a 23.7 kW solar array for Frith Farm. This project will replace 28,346 kWh (100%) of business energy usage and realize $3,922 of savings annually.

Congresswoman Pingree sits on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies, which oversees discretionary funding for USDA programs like REAP. She is the author of the Agriculture Resilience Act, comprehensive legislation that sets a bold vision of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in U.S. agriculture by the year 2040, in part by boosting investments in on-farm and rural clean energy initiatives with programs like REAP.

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