(NAFB.com) – USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the agency is partnering with farmers and businesses to expand access to clean energy and lower energy bills through the Rural Energy for America Program and the Rural Energy for America Technical Assistance Grant Program. USDA is investing $163 million in loans, grants, and technical assistance, that will support 338 clean energy projects in 39 states and Guam. “We’re partnering with people in rural communities across our nation to expand access to clean energy and save rural Americans money,” Vilsack says. “We’re hard at work supporting rural small businesses and farmers as they create jobs for their communities and drive economic prosperity.” REAP enables agricultural producers and rural small business owners to expand their use of wind, solar, geothermal, and small hydro-power energy to make energy efficiency improvements. Those innovations help them increase their income, grow their businesses, and lower energy costs for American families.