(NAFB.com) – Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack announced more than $7.3 billion in financing for rural electric cooperatives to build clean energy for rural communities through the Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program. Speaking in Wisconsin, Vilsack said the 16 initiatives announced Thursday will leverage private investments of more than $29 billion to build more than 10 gigawatts of clean energy for rural communities across the country. He added the programs will collectively reduce and avoid at least 43.7 million tons of greenhouse gases annually. “Under the Biden-Harris Administration, we are supporting a more prosperous future for rural communities by speeding up the transition to clean energy while at the same time keeping monthly bills low and investing in the American workforce with new jobs and apprenticeships,” said Secretary Vilsack. “One in five rural Americans will benefit from these clean energy investments, thanks to partnerships with rural electric cooperatives like Dairyland. Put simply, this is rural power, for rural America.”