Biden-Harris Administration Announces Millions in Fundingto Expand Clean Energy Access & Increase Grid Resilience in Rural Arizona
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Phoenix, AZ — This week, the Biden-Harris administration announced more than $366 million in funding to 17 projects in rural communities across 20 states and 30 Tribal nations. This funding is part of the administration’s clean energy plan, which is bringing back made-in-America manufacturing and fueling our country’s clean energy boom.
This funding includes an $8 million investment in Navajo and Hopi communities in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah that will help provide solar power access to off-grid homes, while also training a local indigenous solar workforce. The Hopi nation in Arizona is receiving an additional $9 million to deploy a hybrid microgrid and replace the reservation’s fuel consumption with reliable clean energy. Finally, seven rural communities in states including Arizona will receive $45 million to create a consortium of rural electric cooperatives and deploy microgrids that will strengthen grid resilience and improve energy access.
“Too often, rural communities have been left behind in shifts to new technology or in periods of economic growth. It’s vitally important that we center them in the clean energy transition,” said Climate Power States Managing Director Saumya Narechania. “Through targeted investments like this one, the Biden-Harris administration is helping usher in a more inclusive economic boom for our nation. Their clean energy plan is creating good-paying jobs, helping Americans save money on utility bills, and helping us all breathe cleaner air and drink safer water.”
Rural and remote communities face a unique set of energy challenges, including higher electric bills and unreliable access to electricity. Of the electrified homes within Tribal communities, 31% reported monthly outages. All 17 projects selected to receive funding are in or adjacent to disadvantaged communities that have historically been underserved or disproportionately impacted by pollution.
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