The Department of Energy has scrapped a nearly $5 billion loan program for the Grain Belt Express, a nearly 600-mile-long electric line for wind & solar projects out of the Midwest.
The Department says it was a project “rushed out the door” in the final days of the Biden Administration. It also says the conditions necessary to issue the $4.9 billion loan are unlikely to be met, and it is not critical for the federal government to play a role in the project.
The Grain Belt Express was intended to connect wind and solar facilities across Kansas and Missouri. Senator Josh Hawley previously said the 600-mile project would put farmers in danger of losing land.
Related Stories
Alaska Congressman discusses his new role as Executive Vice Chair of the Congressional Western Caucus and his priorities for the West in the 119th Congress.
Farm legal expert Roger McEowen discusses the EPA’s rescission of the 2009 endangerment finding on greenhouse gases and what it could mean for agriculture and rural America.
The USDA says the framework is about “ending abusive government overreach” and “protecting farmers, families, and private property.”
Farm numbers still favor small operations, but production, resilience, and risk management are increasingly concentrated among fewer, larger farms.
The USDA opened a new sterile fly-dispersal facility at Moore Air Base in South Texas to prevent a potential outbreak of New World screwworm and protect the small U.S. cattle herd.
