Congressman Dan Maffei and Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the Agriculture department is providing $62.5 million in loans and grants for 705 renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, including three projects in Onondaga County, under the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), an important initiative to help rebuild and revitalize rural America.
Congressman Maffei said: “As a huge fan of maple syrup, I am very pleased to announce investments that will improve both the economic climate and energy efficiency of our local maple syrup farms. The reverse osmosis systems installed in these farms will dramatically reduce their energy usage, which will allow them to spend less on energy and hopefully more on expanding their businesses.” Maffei continued, “Recently when Vice President Biden visited Syracuse, SUNY ESF presented him with a bottle of energy efficient maple syrup. I hope the Vice President enjoys that Central New York maple syrup as much as I do!”
“President Obama and I are committed to helping rural businesses become more energy efficient – it’s good for the economy, good for the environment, and good for the workers and customers who depend on the goods and services these businesses provide,” Vilsack said. “While the REAP grants will continue to provide an important jump start to a clean, renewable energy future, Congress must act to pass comprehensive energy and climate legislation to create the green jobs our economy needs and get our nation on the path to being truly energy independent.”
Grant Recipients in Onondaga County are:
Cedarvale Maple Syrup Company in Syracuse, NY will receive $8,294 to install a reverse osmosis system.
Dutch Hill Maple in Tully, NY will receive $3,750 to install a reverse osmosis system.
Komrowski Maple in Memphis, NY will receive $3,224 to install a reverse osmosis system.
Renewable energy funding from USDA has already helped many rural businesses. In Newton, Kan., WK Real Estate LLC has been selected for a $3,670 grant to install new energy efficient lighting. This project highlights the fact that replacing existing lighting with energy efficient lighting is one of the easiest measures businesses can take to reduce their utility bills. Rural Development’s grant will enable WK Real Estate to lower its electric bill by more than 50 percent. It is estimated that the recipients in Onondaga County will be able save approximately 70-87 percent on energy usage after installing their reverse osmosis systems.
