President Biden will travel to Westby, Wisconsin today to announce an award from the Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program. At the event, the president is expected to highlight a New ERA investment funded by the Inflation Reduction Act that Dairyland Power Cooperative will use to grow solar and wind energy to supply power to utilities in a four-state area. New ERA is designed to help member-owned rural energy cooperatives transition to clean, affordable, and reliable energy—creating good jobs for local workers and ensuring workers and communities aren’t left behind in the transition to cleaner, cheaper energy.

Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) also highlighted selectees across the country that have made it past the competitive stage of the New ERA program and are now in the underwriting process to receive an award.

Ahead of the president’s speech, the BlueGreen Alliance released a statement from Executive Director Jason Walsh:

“The Biden-Harris administration is investing in all of America, ensuring that rural communities reap economic benefits from the transition to cleaner, cheaper forms of energy. USDA’s New ERA program will drive investment in communities across the country—creating good-paying union jobs for workers in areas that desperately need these opportunities and lowering utility bills for consumers.

“We applaud President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Secretary Vilsack for this historic investment—the largest investment in rural electrification since FDR’s New Deal—that continues our progress towards a clean, prosperous, and equitable future for all.”