USDA awards $6.9M for energy projects

WASHINGTON, July 22 (UPI) -- The U.S. Agriculture Department Tuesday said it released $6.9 million in loans and grants for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.

Twenty-seven individuals and businesses in seven states were selected to receive the funds to assist with either renewable energy systems or increase energy efficiency in farm and business operations, Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer said in a release.

"The Bush administration is committed to providing more energy from within our nation's borders, and these loan and grant combinations announced today will help accomplish this important goal," Schafer said.

The funding will support a number of energy-production and energy-saving efforts, Schafer said. For example, Bach Digester LLC in Dorchester, Wis., will get $800,000 for an anaerobic digester on a dairy farm. The gas produced from the digester will be used to power a 250-kilowatt generator on-site and is expected to produce 2,518,500 kilowatts per year, the USDA said.

The funds are provided through the Agriculture Department's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency loan and grant program.