The local rural electric cooperative Inland Power and Light Company has received a federal grant to buy wind and solar energy.
The USDA announced on Thursday that Inland Power has received grant dollars from the Biden administration’s Empowering Rural America Program. The funding is from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act according to the announcement. The grant also falls under the Biden Administration’s Justice40 Initiative. According to the USDA press release the initiative targets federal spending to benefit “disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.”
The federal dollars to Inland Power will allow the co-op to buy enough solar and wind generated energy to power about 23,000 homes. Federal officials say the government spending will create over 450 short and long term jobs and reduce climate pollution.
Most of Inland Power and Light Company’s customers and members are in Eastern Washington including areas of rural Whitman County. The cooperative has a few customers in the Idaho Panhandle. The USDA didn’t announce the size of the grant only reported that Inland Power has been selected to being the process to receive funding from the program.
