USDA Grants Aim to Improve Rural Living
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is taking steps to improve the quality of life in rural areas, which often lack access to modern amenities such as high-speed Internet, affordable electricity, and clean water supplies.

The USDA is extending funding to help reduce energy costs for residents who live in remote rural areas.

"These grants will help home and business owners offset rising energy costs by financing energy efficiency and power generation improvements to deliver energy in a more cost-effective and environmentally appropriate way," says Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

Many of the communities that will be using the grants to improve energy efficiency are in Alaska.

Source: “Rural Initiatives,” Realty Times (Jan. 5, 2011)