Federal investments will fund nine projects in eight rural Georgia counties, including GILMER, HABERSHAM, MORGAN, STEPHENS, UNION, CRAWFORD, DODGE & FRANKLIN
The investments in total will save Georgians roughly $92,200 a year in energy costs
Federal funding will help farmers, ranchers, and small business owners in rural Georgia lower energy costs, generate new income, create jobs, and strengthen competition for U.S. agriculture products
Senator Reverend Warnock: “Delivering clean energy investments that will help farmers and business owners in rural Georgia lower their energy costs and save money is a win-win for our economy and our environment. This is exactly the kind of progress Senator Ossoff and I had in mind when we worked to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, and I’m glad to see the benefits of that law continue flowing to our state”
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) announced a slate of new federal clean energy investments that will help farmers, ranchers, and business owners in rural Georgia lower their energy costs.
These investments, awarded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), will help rural farmers and producers modernize their businesses by funding solar and electric energy upgrades. These improvements will not only lower their energy costs, but help them generate new income, create jobs, and strengthen competition for U.S. agriculture products.
“Delivering clean energy investments that will help farmers and business owners in rural Georgia lower their energy costs and save money is a win-win for our economy and our environment,” said Senator Warnock. “This is exactly the kind of progress Senator Ossoff and I had in mind when we worked to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, and I’m glad to see the benefits of that law continue flowing to our state.”
“Sen. Warnock and I continue to champion energy security and energy independence to lower energy costs for Georgia’s farmers and businesses,” said Senator Ossoff. “I thank President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Secretary Vilsack for helping deliver this investment in Georgia’s energy future.”
The funds are made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), legislation championed by the Senators. The IRA provided $2 billion to the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) for renewable energy and energy efficiency improvement grants for agricultural producers and rural small business owners. In total, nine projects across eight counties in rural Georgia will receive $714,627 in federal REAP funding, amounting to a total of $92,223 per year in energy savings—enough to power 84 homes for a year.
See below for a full list of grant recipients:
| COUNTY OF RECIPIENT | AWARD AMOUNT | PURPOSE |
| Gilmer | $92,000 | Purchase/install solar array for poultry farm |
| Habersham | $49,000 | Purchase/install solar array for a local laundromat |
| Morgan | $174,000 | Purchase/install solar array for poultry house |
| Stephens | $166,000 | Purchase/install solar array for poultry farm |
| Union | $63,000 | Purchase/install solar array for storage units |
| Crawford | $114,000 (two separate awards each for $57,000) | Purchase/install solar array for poultry farm |
| Dodge | $55,000 | Reduce irrigation energy costs by replacing deiseal to electric motor for vegetable farmers |
| Franklin | $50,000 | Purchase/install solar array for al hardware store |
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Title and affiliation are provided for identification purposes only. A pastor and social justice advocate, Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock was elected to the United States Senate in 2021 and reelected for a full term in 2022. The Senator serves on the Senate Agriculture, Banking, and Commerce committees, as well as the Senate Aging Committee.