US EditionUSDA removes diversity, climate change requirements from rural grants
- On March 26, 2025, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture removed prior Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility and climate change requirements from rural grant funding requests, affecting previously obligated funding through programs like the Rural Energy for America Program and Powering Affordable Clean Energy programs.
- This decision aligns with President Trump's vision for energy independence and the conservative blueprint Project 2025 crafted by the Heritage Foundation, aimed at reshaping the U.S. Government, and follows an executive order issued on his first day in office that froze hundreds of billions of dollars for renewable energy.
- The USDA's action allows rural energy providers and small businesses to revise their funding applications to eliminate the Biden administration's DEIA requirements and climate mandates, giving them 30 days to refocus their projects on expanding American energy production, with Rollins stating the USDA is ensuring federal funds support U.S. Energy production and the nation's farmers, ranchers, and small businesses.
- Rollins stated that 'President Trump made tackling America's energy emergency a top priority from day one,' criticizing the Inflation Reduction Act as delivering 'more bureaucracy than benefits for rural families' and showcasing the cancellation of a $324,671 grant described as 'Increasing DEIA Programming for Integrated Pest Management' after DOGE discovered specific tomato seeds 'for growing diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility at USDA'.
- Farmers and small business owners, including Jake Rabe, Laura Beth Resnick, Dan Batson, and Andy Petran, face uncertainty as millions of dollars in approved grants are frozen, potentially jeopardizing renewable energy projects and leaving them in financial limbo, prompting legal challenges from groups like Earthjustice and criticism from lawmakers like U.S. Rep.
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Wisconsin State Journal+4 Reposted by 4 other sources
Farmers in Trump country were counting on clean energy grants. Then the government moved the goalposts.
Thousands of farmers and small rural businesses remain in limbo as the USDA demands grant rewrites favoring fossil fuels over renewables.
·Madison, United States
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USDA removes diversity, climate change requirements from rural grants
U.S. Department of Agriculture removed prior requirements related to diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility and climate change from rural grant funding requests to support U.S. energy independence.
·Washington, United States
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