#reap

Excerpt from this story from Canary Media:

President Donald Trump has dealt blow after blow to the Rural Energy for America Program, which has helped farmers save on their energy bills by going solar for nearly two decades. Now, REAP’s proponents see a chance to undo some of the damage.

Last year, within a matter of months, the Trump administration froze almost a billion dollars’ worth of promised REAP funds, and then unfroze them; never opened an expected application period for more funding; and announced strict limits on funding solar on farmland.

Then, on March 31 of this year, it halted REAP entirely. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which runs the program, said REAP won’t be revived until regulations are in place reflecting Trump’s July 7 executive order targeting subsidies for ​“unreliable, foreign-controlled energy sources.”

The moves have been painful for farmers, especially as energy prices continue to soar nationwide. But farmers and clean energy advocates see a pathway to restore and protect the popular, bipartisan initiative going forward: the latest Farm Bill.

REAP was created by the 2008 Farm Bill, and since then the program has helped tens of thousands of farmers and rural business owners install solar panels, biodigesters, and wind turbines, and make other energy-efficiency upgrades, through grants and loan guarantees. More than three-quarters of REAP grants have gone to congressional districts represented by Republicans, an analysis by Canary Media found.

Yearslong negotiations around a new iteration of the massive Farm Bill appear to be gaining steam, with the House of Representatives scheduled to hold a hearing on the Farm Bill on Monday and expected to potentially vote on its version this week. The Senate still also needs to pass the bill. The last Farm Bill expired in 2023, but provisions have been extended as talks have dragged on.

As written, the House’s proposed bill would damage REAP further by enshrining Trump-administration restrictions in law. It currently includes provisions blocking USDA funds for ground-mounted solar covering 50 acres or more of farmland and for any projects that use solar equipment made by a ​“foreign entity of concern,” which would apply to most solar panels.

I don't even know what the Lune Method is HELP ME?? What have I coined goodness

I'm glad whatever I did is helping you out with your friends now though!! Asking beforehand about comfort/advice is always always important because sometimes people just want to yell, and other times they're looking for solutions or help.

You're not being sappy at all pffft I actually think this is really sweet of you, that you care so much about your friends <33

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Reap

"Let Volrath choke on his crop of hatred." —Eladamri, Lord of Leaves