January 17, 2006

Find out how to Fund your Dream
Renewable Energy or Energy Efficiency Project –
Free USDA Farm Bill Grant and Loan Workshops
February 8th, 9th, & 10th, 2006

The Utah Wind Working Group is hosting a series of renewable energy workshops around the state in early February to help Utahns harness wind power and other renewable energy resources. Energy efficiency experts will also be on hand to help Utahns learn how they can save energy and money.

The workshop schedule is:

• February 8th: 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in St. George at the Comfort Suites
• February 9th: 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Provo at the USDA Service Center
• February 10th: 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Logan at Utah State University

Participants will learn about grants and loans from section 9006 of the 2002 Farm Bill created specifically to assist rural small businesses and agricultural producers develop wind power, geothermal, solar and biomass projects.

Utahns interested in developing wind and other alternative energy projects will receive training to successfully organize, write, and submit an application for funding assistance under the Farm Bill. Information on the Section 9006 program can be found at http://rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/farmbill/.

The State Energy Program will open the first workshop in St. George on February 8th. The workshop includes presentations from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Powering America Program experts on wind power technology and its uses. Utah Clean Energy, in conjunction with Utah Power, will explain how to leverage their energy efficiency incentives with USDA grant money to fund energy efficiency projects that can save money for years to come. Representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, who manages the grant and loan application and review processes, will be presenting an overview of the funding process.

No fee or advance registration is required for these workshops, which are sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Powering America and Geopowering the West Programs, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Utah Geological Survey’s State Energy Program, Utah Clean Energy, and the USDA Utah Rural Business-Cooperative Services.

To find out more about these workshops or if you have any questions, contact Nykole Littleboy at the Utah Geological Survey at 801-538-5413, nykolelittleboy@utah.gov or Richard Carrig at the Utah USDA at 801-524-4328, richard.carrig@ut.usda.gov.

For more about the funding opportunities through the USDA Farm Bill visit
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/farmbill/2005NOFA/nofa05navigate.html.