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Franken prepares for energy issues within next Farm Bill

Senator Al Franken is preparing to work on energy issues within the next Farm Bill by visiting Minnesota farmers and rural businesses.

Franken, a member of the Senate Energy Committee, co-authored the current Farm Bill’s Rural Energy for America (REAP) program.

“This program helps rural areas (and) helps farmers become more energy-efficient and use renewable energy projects like small wind turbines, anaerobic digesters or solar insulations.”

Franken was joined by USDA Rural Development officials during stops in several communities across Minnesota last week.

He says the REAP program has been successful, but the main criticism he’d like to address in the next Farm Bill has to do with the application process.

“The objective is to make people’s operations work better and make their life easier, and a burdensome application process doesn’t necessarily do that.  But you also want to make sure that the money is going to the right places.”

Franken says in the last two years, Minnesota farmers and rural businesses took advantage of more than $2.1 million dollars in REAP grants and loan guarantees for renewable energy and energy-efficiency projects.