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Trump imposes 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum; 80% of Montanans oppose reduced workers' rights; Lawmaker says dismantling Education Dept. would harm Oregon schools; Harm reduction efforts fall short for Black men in Indiana.

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President Donald Trump approves 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum. Democrats who oppose dismantling the agency have been denied access to the Department of Education. And some places buck policy trends on sex education and immigration.

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Medical debt, which tops $90 billion has an outsized impact on rural communities, a new photography book shares the story of 5,000 schools built for Black students between 1912 and 1937, and anti-hunger advocates champion SNAP.

USDA's climate action fellows to help Ohio farmers/small businesses access clean energy funds

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Wednesday, January 31, 2024   

Ohio will soon get a dedicated person to help farmers, ranchers and other landowners apply for federal grants to help fight pollution and climate change.

Last month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced it would hire 40 people as Climate Change Fellows. They will be assigned to Ohio and other states to help people apply for the Rural Energy for America Program, which has $2 billion in funding for clean energy projects.

Anthony Kirkland, director of business and cooperative programs for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said each state's Fellow will have specific tasks.

"Helping to provide guidance to the grant recipient, or to the grant writer," Kirkland explained. "They'll also be helping with evaluating the process of an application and helping with monitoring, making recommendations, providing advice to the coordinator."

USDA officials said they saw a need to hire the Fellows after seeing an increase in applications. The program is part of President Joe Biden's Inflation Reduction Act.

The funding is expected to help transform rural power production, with new energy sources through net metering and power purchase agreements. The Fellows will also work with USDA employees on climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts.

Kirkland acknowledged there is much work to be done and his office will have its Fellow for a designated time period.

"The short-term goal is to be able to work directly with our REAP coordinators on a daily basis," Kirkland noted. "(The) long-term goal is that this is a two-year position. After that, then it would be probably reevaluated."

The positions can have one-year extensions, for a maximum of four years, depending on the duration of projects. The Rural Energy for America Program is part of the Justice40 Initiative, an administration goal in which 40% of the federal investments will go to marginalized communities.


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