{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.bennet.senate.gov/2024/10/28/bennet-celebrates-billions-of-dollars-from-inflation-reduction-act-for-rural-clean-energy-in-colorado/", "Bennet Celebrates Billions of Dollars from Inflation Reduction Act for Rural Clean Energy in Colorado", "2024-10-28", "2024", "2024-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "CO", "Michael F. Bennet", "B001267", "www.bennet.senate.gov", "bennet", "https://www.bennet.senate.gov/news/page/", "scraper", "Denver \u2014 On Friday, Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet joined U.S. Representatives Yadira Caraveo and Brittany Pettersen, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small, and leaders from Colorado rural electricity cooperatives to welcome more than $2.5 billion in low-cost financing and grants from USDA\u2019s New ERA (Empowering Rural America) program to support Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association\u2019s clean energy transition. Bennet also welcomed the news that two additional Colorado co-ops: Yampa Valley Electric Association and Poudre Valley REA (PVREA) would move forward in the New ERA awards process. Bennet helped secure roughly $13 billion in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to support rural clean energy initiatives through USDA, including the New ERA program.\n\n\u201cWith [the Inflation Reduction Act], we are rapidly deploying clean energy and boosting American manufacturing for wind, solar, and batteries,\u201d said Bennet in his remarks. \u201cMost important, we put rural America at the center of this transition. Actually, rural America put rural America at the center of this transition because of these co-ops in Colorado.\u201d\n\n\u201cCo-ops deliver power to over 70 percent of our state. They reach all four corners and they serve nearly 1.5 million people. And I think Colorado co-ops are uniquely positioned to drive economic opportunity for rural America, to set a standard for the rest of the country and the rest of the world, and are critical to our affordable transition to clean energy. The funding announced today is going to help our co-ops modernize their energy infrastructure, cut pollution, create high-paying jobs where we need them most, and lower energy costs for farms, for families, and for small businesses all over our state,\u201d concluded Bennet. \u201cI\u2019m so grateful that, as usual, Colorado is leading the way.\u201d\n\nThis funding will help rural electricity cooperatives bring affordable, reliable clean energy to communities across Colorado. Bennet and the leaders made the announcement during an event held at Tri-State\u2019s headquarters in Westminster, Colorado. Ahead of the presentation, they sat down for a roundtable discussion about the importance of rural communities leading the nation\u2019s clean energy transition.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:55:29Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.bennet.senate.gov/2024/10/28/bennet-celebrates-billions-of-dollars-from-inflation-reduction-act-for-rural-clean-energy-in-colorado/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8215089328587055, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}