EDITOR’S NOTE: There’s been much hand wringing and commentary on what’s wrong with America, democracy and why people don’t trust the federal government, which led in part to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. We submit that the reason is pretty obvious and right in front of everyone’s face. Republicans have been running for office for decades by attacking the federal government. The mainstream press and broadcast media have covered these stories as if they were legitimate in the interest of reporting “both sides” of every story. Social media has amplified this false, partisan narrative, ramped up on steroids by the likes of grifter Donald Trump.

One naive recent example from The New Times: Donald Trump Isn’t the Only One to Blame for the Capitol Riot

The Republicans in the House are not talking about this, and it’s not being covered on Fox News. Where is the honest coverage of what the federal government is actually doing, how it is spending tax money and how that benefits the public? We are committed to offering people this much needed alternative narrative, documenting how the Biden administration is spending money allocated under new historic legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Staff Report –

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Biden Administration announced $2.7 billion in federal spending on Monday to help electric cooperatives and utilities expand and modernize the nation’s rural electric grid and increase grid security, as well as create thousands of jobs and generate new tax revenue.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will invest in 64 approved projects through the Electric Loan Program, where this funding will benefit nearly 2 million people and businesses in rural America. It includes projects in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.

The funding will come in the form of loans, which means the federal government and taxpayers will get all this money back, plus interest. It includes $613 million to help rural utilities and cooperatives install and upgrade smart grid technologies, which can be a catalyst for broadband and other telecommunications services in unserved and underserved rural areas in addition to improving grid security and reliability, the department says. Nearly half of the awards will help finance infrastructure improvements in underserved communities.

The announcement came out Monday from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

“These critical investments will benefit rural people and businesses in many ways for decades to come,” Vilsack said. “This funding will help rural cooperatives and utilities invest in changes that make our energy more efficient, more reliable, and more affordable. Investing in infrastructure – roads, bridges, broadband and energy – supports good-paying jobs and keeps the United States poised to lead the global economy.”

Some examples of how the funding will be used:

* The Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative is receiving a $111 million loan to connect 1,264 consumers and build and improve 404 miles of line. The loan includes $13.4 million for smart grid technologies. Headquartered in Manassas, Northern Virginia Electric serves 176,604 consumers over 7,614 miles of line in six counties.

* The Carteret-Craven Electric Membership Cooperative in Newport, North Carolina, is receiving a $28 million loan to connect 3,115 consumers and build and improve 132 miles of line. The loan includes $169,437 for smart grid technologies. Carteret-Craven Electric serves 41,655 consumers through 2,493 miles of line in four counties in southeastern North Carolina.

* Minnesota’s Beltrami Electric Cooperative is receiving a $22.7 million loan to connect 1,480 consumers and build and improve 225 miles of line. The loan includes $1.3 million for smart grid technologies. Beltrami Electric is headquartered in Bemidji, Minnesota. It serves 21,772 consumers in portions of Beltrami, Cass, Clearwater, Hubbard, Itasca and Koochiching counties with 3,500 miles of distribution line covering approximately 3,000 square miles.

In the coming months, USDA will announce additional energy infrastructure financing. The Biden-Harris Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act provided more than $12 billion to USDA for loans and grants to expand clean energy, transform rural power production, create jobs and spur economic growth. This funding will help make energy cleaner, more reliable and more affordable, the department says.

“USDA’s Electric Loan Program can help finance wind, solar and natural gas plants, as well as improvements to produce cleaner energy from coal-fired plants. Local utilities also use the loans to invest in infrastructure to deliver affordable power to millions of residential, commercial and agricultural consumers,” Vilsack said.

Under the Biden-Harris administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, Tribal and high-poverty areas.

For more information, see the department website.

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In another example, The Washington Post is reporting Monday on another project being funded from the new legislation.

The Baltimore & Potomac Tunnel is turning 150 this year and is still serving passengers. Trains crawl at 30 mph through its curves under West Baltimore, creating delays up and down the busy Washington-to-New York route.

President Biden is set to visit the decrepit structure Monday to announce how the $1 trillion infrastructure law will help to replace the Reconstruction-era tunnel — the oldest in the Northeast — and eliminate the railroad’s biggest chokepoint between Washington and New Jersey.

The tunnel is a major bottleneck for Amtrak, Maryland commuter trains and freight rail traffic that moves between Baltimore’s Penn Station and points south. A plan to replace it has been delayed for years, without viable funding.

Biden is visiting a 150-year-old tunnel Monday in Baltimore

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