Rural Clean Energy Legislative Report

Issuer: Congressional materials
Document type: Report
Case: 2022 Rural Clean Energy Legislative Report Final Dc1E9A3F C380 4C62 Bc4D 2A

Summary

The Rural Clean Energy Legislative Report of the Washington State Department of Commerce Energy Division, dated June 30, 2022 and prepared as required by the 2021-2023 Capital Budget section 1064(14)(a). It presents recommendations and a strategic plan from the Rural Clean Energy Work Group, which the report says met four times between fall 2021 and spring 2022. The report sets four goals: building rural capacity and technical expertise, increasing financing for clean energy projects, prioritizing climate-smart agriculture and forestry business models, and ensuring equitable participation and access to funding. Commerce recommends investing a minimum of $26 million, with $16 million in the operating budget and $10 million in the Capital budget. Appendices cover work group exercises, considerations for Tribes, public comment and resources.

Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used

Cite this document

“Rural Clean Energy Legislative Report.” Original at app.leg.wa.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2022-rural-clean-energy-legislative-report-final-dc1e9a3f-c380-4c62-bc4d-2a/, SHA-256 15749c4172940cb40cbd9d7eed22d7f2393e08cc14bf68d81d2a3f2922984327.

Full text

Rural Clean Energy
Legislative Report

As required by the 2021-2023 Capital Budget section 1064(14)(a)

June 30, 2022

ENERGY DIVISION Report to the Legislature

Director Lisa Brown
V3.0
Acknowledgments
Washington State Department of Commerce Mary Harrington
Organics Management Lead
Energy Division Washington State Department of Ecology
Hans Berg
Aaron Dumas Scott Kuhta
Jennifer Grove Senior Planner, Growth Management Services,
Altinay Karasapan Local Government Division
Queenie Karlik Washington State Department of Commerce
Peter Moulton
Forrest Watkins Stephen McFadden
Port of Pasco, Director of Economic Development &
Report leads: Angela LaSalle Marketing
Sarah Vorpahl, PhD and Stephanie Celt Washington Economic Development Association
Rural Clean Energy Work Group Mika McLean
Clyde Abrahamson Washington State Energy Coordinator
Special Projects Manager USDA Rural Development
Spokane Indian Housing Authority
John Rothlin
Nick Cusick Manager of Washington Government Relations
Climate Resiliency Program Manager Avista Corporation
Pierce Conservation District
Katie Ware
Brandy DeLange Washington Policy Manager
Government Relations Advocate Renewable Northwest
Association of Washington Cities
Georgine Yorgey
Cody Desautel Associate Director
Natural Resource Director for the Confederated Washington State University Center for Sustaining
Tribes of the Colville Reservation; President of the Agriculture and Natural Resources
Intertribal Timber Council
Tribes of the Colville Reservation; Intertribal Timber Brian Young
Council Governor’s Clean Technology Sector Lead, Office of
Economic Development and Competitiveness
Mia Devine Washington State Department of Commerce
Project Manager
Spark Northwest Additional thanks to:
American Farmland Trust, Dani Madrone
Dever Haffner-Ratliffe
Clean Energy Program Manager Clean Energy Transition Institute, Eileen Quigley
Washington State Department of Natural
National Audubon Society, Adam Maxwell
Resources
Northwest Indian College, Stephanie Bostwick
Alison Halpern, Ph.D.
Scientific Policy Advisor
Pacific Northwest Center of Excellence for Clean
Washington State Conservation Commission
Energy, Monica Brummer
Jennifer Harper
USDA Rural Development, Carlotta Donisi
Project Developer
Energy Northwest USDA Rural Development, Veronica Baer

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT
Washington State Department of Commerce
Input from Commerce:
Dave Anderson
Glenn Blackmon, PhD
Marie Davis
Michelle Gladstone-Wade
Julia Havens
Tina Hochwender
Eli King
Amelia Lamb
Susan Neilson
Cathi Read
Austin Scharff

ENERGY DIVISION
Michael Furze, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR

michael.furze@commerce.wa.gov
Phone: 360.-529.-9587

1011 Plum St. SE
P.O. Box 42525
Olympia, WA 98504-2525

www.commerce.wa.gov

For people with disabilities, this report is available
on request in other formats. To submit a request,
please call 360-725-4000 (TTY 360-586-0772)

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 3
Table of Contents
Executive summary...................................................................................................................................... 2

Introduction ................................................................................................................................................. 5

Overview of the Clean Energy Fund ............................................................................................................ 12

Strategic Plan for Rural Clean Energy Investment ....................................................................................... 17

Goals and Recommended Strategies .......................................................................................................... 24

Goal 2: Increase financing opportunities for clean energy projects and infrastructure improvements that
support community energy resilience while providing co-benefits for economic and workforce development.
................................................................................................................................................................. 32

Goal 3. Prioritize sustainable, economically viable and climate-smart business models for the agriculture and
forestry sectors. ........................................................................................................................................ 38

Goal 4: Ensure the equitable participation in program design, equitable distribution of benefits and reduction
of burdens, and equitable access to funding for clean energy projects in rural communities. ...................... 45

Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................ 51

Appendix A: Work Group Exercises ............................................................................................................ 53

Appendix B: Considerations for Tribes ....................................................................................................... 60

Appendix C: Collecting Input and Public Comment ..................................................................................... 62

Appendix D: Federal Awards Data Methodology .......................................................................................... 67

Appendix E: Resources .............................................................................................................................. 69

Bibliography .............................................................................................................................................. 75

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 1
Executive summary
Overview
Washington has experienced an explosion of clean energy legislation and activity in the past decade. These
laws have underscored the reality that a transition to clean energy is not complete unless it is also just and
equitable. Because of laws like the Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA), Washington requires
technologies and strategies that benefit everyone in the transition to clean energy, including rural and Tribal
communities, as well as a mix of clean energy technologies to meet its greenhouse reduction goals.

In addition to the equity requirements of our clean energy laws, new statutory requirements for state agencies
established in the Healthy Environment for All (HEAL) Act will help to ensure that state policies and
investments prioritize outcomes that address environmental injustice, especially through the reduction of
health disparities for overburdened communities.1 2 While rural communities are not necessarily defined as
overburdened communities, it is undeniably necessary to work more strategically and intentionally to ensure
rural communities — and especially the most vulnerable populations within rural communities — benefit from a
transition to a clean energy economy.

The 2021 State Energy Strategy (2021 SES) takes a data-driven approach to develop greenhouse gas reduction
strategies across the transportation, buildings, industry and electricity sectors. A key finding of the strategy is
that the significant deployment of clean energy technology is necessary to meet greenhouse gas emissions
targets established by the Washington State Legislature. The equity chapter in the 2021 SES calls for solutions
that ensure rural communities and Tribes, especially those who are disproportionately impacted by climate
change, can participate as partners in Washington's clean energy transition.3

Complementary to the 2021 SES sectoral analysis is identifying clean energy investments and strategies that
meet the needs of rural communities. To identify the best strategy for achieving clean energy solutions in rural
communities, the Legislature directed the Department of Commerce to establish the Rural Energy Work Group
under the Clean Energy Fund (see Introduction for more details). This work group identified technologies and
strategies that align with 2021 SES recommendations and support rural community priorities. As recognized
by the work group, rural clean energy extends beyond reducing greenhouse gas emissions and includes
supporting rural priorities, including community health care resilience,4 reducing operating costs by replacing
expensive diesel generators with renewable energy, and providing workforce opportunities. While some state
and federal funding opportunities exist to help meet these needs, there are also numerous barriers to access
that must be addressed. Additionally, there should also be more diverse grant opportunities to fill funding gaps
for programs supporting rural community needs. This report provides recommended strategies to increase

1 Overburdened community is defined as: "A geographic area where vulnerable populations face combined, multiple environmental

harms and health impacts, and includes, but is not limited to, highly impacted communities as defined in RCW 19.405.020"
https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=70A.02.010
2 Per RCW 70.A.02.010 (8)" 'Environmental justice' means the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of

race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, rules,
and policies. Environmental justice includes addressing disproportionate environmental and health impacts in all laws, rules, and
policies with environmental impacts by prioritizing vulnerable populations and overburdened communities, the equitable distribution of
resources and benefits, and eliminating harm."
3 Washington State Department of Commerce. (2020, December). Washington State 2021 State Energy Strategy. Retrieved April 2, 2021,

from Washington State Department of Commerce: https://www.commerce.wa.gov/growing-the-economy/energy/2021-state-energy-
strategy/, (Pg 20)
4 Huff, C. (2021, May 15). Growing Power Outages Pose Grave Threat to People Who Need Medical Equipment to Live: Shots - Health

News: NPR. Retrieved from NPR: National Public Radio: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/05/15/996872685/growing-
power-outages-pose-grave-threat-to-people-who-need-medical-equipment-to-#:~:text=Press-
,Growing%20Power%20Outages%20Pose%20Grave%20Threat%20To%20People%20Who%20Need,home%20face%20a%20c

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 2
investments in rural clean energy needs guided by the recommendations from the work group and stakeholder
outreach.

Legislative mandate
This report was produced to satisfy the portion of the requirements of section 1064(14)(a) of the 2021-2023
Capital Budget5 mandating that Commerce complete this work as follows:

$150,000 of the appropriation is provided solely for the department to develop targeted rural clean energy strategies
informed by rural community and business engagement, outreach, and research. The department must convene a
rural energy work group to identify investments, programs, and policy changes that align with the 2021 state energy
strategy and increase access to clean energy opportunities in rural communities and agricultural and forestry
management practices. The group must identify existing federal funding opportunities and strategies to leverage
these funds with state capital investment.
By June 30, 2022, the department shall report recommendations and findings from the rural energy work group to the
office of financial management, the governor, and the appropriate legislative committees and present a strategic
plan for state rural clean energy investment. The work group will present a strategic plan for state rural clean energy
investment that will be included in a legislative report due by June 2022.

Recommendations from Commerce and the Rural Clean Energy
Work Group
Commerce convened a work group that met four times between fall 2021 and spring 2022. This report
provides the initial framework for a holistic strategy for increasing rural energy investments informed by
engagement with rural and Tribal communities. As one work group member said, "Rural communities have
unique needs despite commonalities." Commerce and the Rural Clean Energy Work Group recommend more
targeted and continuous outreach in the future to understand diverse needs of rural and Tribal communities.

Drawing on input from the work group, interviews and public comments, Commerce and the Rural Clean Energy
Work Group recommend the following high level goals to the Legislature:

Expand and support capacity and technical expertise both from the state and within rural communities
to access and respond to clean energy needs, opportunities and grants.

Increase financing opportunities for clean energy projects and infrastructure improvements that
support community energy resilience while providing co-benefits for economic and workforce
development.

Prioritize sustainable, economically viable and climate-smart business models for the agriculture and
forestry sectors.

Ensure equitable participation in program design, equitable distribution of benefits and reduction of
burdens, and equitable access to funding for clean energy projects in rural communities.

With the influx of new money from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), state matching
funds will be needed in order to unlock opportunities for rural communities. Although there are numerous
programs from IIJA (See Appendix E: Resources) that are relevant to rural communities, specific details on
opportunities are continuously being updated and so a broad approach to leveraging this funding with state
investments will be required. In addition, Commerce will need new investments, programs and strategies to fill
known federal funding gaps, to increase capacity for communities to apply to and manage opportunities, and

5 Washington Substitute House Bill 1080 (2021). Section 1064 (14) (a). 1080-S.SL.pdf (wa.gov)

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 3
to mitigate additional barriers to accessing state and federal funding. Commerce recommends investing a
minimum of $26 million to create and staff the following programs to support these goals. For more
information on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), please see "Appendix E: Resources." Since
IIJA funding programs are continuously released, the resources listed in the appendix will contain the most up-
to-date information.:

$16 million in the operating budget to:
 Develop new strategic fund for technical assistance and capacity building for local governments and
Tribes.6
 Provide funding for state government grant staff to provide technical assistance to applicants,
including but not limited to ongoing training and webinars on grant writing, project management, and
grant reporting.
 Develop a centralized hub for information on grant resources and FTEs to manage this resource hub
and answer technical questions.
 Fund targeted outreach in multiple rural counties across the state to provide information regarding
agriculture and forestry-related tools and technologies that contribute to state emission reductions
while providing economic benefits.
 Support the development of local cultural ambassadors — people who are known and trusted in
communities, and who can spread awareness of opportunities and resources in every county.
 Provide funding to develop a framework for measuring and tracking the equitable distribution and
impact of state capital investments, and to guide future investments.
 Fund ongoing technical assistance for Commerce staff to provide training and webinars on grant
writing, project management and grant reporting. Support match funding for federal grants including
the Section 40101(d) Formula Grant Program to States & Indian Tribes and internal state agency
capacity for new programs.
$10 million in the Capital budget to:
 Develop a new Commerce grant program focused on pilot projects for dual use agriculture.
 Create a new grant program to incentivize innovative approaches to wood economies, woody waste
products and carbon sequestration.7
 Provide additional funding for the Clean Energy Fund and other grants to expand programs, including
but not limited to Dairy Digester Bioenergy, Industrial Symbiosis and Grid Modernization.
 Host or provide funding for a Tribal grant program.
This legislative report provides further explanation of the four primary goals outlined above, as well as a
strategic plan with specific strategies that will contribute towards these goals. The Washington State
Department of Commerce believes that, through action by our agency and others, and in coordination with
rural community partners and other stakeholders, it will be possible to advance clean energy innovation and an
equitable transition to clean energy economies in rural areas of Washington state. We remain committed to
acting to achieve the goals of the 2021 State Energy Strategy in ways that are guided by and respond to the
needs of Washington's rural communities.

6 Lack of technical expertise for developing clean energy projects, and small government and rural community staffing capacity were

identified as top barriers by the Rural Clean Energy Work Group. Through the IIJA, the US Department of Agriculture Rural Development
program and the US Department of Energy will be releasing grants for technical assistance, but many of these opportunities are
program specific and additional funds are needed for technical assistance and capacity building more broadly.
7 This opportunity can be used as match for federal opportunities like the USDA Forest Service Wood Innovations and Community Wood

Grants.

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 4
Introduction
The importance of a rural energy strategy for Washington
The 2021 State Energy Strategy (2021 SES)8 identifies rural clean energy as a priority for the state. It identifies
sector-specific strategies to support rural clean energy based on decarbonization modeling grounded in
greenhouse gas reduction and clean energy mandates for Washington. Under the Climate Pollution Limits bill,
the greenhouse gas limit was updated to 45% below 1990 levels by 2030, 70% below 1990 levels by 2040, and
95% below 1990 levels, as well as net-zero emissions, by 2050. The emissions limit for 2030 equates to
roughly a 50% reduction relative to the most recent pre-pandemic emission levels of 2018 and 2019.

To support this emissions mandate, the Washington Legislature passed the Climate Commitment Act9 during
the 2021 session, which established an economy-wide cap and invest system.10 With enforceable emission
reductions starting in 2023, the Climate Commitment Act caps and reduces emissions from large emitters
while providing new funds directed towards investments for accelerating the transition to an equitable and
resilient clean energy future. This law is also supported by sector-specific decarbonization policies like the
Clean Energy Transformation Act, which puts Washington on a path to 100% clean electricity by 2050.

Approach to rural clean energy in this report
Clean energy goes beyond achieving emissions reductions through technologies like solar panels and
electric vehicles. In rural communities, clean energy can support a crosscutting set of priorities in
economic development and climate-smart agriculture, benefitting the land, farmers and community
resilience in the face of increasing threats from climate change. Therefore, a true clean energy
transition ensures that all communities benefit based on their unique needs. This report uses a holistic
approach to identifying rural clean energy priorities by starting with the question "What do rural
communities need including but not limited to clean energy?" The work group then identified clean
energy technologies, programs, strategies and policies that supported these needs. The report also
takes a broad approach to defining clean energy by mentioning technologies referenced in the 2021 SES
and Clean Energy Fund 5 proviso, including but not limited to organic waste management and biological
carbon sequestration.

How are we providing the required information?
Commerce convened a work group to develop recommendations and meet the requirements of this proviso.
Membership consisted of representatives from Commerce, other Washington state agencies, trade
organizations, non-governmental organizations, Tribes or Tribal organizations, and federal organizations.
Commerce also solicited comments through a public comment form and conducted interviews with
organizations representing rural and Tribal interests.

The Clean Energy Fund
The Clean Energy Fund (CEF) funds the development, demonstration and deployment of clean energy
technology. Gov. Jay Inslee has continued to champion the fund, which was established in 2013, and the
Legislature again invested capital in a series of grant programs such as Grid Modernization, Research,
Development and Demonstration (RD&D), Grants to Non-Profit Lenders, and Electrification of Transportation.

8 Washington State Department of Commerce. (2020, December). Washington State 2021 State Energy Strategy. Retrieved April 2, 2021,

from Washington State Department of Commerce: https://www.commerce.wa.gov/growing-the-economy/energy/2021-state-energy-
strategy/
9 Washington SB 5126 (2021-22), "Concerning the Washington climate commitment act."

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5126&Initiative=false&Year=2021
10 Washington SB 5126 (2021-22), "Concerning the Washington climate commitment act."

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5126&Initiative=false&Year=2021

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 5
Since its inception, the program has funded diverse on-the-ground projects like community solar, emerging and
novel technologies, and vehicle electrification. Since 2013, the Legislature has appropriated $211 million in
clean energy investments that is highly leveraged from non-state sources.

"Over the past eight years, CEF has run several programs open to eligible applicants in rural communities and
the agriculture and forestry sectors, including:

 Wood Energy for Public Facilities Program
 Grid Modernization
 Solar Deployment
 Research, Development and Demonstration (RD&D)
 Electrification of Transportation Systems
 Dairy Digester Enhancement Program
Several of these programs were one-off funding opportunities, while others will continue with Clean Energy
Fund 5 (CEF5) solicitations. However, Rural Clean Energy Innovation Grants under CEF5 is the first grant
program that will focus exclusively on the clean energy needs of rural communities and Tribes in the state."11

Clean Energy Fund 5 (CEF5)
The Clean Energy Fund is in its fifth iteration. The CEF5 proviso allocates $4.75 million to the Rural Clean
Energy Innovation grants program. After the deduction of 3% for administration costs, $4.6 million is available
for rural clean energy and dairy digester projects. This grant program reserves 20% of the funding for projects
with Tribal governments, designated subdivisions and agencies. Potential projects include those that advance
energy efficiency, beneficial electrification, demand response, resilience, carbon sequestration and organic
waste management. The grants can also fund various project stages, including predevelopment, research and
development, pilot projects, strategic implementation, field trials, and data dashboards and tools to inform
rural project development.

In addition, 40% is allocated to dairy digester bioenergy projects that produce renewable natural gas and
biofertilizers, reduce emissions, and improve soil, air and water quality. The Dairy Digester Bioenergy program
is an expansion of the CEF4 Dairy Digester Enhancement Program, which allocated $970,000 from the 2019-
2021 biennial capital budget. The CEF5 Dairy Digester Bioenergy Program provides funding for projects that
enhance the viability of dairy digester bioenergy projects. This includes nutrient management systems that
produce renewable natural gas and value-added biofertilizers, generate electricity and heat, reduce greenhouse
gas emissions, and improve soil health and air and water quality.

Previous work to address barriers to the Clean Energy Fund
In previous biennia, the Legislature tasked Commerce with reviewing state clean energy investments,
specifically the Clean Energy Fund, and developing recommendations to improve CEF programs. For example,
the Energy and Climate Policy Advisory Committee (ECPAC) was created “to develop recommendations to the
legislature for the coordination of existing resources, or the establishment of new ones, for the purposes of
examining the costs and benefits of energy-related policies, programs, functions, activities, and incentives.”12

The committee's work focused on reviewing the historical structure and outcomes of CEF programs and
developing recommendations for adjustments to the programs. The final report identified CEF investments
that can best help Washington meet its clean electricity and greenhouse gas reduction goals and contribute to

11 Washington State Department of Commerce (2021). Rural Clean Energy handout. Retrieved March 2022 from Rural Clean Energy

Innovation - Washington State Department of Commerce
12 Washington Clean Energy Transformation Act, WA. SB 5116 (2019). https://lawfilesext.leg.wa.gov/biennium/2019-

20/Pdf/Bills/Session Laws/Senate/5116-S2.SL.pdf

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 6
rebuilding our state’s economy.13 Successful approaches will enhance equity, innovation, economic growth
and job creation, including putting the state at the forefront of the national clean energy economy.

Among other things, the ECPAC report recommended that in providing appropriations for the CEF, the
Legislature include clear direction to:

 Use the 2021 State Energy Strategy and its equity and environmental justice lens to guide CEF
investments.
 Expand funding for the electrification of transportation and grants to nonprofit lenders programs.
 Continue support for clean energy research and innovation.
 Provide funding to expand outreach, technical assistance and education.
Many of these recommendations were incorporated into existing legislation. In addition, some of the ECPAC
recommendations overlapped with the findings of the rural clean energy work group. The work group leveraged
these findings by further exploring solutions that were recommended in the ECPAC report.

Defining 'rural'
For the purposes of this report, Commerce selected a working definition that would best support the goals of
the legislative report and complement the Rural Clean Energy Innovation grant programs, which may be
informed by key findings from the study. For this working definition, Commerce chose the USDA Business
Programs eligibility criteria and drew on the USDA Rural Development Rural Eligibility Map.14 The eligibility map
defines rural: "Rural areas are any areas other than: (1) A city or town that has a population of greater than
50,000 inhabitants; and (2) The urbanized area contiguous and adjacent to such a city or town, as defined by
the U.S. Bureau of the Census using the latest decennial census of the United States." This definition aligns
with the eligibility criteria in the USDA Rural Energy for America Program.15 Areas that would generally be
eligible under this definition include Anacortes, Bremerton and Pullman.16

The definition draws on the U.S. Census, based on Census places and Census Urbanized Areas,17 which we felt
were more detailed than county-level classifications used in other rural definitions. Our approach in selecting
this definition was to establish eligibility for the Rural Energy Innovation grants that would be consistent with
the Rural Energy for America program. We also believe that this definition aligns with a goal of the proviso,
which are to "identify federal opportunities and strategies to leverage these funds with state capital
investments."

As our research evolved, we recognized that this single definition may not meet the diverse priorities and
challenges of rural communities identified by the work group and public comment. For example, work group
discussions focused on the needs of rural individuals, small governments, businesses and the agriculture and

13 Washington State Department of Commerce (2020, November). Energy Policy Advisory Committee. Retrieved October 1, 2021, from

Energy and Climate Policy Advisory Committee: https://www.commerce.wa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/ECPAC-Report_11-24-
2020.pdf
14 USDA Rural Development. (2022). Rural Business Services Eligibility. Retrieved August 13, 2021, from

https://eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov/eligibility/welcomeAction.do?pageAction=rbs
15 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-7/subtitle-B/chapter-XLII/part-4280/subpart-B/section-4280.103 § 4280.10 7 CFR 4280.3 “Rural

Area”
16 In general, some cities or towns may include both eligible and ineligible addresses because ineligible areas may not only be in a city

with population exceeding 50,000 but also located in the "urbanized area contiguous and adjacent to such a city or town, as defined by
the U.S. Bureau of the Census using the latest decennial census of the United States." At the time of publication, the Rural Eligibility
Map had not been updated with 2020 Census data and therefore used 2010 Census data from the decennial census. The eligibility may
change once the map has been updated with 2020 Census data.
17 Hailu, Asnake PhD. Washington State Department of Health. (2016, October 27). Guidelines for Using Rural-Urban Classification

Systems for Community Health Assessment. Retrieved from Guidelines For Using Rural-Urban Classification Systems for Public Health
Assessment (wa.gov)., pg. 6; Cromartie, J., & Bucholtz, S. (2007, September 4). Washington - Rural Definitions: State-Level Maps.
Retrieved from USDA Economic Research Service: https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/DataFiles/53180/25602_WA.pdf?v=3305.9

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 7
forestry sectors (ranging from food security to aging infrastructure). As asserted by USDA Economic Research
Service geographers and experts on rural data and classifications, John Cromartie and Shawn Bucholtz: "The
key is to use a rural-urban definition that best fits the needs of a specific activity, recognizing that any simple
dichotomy hides a complex rural-urban continuum, with very gentle gradations from one level to the next."18
Commerce concurs that any definition needs to be revised and tailored to the specific policy outcomes of any
future grant program.

Finally, in hopes that we would receive comments to our public comment form from a variety of respondents
ranging from individuals to businesses, we allowed the public to self-identify as "rural" rather than requiring
they adhere to the working definition.

Priority topics and goals
The work group identified 12 priority topics as central to rural communities, including but not limited to clean
energy. Commerce then developed cross-cutting recommended strategies to address priorities and barriers to
meeting community needs and investment opportunities in clean energy. Commerce considered input from the
work group, as well as interview findings and comments from the public comment form.

Priority topics

Agriculture/climate-smart agriculture; wood biomass and carbon
sequestration; water
Broadband, digital equity

Clean Energy projects/infrastructure

Communities

Economic impacts

Equity

Food security

Health care

18 Bucholtz, S., & Cromartie, J. (2008, June 01). Defining the Rural in Rural America. Retrieved March 2022, from USDA Economic

Research Service U.S. Department of Agriculture: https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2008/june/defining-the-rural-in-rural-
america/

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 8
Housing

Tribes

Wildfires

Workforce development

Barriers
The first meeting, in which work group members were asked to identify community needs irrespective of rural
energy and "how have these needs changed from previous years with impacts from COVID-19 and economic
repercussions?" and "whose voice is not in the room," yielded dozens of discussion comments that focused on
barriers to receiving grant programs and/or community benefits (see Appendix A, Meeting #1: "Gaps/barriers
in grant programs and/or government benefits"). In subsequent meetings and homework, Commerce asked
work group members to identify additional barriers, then Commerce categorized these into broad themes.
Work group members were asked to rank barriers by urgency and importance in addressing them. These
scores were averaged. Commerce further categorized the barriers into broad themes reflected in the table
below. The top barrier in terms of importance and urgency is "lack of technical expertise for developing clean
energy projects."

The recommended strategies throughout the report attempt to reduce these barriers while supporting priority
topics. The 12 barriers articulated below are based on language from the work group and do not necessarily
reflect Commerce's point of view.

Urgency and Barrier
importance ranking
1 Lack of technical expertise for developing clean energy projects

2 Aging or inadequate rural infrastructure

3 Lack of programs tailored for rural use cases

4 Small government and rural community staffing capacity

5 Cultural and language barriers

6 Lack of workforce in rural areas to build projects

7 Access to information

8 Lack of access to capital

9 Rural utility role, mission and capacity

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 9
10 Rural communities attitudes (perceived or otherwise)

11 Global supply chain/COVID-19

12 Climate policy goals not considering forestry and agriculture industry
needs

Goals
The 14 strategies recommended by the work group support each of the four broad goals. Each of the four
goals supports multiple priority topics and address the barriers identified by the work group.

Goal 1: Expand and support capacity and technical expertise both from the state and within rural
communities to access and respond to clean energy needs, opportunities and grants.
Goal 2: Increase financing opportunities for clean energy projects and infrastructure improvements that
support community energy resilience while providing co-benefits for economic and workforce
development.
Goal 3: Prioritize sustainable, economically viable and climate-smart business models for the agriculture
and forestry sectors.
Goal 4: Ensure the equitable participation in program design, equitable distribution of benefits and
reduction of burdens, and equitable access to funding for clean energy projects in rural communities.

Summary of priority strategies
1) Goal 1: Expand and support capacity and technical expertise both from the state and within rural
communities to access and respond to clean energy needs, opportunities and grants.
a) Create an accessible, centralized hub for grants, resources and education on available technical
assistance, state and federal opportunities, and assistance around grant requirements.
b) Foster the development of local cultural ambassadors — people who are known and trusted in
communities, and who can spread awareness of opportunities and resources.
c) Expand funding opportunities for technical assistance and capacity building for local governments and
rural communities.
d) Incentivize clean energy startups and encourage young people to stay in rural areas through technical
education programs, apprenticeships and living wage jobs focused on clean energy.
2) Goal 2: Increase financing opportunities for clean energy projects and infrastructure improvements that
support community energy resilience while providing co-benefits for economic and workforce
development.
a) Expand state grant and loan programs to fill technology and use case gaps for rural communities and
broaden eligibility for certain programs.
b) Prioritize resilient clean energy technologies, clean transportation, and affordable, reliable high-speed
broadband for rural communities.
c) Reduce barriers to applying for and managing grants after they are received.
3) Goal 3: Prioritize sustainable, economically viable and climate-smart business models for the agriculture
and forestry sector.
a) Reduce financial and operational risk for farmers and foresters by encouraging and incentivizing the
adoption of new and existing clean energy technologies and supporting translational19 R&D for clean

19 According to the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, translational research "translate (move) basic scientific discoveries

more quickly and efficiently into practice." What is Translational Research? | UAMS Translational Research Institute. University of

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 10
energy technologies that are close to ready for deployment, with emphasis on the rural contexts in
which they are used.
b) Expand education opportunities for small farmers, forest property owners and the general public
around proven and emerging technologies and methods for transitioning to clean energy practices,
tools, equipment and technologies.
c) Increase research and development in woody waste biomass products and carbon sequestration
technologies, and support the development of wood energy opportunities and markets broadly.
d) Use a climate-smart agriculture and forestry framework for policy design, referenced in President Joe
Biden’s Executive Order 1400820, USDA and the World Bank: “3 principles: Increased productivity
(sustainably intensifying agriculture); Enhanced resilience (adapting to climate change); reduced
emissions (mitigating greenhouse gas emissions)" 21
4) Goal 4: Ensure the equitable participation in program design, equitable distribution of benefits and
reduction of burdens, and equitable access to funding of clean energy projects in rural communities.
a) Partner with Tribal nations to prioritize energy sovereignty.
b) Provide ample and diverse opportunities for community input around grant design and ensure
accessibility around applying to funding opportunities.
c) Develop a framework for measuring and tracking the equitable distribution and impact of state capital
investments and to guide future investments.
Commerce used the goals and recommended strategies to develop its strategic plan for rural clean energy
investment. The plan incorporates many of these recommended strategies, focusing on those that required
urgent action and where we believe we have the greatest ability to contribute to positive outcomes supporting
the goals. The strategic plan also incorporates additional strategies identified in legislative and stakeholder
conversations following the conclusion of the work group. Please see the Strategic Plan.

Arkansas for Medical Sciences. (2022). What is Translational Research? Retrieved May 3, 2022, from https://tri.uams.edu/about-
tri/what-is-translational-research/; An article by Cory Whitney and Manfred Denich in Rural 21 explain how the agrifood sector can look
at the concept of translation science in the health sector to incorporate 'implementation' research, which may help farmers overcome
barriers to adopting R&D innovations. Implementation research can help "provide the link from the laboratory to the field."
Whitney, C. W. (2021). Rural21: The International Journal for Rural Development. Closing the adoption gap. Retrieved May 16, 2022,
from https://www.rural21.com/english/current-issue/detail/article/closing-the-adoption-gap.html?no_cache=1
20 The White House. (2021, January 27). Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. Retrieved January 2022,

from The White House: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/27/executive-order-on-tackling-the-
climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad/
21 Buda, Dr. Anthony. (n.d.) USDA Northeast Climate Hubs. Retrieved March 5, 2022 from:

https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/northeast/topic/role-climate-smart-agriculture-climate-adaptation-and-mitigation-northeast.;
World Bank. (2021). Climate-Smart Agriculture. The World Bank. April 5. Retrieved March 23, 2022 from.
https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/climate-smart-agriculture.

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 11
Overview of the Clean Energy Fund
The Clean Energy Fund (CEF) supports deployment of clean energy projects to communities across
Washington. Since 2013, the Legislature has appropriated $211 million in clean energy investments that is
highly leveraged from non-state sources. CEF investments have resulted in on-the-ground projects that have
made our electric grid more resilient, expanded vehicle electrification, and accelerated market adoption of
energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. Due to its cost-share requirement, the CEF has been
instrumental in accelerating diverse public-private partnerships to develop projects ranging from novel battery
technologies to wave energy and Tribal microgrid projects. The funding has resulted in direct and indirect
clean energy job creation, energy savings and emissions reductions, and allowed the state to become a leader
in clean technology development.

Clean Energy Fund 1-5 Appropriations by Program
Building electrification Bioenergy
5% 2%
Solar Deployment
2% Direct Appropriation
26%
Direct Appropriation
RD&D
17% E-Transportation

Grants to NonProfit
Lenders
Grid Modernization

RD&D

E-Transportation
7%
Grants to NonProfit
Grid Modernization Lenders
25% 16%
Analysis of previous rounds of grant funding based on the project location illustrates that CEF projects have
been evenly split between urban and rural areas.22 However, analysis of investments by dollars indicates that
there are more CEF investments in urban areas.23 24

The Department of Energy (DOE) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) provide important sources of
federal clean energy grants in Washington. Review of clean energy grant funding from relevant DOE programs
indicates that more projects and award dollars for both prime and sub-awards went to urban recipients than to

22 For this analysis, we used the USDA Business programs map definition: "Rural areas are any areas other than: (1) A city or town that

has a population of greater than 50,000 inhabitants; and (2) The urbanized area contiguous and adjacent to such a city or town, as
defined by the U.S. Bureau of the Census using the latest decennial census of the United States," to align with the eligibility criteria in
USDA Rural Energy for America Program, 7 CFR 4280.3 “Rural Area”. We used the USDA Rural Eligibility Map tool to search for project
addresses. Disclaimer: The data for this map utilize 2010 census data and cities like Olympia and Lacey would be eligible under this
definition. Note that this is analysis by Commerce staff using the mapping tool as a best estimate and any errors are our own.; At the
time of publication 50% of projects were in urban areas and 50% of projects were in rural areas.
23 At the time of publication, 59% of CEF 1-5 investments in dollars from projects under contract were in urban areas compared to 41%

in rural areas. Note that this data may be incomplete due to some contracts being under negotiation.
24 Several projects from the Grid Modernization program and the Electrification of Transportation program had statewide benefits.

Projects that primarily benefited rural communities were considered "rural." Note that projects for Research, Development and
Demonstration grants are for early stage technologies and therefore the project location may not be indicative of where the benefits will
accrue once the technology is commercialized.

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 12
rural recipients.25 Analysis of grant funding from relevant USDA grant programs indicates that more projects
and award dollars for prime awards went to rural recipients.26

Drivers of these differences could be due to eligibility criteria or the types of eligible technologies and grants
under each agency and each program.27 Additionally, some prime award recipients were funding agencies that
distributed awards to smaller governments and communities as pass-through dollars throughout the state, so
the recipient location may be different from the final project location.28 Additional reasons may have been due
to barriers (addressed in later sections of this report) or research and development for technologies that are
not yet deployed. This summary of state and federal clean energy investment is only a simplified snapshot of
investment trends, and more thorough analysis should be completed to understand gaps in rural clean energy
investments as recommended in later sections of the report (see Goal 4: Recommended strategy 4.C).

Clean Energy Fund 1-5 Geographical Distribution of Clean Energy Fund Projects under contract29

25 For a full explanation of the methodology used to rank and assess projects for this report, please see Appendix D: Data Methodology.
26 For a full explanation of the methodology used to rank and assess projects for this report, please see Appendix D: Data Methodology.
27 For example, some grant programs focus on the deployment of clean energy while others focus on research and development of

technologies that are not commercialized.
28 Congressional Research Service (2022). Tracking Federal Awards: USAspending.gov and Other Data Sources. Retrieved June 2022.

https://sgp.fas.org/crs/misc/R44027.pdf (Pg. 4)
29 This estimate includes the original award amount for executed projects under contract, contingent awardees and contracts in

negotiation and closed projects. Commerce excluded contingent awardees who returned their grants. Some data may be incomplete
due to contingent awardees that have not selected their site.

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 13
Although CEF5 aims to increase opportunities for rural and overburdened communities through specific grant
programs, carve outs and other incentives, the recommendations and strategic plan in the forthcoming
sections will provide a roadmap for further increasing clean energy investments in rural and overburdened
communities, specifically those with fewer resources and capacity.

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 14
Data collection and research
Commerce staff took a multi-pronged approach to developing the work group and collecting input on this
report, with particular attention to Tribes. In addition to collecting information to inform the scope of
innovation grants, Commerce also wanted to engage the public and impacted communities during the work
group process to build awareness of the Clean Energy Fund in general and the Rural Energy Innovation
solicitation in particular.

Rural Energy Work Group
Commerce staff identified a broad range of stakeholders:

 State agencies
 Non-governmental organizations and non-profits
 Federal agencies and organizations
 Local government organizations
 Tribes and Tribal organizations
 Other relevant stakeholders as recommended by Commerce or committee members
Given the proviso’s focus on programs and funding mechanisms, the rural energy work group leaned on
programmatic and clean energy expertise. These members were chosen based on their experiences
supporting rural clean energy work. They were contacted via email.

Public comment and outreach
Given the timeline and capacity constraints for the work group, Commerce wanted to offer more feedback
opportunities for members of the public and representatives from interested organizations. Several strategies
were used to share information and collect input that could be represented in the final report, including a Tribal
listening session and a public comment form. We received 39 comments in response to the form, which was
open for about three months. In the comment form, people identified clean energy priorities, community
priorities regardless of clean energy, barriers to meeting rural community needs, and recommendations to
address barriers. Commerce compared the findings of the comments with recommendations and strategies
from the work group and found significant overlap. Many of the comment recommendations aligned with
recommendations from the work group, including expanded education, training and technical assistance, job
creation, increased community feedback, more residential programs, and more financing for and investments
in clean energy. Key differences are identified in specific sections of this report and the appendix. More
information about the research methods and people contacted is available in the appendix.

Additional methods and response analysis is in Appendix C.

Tribal information and listening session
The rural energy program includes a 20% carve-out of funds for Tribal clean energy projects. To increase
awareness and support access to these funds, Commerce thoughtfully and purposefully engaged with Tribal
community members on this new grant opportunity, in addition to the work group sessions. Commerce
conducted one Tribal information and listening session, which was separate from the work group meetings, to
provide information about the grants, work group and broader clean energy funding opportunities available to
Tribes. The meeting provided an overview of the Clean Energy Fund, Energy Retrofits for Public Buildings and
other funding opportunities, an overview of the Rural Clean Energy Work Group and legislative report, and
concluded with discussion and listening. This Zoom session was attended by 46 people with representation
from government agencies, non-profits and non-governmental agencies who work with Tribes, and at least
nine Tribes and one Tribal organization.

One-on-one interviews
In addition to larger sessions and the work group, Commerce conducted individual outreach to community
organizations suggested by work group members. Commerce also sent out a newsletter offering to set up

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 15
individual meetings with Tribes to understand their priorities and build connections. Commerce staff held
virtual one-on-one meetings with American Farmland Trust and Northwest Indian College in February 2022.

Limitations on in-person gatherings
The ongoing pandemic significantly limited our ability to conduct in-person meetings. Conducting activities
digitally created inherent accessibility issues for people who lack sufficient broadband or have cultural reasons
for not engaging virtually. The team had hoped to expand outreach to in-person meetings, which would have
resulted in richer and deeper feedback and engagement with stakeholders — in particular, those with lived
experiences. A key part of the strategic plan to implement a just clean energy transition includes deeper
engagement with communities. Strategies for approaching this work can be found in the following sections:
Strategic Plan, Goal 1 and Goal 4.

Data analysis
Commerce reviewed state grant data obtained through awards and the internal contract management system.
In addition, Commerce reviewed federal energy grant data obtained through public sources like USDA,
SBIR.gov and USAspending.gov.

Work group activities
The work group met four times between October 2021 and January 2022. Each meeting had a different focus,
as outlined below.

Rural Clean Energy Work Group schedule

Meeting Date Focus
Oct. 13, 2021 Introductory meeting: history of CEF, background, context, proviso;
Kickoff Meeting #1 roles and responsibilities; rural priorities and needs
Nov. 30, 2021 Technologies, programs and investments that address rural
Meeting #2 community priorities and align with the 2021 State Energy Strategy;
barriers to meeting the needs of rural communities
Dec. 22, 2021 Federal opportunities; programs, policies and actions that decrease
Meeting #3
barriers; review and edit draft goals/guiding principles
Jan. 26, 2022 Edit and brainstorm additional draft recommendations
Meeting #4

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 16
Strategic Plan for Rural Clean Energy Investment
Strategic Plan Framework for Rural Clean Energy Investments
Background
The content included in Commerce’s rural clean energy strategic plan is informed by the strategies
recommended by the Rural Clean Energy Work Group; it also includes content that has been identified by
Commerce staff in subsequent legislative and stakeholder conversations as important to include. The
strategic plan, therefore, is deeply rooted in the recommendations from the work group while also selecting
strategies that best align with our programs and ability as an agency to make progress towards those goals.
Achieving our goals will require action and investments from Commerce and will require collaboration and
partnership from other critical stakeholders, as well as new funding. Specific metrics for the indicators will be
developed in the second half of 2022 and will be used to track implementation. Each strategy contributes to
one or more of the 12 Priority Topics identified through the work group process.

Goal 1: Expand and support capacity and technical expertise both from the state and within rural
communities to access and respond to clean energy needs, opportunities and grants
Suggested
Indicators to Priority
Strategies Timeframe Source Measure Success topics
1.1 Create an accessible, centralized End of 2023 Work group Number of unique
hub for resources and education on recommended visitors on website
available state and federal strategy 1.A
opportunities for grants and rural Number of participants
clean energy technical assistance and in workshops
support.

1.2 Support the development of local 2023-2024 Work group Number of
cultural ambassadors — people who recommended communities engaged
are known and trusted in strategy 1.B
communities and who can spread Number of
awareness of opportunities and engagement efforts
resources.

1.3 Create a strategic fund and 2023-2028 Work group New strategic fund
increase overall funding for technical recommended created
assistance and capacity building for strategies 1.C and
rural communities and rural planning 2.C Increased money
processes. available for technical
assistance and
capacity related to
comprehensive
planning

Funding available for
post-award

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 17
Suggested
Indicators to Priority
Strategies Timeframe Source Measure Success topics
1.4 Work with the PNW Center of 2023-2025 Work group Number of
Excellence for Clean Energy and other recommended collaboration meetings
partners and actively support strategy 1.D held
technical education programs or
apprenticeship based in or providing Roadmap developed
services in rural communities, and
that support rural clean energy and Number of graduates
related goals. of training or
apprenticeship
programs
1.5. Support the creation of locally- 2022-2024 Commerce staff Number of action plan
developed, equity-focused Clean and WA Agency processes
Energy Economy Community recommendations
Roadmap in two to four rural 100% of local plans are
counties. developed based on
genuine community
involvement and
collaboration

Guidance provided to
state about funding
and policy needs to
advance local aims

1.6. Participate in an Integrated 2023-2026 Commerce staff Number of counties
Energy Resilience Work Group and and Washington and rural communities
related federal planning processes Agency providing input
that will support reducing recommendations
administrative burdens and
increasing rural energy resilience.

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 18
Goal 2: Increase financing opportunities for clean energy projects and infrastructure improvements that
support community energy resilience while providing co-benefits for economic and workforce development.
Suggested
Indicators to Priority
Strategies Timeframe Source Measure Success topics
2.1 Develop a new Commerce grant 2023-2024 Work group Completion of pilot
program focused on pilot projects for recommended project
dual use agriculture. strategy 2.A
Number of climate-
smart agriculture and
forestry efforts in
Washington

kWh per acre30

Dollars per kW saved

Percent increase in
crop yield (pounds per
acre)

Acres of farmland
preserved

Tons of GHG
emissions reduced

Gallons of water
conserved
2.2 In coordination with the Utilities 2023-2026 Work group Develop standards
and Transportation Commission, recommended
develop state cybersecurity standards strategy 2.B
for the energy sector to address
increasing threats against energy
critical infrastructure.
2.3 Reduce barriers to applying for Work group Survey results
and managing Commerce grants recommended
after they are received. Conduct an strategy 2.C Number of grant
evaluation of Commerce Clean applications prior to
Energy Grant programs through efforts vs. post efforts
surveys and listening sessions and
implement suggestions for reducing
barriers to applying for and managing
grants from Commerce.

30 University of Massachusetts Amherst, Clean Energy Extension. (2022). Dual-Use: Agriculture and Solar Photovoltaics.

https://ag.umass.edu/clean-energy/fact-sheets/dual-use-agriculture-solar-photovoltaics

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 19
Suggested
Indicators to Priority
Strategies Timeframe Source Measure Success topics
2.4 Learning from least-conflict solar 2025 Commerce staff Develop
siting and related processes, develop and Washington recommendations
recommended best practices for agency
developing and siting clean energy recommendations
projects that equitably increase
economic and health benefits for
overburdened and rural communities.
This should include tools for
increasing economic returns,
including tax revenue, to rural
communities.

Goal 3: Prioritize sustainable, economically viable and climate-smart business models for the agriculture and
forestry sector.
Suggested
Indicators to Priority
Strategies Timeframe Source Measure Success topics
3.1 Fund targeted outreach in 2023-2028 Work group Number outreach
multiple rural counties across the recommended events offered/year
state to provide information regarding strategies 3.A and
agriculture and forestry-related tools 3.B Number of participants
and technologies that will contribute
to state emission reductions while
providing economic benefits.
3.2 Complete one or more pilot 2025 Work group Completion of pilot
efforts to collaborate and help to recommended project
advance innovative climate-smart strategy 3.B
agriculture and forestry efforts under Number of climate-
development in rural areas in smart agriculture and
Washington. forestry efforts in
Washington

Tons of GHG emissions
reduced

Gallons of water
conserved
3.3 Create new grant program(s) to 2024-2026 Work group Creation of program
incentivize innovative approaches to recommended funds invested
wood economies, woody waste strategy 3.C
products and carbon sequestration.

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 20
Suggested
Indicators to Priority
Strategies Timeframe Source Measure Success topics
3.4 Contribute to the Clean Fuel 2022-2026 Work group Number of landowners
Program’s Agriculture and Forestry recommended participating
Carbon Capture & Sequestration strategy 3.D
Advisory Panel and help to advance
recommendations that will support
climate-smart agriculture and forestry
practices that align with the state
energy strategy goal to increase
access to and participation in
climate-smart practices for
landowners and stakeholders.

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 21
Goal 4: Ensure the equitable participation in program design, equitable distribution of benefits and reduction
of burdens, and equitable access to funding for clean energy projects in rural communities.
Suggested
Indicators to Priority
Strategies Timeframe Source Measure Success topics
4.1 Partner with Tribal nations to 2025-2027 Work group Support from Tribes or
prioritize energy sovereignty: Host or recommended Tribal organizations
provide funding for a Tribal clean strategy 4.A
energy mentorship program, where Number of participants
Tribes seeking to develop clean
energy projects are matched with Number of Tribes
other Tribes who have already matched
developed/deployed that specific
type of clean energy.
4.2 Support the establishment of a 2023-2025 Work group Support from Tribes or
clean energy or climate resilience recommended Tribal organizations
grant program developed or strategy 4.A
sponsored by a Tribal Nations or Money invested
Tribal organization by 2027.
4.3 Provide ample and diverse Ongoing Work group Number of meetings
opportunities for community input recommended
around grant design and ensure strategy 4.B Number of engagement
accessibility around applying to efforts
funding opportunities:
Number of participants

Comparison of number
of grant applicants
prior to enhanced
community
engagement versus
number of grant
opportunities post
enhanced community
engagement
4.4: Develop a framework for 2023-2024 Work group Ratio of rural to urban
measuring and tracking the equitable recommended projects with state
distribution and impact of state strategy 4.C funds
capital investments and to guide
future investments Number low income
projects
Conduct a gap analysis on the
distribution of clean energy projects kW local renewable
throughout rural communities in the generation and
state by 2024. consumption

kW distributed energy
for lower income
customers

Percent of total
projects under contract
for Tribes and
overburdened

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 22
Suggested
Indicators to Priority
Strategies Timeframe Source Measure Success topics
4.5 Fund work on state rural data 2027-2030 Work group New data, map layers,
layers to provide support for more recommended or other guidance that
equity mapping tools and guidance in strategy 4.C helps to identify
HEAL Act and Climate Commitment vulnerable populations
Act Work. and communities in
rural Washington
Support work to identify and advance
use of geospatial data that can guide
equitable funding and program
delivery in rural Washington. This
may include rural data overlays, new
indicators relevant to rural
communities, or future iterations of
the EHD map to guide funding
including for HEAL Act and Climate
Commitment Act work.
4.6 Increase Commerce clean energy By 2027 Work group At least 40% of
grant investments benefitting recommended investments in
vulnerable populations in rural strategy 4.C overburdened
communities. communities and/or
benefitting vulnerable
populations or Tribes

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 23
Goals and Recommended Strategies
The following sections describe the overarching goals and related recommended strategies from the Rural
Clean Energy Work Group. Many of these recommended strategies are highlighted in the strategic plan and are
identified by the strategy number (such as 1.A, 2.B, etc.). The priority strategies recommend a combination of
continued funding or enhancements to existing programs, investments and policies, as well as the creation of
new programs, investments and policies to fill state and federal gaps.

Goal 1: Expand and support capacity and
technical expertise both from the state and within
rural communities to access and respond to
clean energy needs, opportunities and grants.
While many entities or small governments may be interested in obtaining state and federal
funding for clean energy projects, significant barriers exist around applying due to limited human
capacity, onerous applications or lack of knowledge around funding opportunities or
requirements. Capacity constraints may include lack of staffing to write grant applications and
lack funds to hire resources, even temporary ones, like grant writers, lawyers, planners or other
staff to complete a grant application or contract requirements. "Some organizations have grant
writers, but they are often over capacity with other obligations or may not have the technical knowledge
required for certain grants," explained one work group member. As outlined in the Energy Climate Policy
Advisory Committee's legislative report recommendations, the current capital budget guidelines, which have a
cap on administrative costs, limit the ability for many state capital grants to provide technical assistance.31
Although there are some federal programs that offer technical assistance, these opportunities may be specific
and limited to the scope of the particular federal grant. Additionally, applicants may not know where to find
relevant opportunities.

Rural communities need both a centralized source of information on available clean grants and more
opportunities for technical assistance around grant applications, project development and grant reporting.
Additionally, rural communities require programs that can support skill building around grant writing and
management, and clean energy job training. Washington agencies should evaluate alternative methods for
disseminating grant information, fostering connections between communities and technical experts,
supporting the development of local cultural ambassadors to inform communities about opportunities, and
provide strategic funding for technical assistance and capacity building within communities. In addition to the
work group recommendations, there has also been research that corroborates the work group view that more
capacity and technical expertise needs to be developed at the local and regional level. 32

31 Washington State Department of Commerce (2020, November). Energy and Climate Policy Advisory Committee. Retrieved October 1,

2021, from Energy and Climate Policy Advisory Committee: https://www.commerce.wa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/ECPAC-
Report_11-24-2020.pdf. (Pg. 9)
32 Several recent studies align with barriers identified and assertions by the work group that that more capacity and technical expertise

is needed to apply for and unlock investments in federal infrastructure and state energy grants.:
In their article on improving the scale of federal investments, "Modernizing Federal Investments for Rural Prosperity, Natalie Giesmar
and Tony Pipa argue that it is critical to invest in a network of "national and regional intermediaries that can work with local
communities and offer appropriate technical assistance, and help strengthen local capacity will be critical to maximizing the
effectiveness of grants." Giesmar, Natalie. a. (2021, December). Principle Ideas: How can we secure enduring capital for equitable rural
prosperity. Retrieved March 3, 2022, from Aspen Institute: Thrive Rural Framework: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/wp-
content/uploads/2021/12/TR-FP-3-Rural-Capital-singles-FINAL.pdf; Headwater Economics created a capacity map to "help identify

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 24
1.A) Recommended strategy: Create an accessible,
centralized hub for grants, resources and education on
available technical assistance, state and federal
opportunities, and assistance around grant requirements.
The Brookings Institute found that a maze of 400 federal programs focused on rural development
span 10 independent federal agencies, and there is no comprehensive strategy.33 Without a
centralized hub for information, applicants are required to sift through an array of federal and
state grant programs with different requirements and processes. This may not be feasible for
applicants with small staff, limited capacity and small budgets. Furthermore, if an entity or community receives
grant funding, they may not have the budget or knowledge to find qualified technical experts to implement the
projects. The Legislature should provide funding to develop and maintain a centralized hub for information on
grant applications, project management and monitoring. Additional funding should be provided to support
communities to identify and select appropriate input and expertise of technical experts.

Addresses barriers:
 Lack of technical expertise to develop clean energy projects
 Small government and rural community staffing capacity
 Lack of workforce in rural areas to build projects
Example strategies, programs and policy mechanisms:
 Using a model, like the Infrastructure Assistance Coordinating Council, establish a consortium of
government agencies and educational institutions, including Washington State University and
community colleges, to create a clean energy grant resource hub. The consortium should maintain a
centralized list of state and federal clean energy funding opportunities and resources that small
governments and rural communities can leverage with state funding. The hub should cross-reference
to existing "hubs" that already exist, such as the Conservation Program Explorer, and new ones as they
come into existence.
 Develop an interactive website that helps entities match themselves to federal and state grant
programs based on eligibility and program relevance. The Legislature should provide a budget for full-

communities where investments in staffing and expertise are needed to support infrastructure and climate resilience projects."
Headwaters Economics. (2022, January 26). A Rural Capacity Map. Retrieved April 26, 2022, from
https://headwaterseconomics.org/equity/rural-capacity-map/;
The Clean Energy Transition Institute (CETI) has been developing a program called Clean Energy and Northwest Rural Communities.
This program includes two projects: Equitable Rural Building and Decarbonization and Claiming Power: Stories of Rural Communities
and Clean Energy. The former program has conducted both quantitative research analyzing various characteristics of rural economic
and energy burden, as well as qualitative research that involved interviews with over two dozen representatives of Washington’s rural
communities, including community action agencies, nonprofit organizations, Tribal members, and individuals from rural areas with the
experience to know what is best for their communities when it comes to clean energy and decarbonization. The paper that compiles the
results of this research will be released during the summer of 2022. Interview with Eileen Quigley, Executive Director, The Clean Energy
Transition Institute. (2022, February);
The Aspen Institute Community Strategies has developed a series called Thrive Rural Open Field sessions focused on connecting rural
and tribal communities. This blog summarizes an event that gathered community and economic development to discuss strategies to
build rural capacity. The article emphasizes the need for capacity strengthening in "rural places, tribal communities, and Native nations",
especially in order to "grow economies, health, and livelihoods," and lists relevant rural capacity resources. Deaton, C. D. (2022, May
19). Better Results: What does it take to build capacity in rural and Native nations communities? Retrieved May 25, 2022, from Aspen
Institute: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/better-rural-capacity-building/
33 Geismar, N., & Pipa, A. (2020, November 19). Reimagining rural policy: Organizing federal assistance to maximize rural prosperity.

Retrieved March 3, 2022, from Brookings Institute: https://www.brookings.edu/research/reimagining-rural-policy-organizing-federal-
assistance-to-maximize-rural-prosperity

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 25
time employees at Commerce or the host agency to answer questions, provide assistance and training
opportunities.
 Provide ongoing, no-cost webinars, in-person trainings and other educational opportunities on grant
writing, project management and grant reporting/monitoring. Trainings should also help applicants
understand the differences between state and federal grant applications and program monitoring
requirements. Training opportunities should consider accessibility guidelines including but not limited
to reducing language, technical, literacy or other barriers to participation due to color, race, religion,
education level, or income.34
 Use a model like the Small Business Playbook to develop a written guide for applying to and managing
state and federal grants, including a glossary of terms and frequently asked questions.
 Commerce and/or other state agencies should provide funding to support the development of a
certification system to verify the quality of technical experts who can help applicants with the grant
application and reporting process or installation and maintenance of clean energy technologies. Once
the system is established, develop an online directory of technical experts housed on the proposed
grant resource hub website.

1.B) Recommended strategy: Support the development of
local, cultural ambassadors — people who are known and
trusted in communities and who can spread awareness of
opportunities and resources.
"When funding is designated as 'rural,' don't ignore us for being 'too rural' ("not enough
bang for the buck" scenarios). We need more program staff assigned to our areas to help
educate, train and get initial implementation off the ground - we are unlikely to have all
the needed experts already on the ground. Coordinate education campaigns statewide so
that everyone has an equal opportunity to learn about programs and behaviors that will
help them. Some of these barriers can be removed immediately - energy issues are more
important than ever, and the more efficient and independent we can all become, the better
it is for the world." — Public comment form

Building trust with communities is a long-term process that requires partnerships between state agencies and
community organizations. In addition to informing community members about opportunities and resources, a
work group member said the state should "Also include them as decision makers (utilizing deliberative
processes) for project implementation. Distribute decision making power, instead of public agencies holding
the power." Bills like SB 5793 support this work by providing stipends to individuals with lived experience or
who are low income to support participation in workshops or other engagement efforts.

Many state agencies, including Commerce, are developing a regional presence through units such as the
Community Engagement and Outreach Team. These teams proactively partner with, support and advocate for
Washington communities furthest from equitable distribution of funds. The units work with communities by
listening and understanding their needs to help them navigate and connect with Commerce resources, experts
and services. The Legislature should not only enhance these engagement team programs through additional
funding — it should also provide additional opportunities to support frontline organizations that already have
trust within communities.

34 Washington Healthy Environment for All Act, WA. SB 5141 (2022).

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5141&Initiative=false&Year=2021

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 26
To address this issue, recommendations should enhance existing regional government agency community
outreach programs. This can be done by augmenting staff capacity including hiring more full time employees
and enhancing expertise to ensure that agency staff have the ability and time to raise awareness about
upcoming opportunities, as well as the technical expertise to work with applicants through the grant process
and during the reporting period if a grant is received. The state can help build technical expertise in
communities by supporting staff with engineering and/or clean energy backgrounds capable of doing site
evaluations, preliminary feasibility studies, and energy audits for the agriculture and clean energy sector. If
there are capacity issues preventing this kind of engagement, agency staff could help organizations identify
specific technical assistance.

"Partner with frontline organizations that aren't necessarily working in the energy
sector (in some cases, a few might be far outside of it in the services they offer), but
are deeply embedded within these 'hard-to-reach' communities and have already
cultivated a level of trust." — said work group member

 Support the development of jurisdictional/regional partner "hubs" to pool human resources benefiting
regional priorities.

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 27
1.C) Recommended strategy: Expand funding opportunities
for technical assistance and capacity building for local
governments and rural communities.
Although many communities and small governments are interested in receiving grants, strict

"Commerce grants are complicated and challenging to organizations without
technical assistance. Many groups won't even attempt to apply." — said work group
member

eligibility requirements or other barriers may prevent prospective applicants from submitting
proposals.

According to the work group, these barriers include limited staff resources, language barriers, and lack of
knowledge around applications and reporting requirements. Additional capacity barriers may exist due to
historic underinvestment and lack of time due to workload.35 Such challenges are considerable for early stage
businesses or farms that might not have enough staff to work on grant applications, but need capital to jump-
start their enterprises. Having an "internal person able to do grants give that entity a leg up," explained a work
group member. In addition, many state grant program staff do not have the capacity to provide application
assistance guidance to applicants prior to a solicitation due to limited administrative funding. Furthermore,
once applicants obtain grants or loans, they may have challenges completing the grant reports and/or finding
qualified local contractors who have the expertise to install clean energy technologies. It is important for rural
communities to obtain this expertise when needed through consultants and to build it within their communities
and/or entities.

Addresses barriers:
 Lack of technical expertise to develop clean energy projects
 Small government and rural community staffing capacity
 Lack of workforce in rural areas to build projects
 Lack of access to capital
Example strategies, programs and policy mechanisms:
 Develop a flexible strategic fund through the operating budget, with a board of advisors, that could be
used for technical assistance and capacity building.
 Funding should be available for entities seeking assistance around the pre-application process,
navigating application and reporting requirements, preparing budgets and financial documents, and
preparing technical documents or for internal training to build skills around these tasks. The
strategic fund can also provide grants or loans for early stage companies, rural small businesses,
small farms or other entities that need capital to help their business get off the ground or to fund
other needs not covered by state capital or federal grants.
 The strategic fund should also fill the gap between education and implementation and provide
funding for energy audits for agriculture operations interested in deploying clean technologies.
 Require all state grant program webpages and/or solicitation documents to link to the centralized grant
resources hub referenced in Goal 1 Recommendation A, pointing to resources for technical assistance.
 Expand the current administrative cap in current state capital grant programs to provide funding for
technical assistance.

35 White House (2022, January). c. Retrieved April 2022, from https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/BIL-

Factsheet-Local-Competitive-Funding.pdf

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 28
 Bolster staff capacity for state capital grant programs to provide a variety of support and technical
assistance to grantees tailored to their needs.36

1.D) Recommended strategy: Incentivize clean energy
startups and encourage young people to stay in rural areas
through technical education programs, apprenticeships and
living wage jobs focused on clean energy.
Both the clean energy sector and agriculture sector need to attract and retain workers and new
businesses in rural areas. Research by the World Resources Institute has found that clean energy
jobs are a core part of rural economies, and rural Washington experienced 24% job growth, with
1,039 new rural clean energy jobs created in the clean energy sector between 2017 and 2019.37, 38
COVID-19 halted these gains; the first year of the pandemic resulted in a 19% decline in the state's
rural clean energy jobs, with 1,034 jobs lost.39 The agriculture sector also faces workforce
challenges, including lack of support around succession planning. For example, for every one
farmer under age 35, five are 65 or older.40

In addition, startups, which can create local benefits for rural communities, may gravitate towards urban areas
due to the availability of resources needed to get their businesses off the ground.41 Analysis by the Economic
Innovation Group found that entrepreneurship in rural America is decreasing42 and not enough startups have
offset this decline. 43 For example, more enterprises have closed shop in rural America ever year than have
started since 2008.44 Small clean energy businesses not only need resources — they also need capital in the
early stages of their enterprises.

36 A study by the GOA highlighted 10 federal grant programs in three agencies that provide technical assistance, and found that

agencies enhance grant programs by providing technical assistance services based on "the requirements of the grant programs and
the needs of grantees." United States Government Accountability Office. (2020, August 11). GAO-20-58: Grants Management: Agencies
Provided Many Types of Technical Assistance and Applied Recipients' Feedback. Retrieved March 16, 2022, from Government
Accountability Office: https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-20-580.pdf. (Pgs. 5, 15, 19)
37 See chart titled, " Prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Clean Energy Jobs Grew Rapidly in Rural Counties, Outpacing Job Growth in Urban

Counties". Saha, Devashree, and Tom Cyrs. (2021, April 19). 5 Graphics that Explain Clean Energy Jobs in Rural America. Retrieved
March 3, 2022, from World Resources Institute: https://www.wri.org/insights/clean-energy-jobs-rural-communities-us-5-
graphics#:~:text=The%20sector%E2%80%94which%20includes%20jobs,or%20more%20in%20some%20counties.
38 Note that WRI uses the Rural-Urban Continuum code definition of rural developed by the USDA Economic Research Service: USDA

ERS - Rural-Urban Continuum Codes
39 See chart titled, "COVID-19-related Clean Energy Job Losses Have Hit Rural Counties Hard." Saha, Devashree, and Tom Cyrs. Tom

Cyrs. (2021, April 19). 5 Graphics that Explain Clean Energy Jobs in Rural America. Retrieved March 3, 2022, from World Resources
Institute. https://www.wri.org/insights/clean-energy-jobs-rural-communities-us-5-
graphics#:~:text=The%20sector%E2%80%94which%20includes%20jobs,or%20more%20in%20some%20counties.
40 USDA. (2017). 2017 Census of Agriculture Washington State Profile. Retrieved February 24, 2022, from US Department of Agriculture

National Agricultural Statistics Service:
https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/AgCensus/2017/Online_Resources/County_Profiles/Washington/cp99053.pdf.
41 Sablik, T. (2022, First Quarter). Growing Rural America Through Startups. Retrieved May 12, 2022, from Federal Reserve Bank of

Richmond: https://www.richmondfed.org/publications/research/econ_focus/2022/q1_feature_2
42 Note that EIG defines "rural" as nonmetropolitan areas. Fikri, Kenan. (2021, November). Restoring Well-Being and Entrepreneurship in

Rural America, Chapter. Investing in Rural Prosperity. Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis. Retrieved from Economic Innovation Group:
https://eig.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Investing-in-Rural-Prosperity_ONLINE-Version_508-Compliant_Chapter-06.pdf, pg. 96
43 Fikri, Kenan. (2021, November). Restoring Well-Being and Entrepreneurship in Rural America, Chapter. Investing in Rural Prosperity.

Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis. Retrieved from Economic Innovation Group: https://eig.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Investing-
in-Rural-Prosperity_ONLINE-Version_508-Compliant_Chapter-06.pdf, (Pg. 96)
44 Fikri, Kenan. (2021, November). Restoring Well-Being and Entrepreneurship in Rural America, Chapter. Investing in Rural Prosperity.

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 29
Washington must develop policies and programs that complement federal funding, incentivize rural energy
startups, help the clean energy sector recover and grow, and specifically benefit local economies by
establishing local, long-term family wage jobs and affordable housing. Work group members and additional
interviews noted a skills gap associated with some clean energy jobs. For example, some renewable energy
jobs require years of experience and specific skills, education or certifications, which makes it challenging for
prospective employees to find jobs and for employers to hire qualified workers.45 Diverse education and
training programs can help narrow this gap and encourage entrepreneurs and youth to stay in rural areas of the
state.46 State agencies should work with rural colleges, technical schools, utilities and the private sector to
develop diverse training and apprenticeship programs to create clean energy programs that accommodate
various needs to attract and retain young people.

Addresses barriers:
 Lack of technical expertise to develop clean energy projects
 Small government and rural community staffing capacity
 Lack of workforce in rural areas to build projects
Example strategies, programs and policy mechanisms:
 Support the development of a clean energy curriculum in elementary through high schools to
encourage interest in clean energy careers. As one public comment suggested, the state could reduce
educational and environmental literacy barriers by "enacting an environmental literacy mandate in K-12
curriculum similar to how the state of Maryland did and succeeded at in 2012."
 Develop youth training programs that provide high school students with technical training on energy
audits, weatherization and renewable installation in rural communities. Students can gain hands-on
experience by providing services that many community members need. There are many models across
the country, including the Rising Sun Center for Opportunity, which serves the Bay Area and San
Joaquin County, California.47
 Support the development of multi-lingual training and placement programs specific to clean energy
through community and technical colleges. Recognize that some students may need shorter trainings
that could lead to immediate job opportunities while others may need longer programs that result in
certifications.48 Design programs to support working professionals by offering students diverse
program timelines including night and weekend programs or intensive workshops. Reduce barriers to
participation in these programs by providing virtual options, childcare and stipends for transportation.
Provide students with job placement assistance.
 Award more points to grant applicants that develop training and apprenticeship programs in rural areas
that recruit locally.
 Increase jobs and encourage startups to stay in rural areas by:
 Partnering with county/regional Workforce Development Councils for training/upskilling workers
 Funding local organizations (like conservation districts or public utilities) to hire energy/carbon
sequestration auditors/technical assistance staff
 Creating urban and rural integrated entrepreneurial support centers
 Continue to support funding for Washington's Innovation Cluster Accelerator Program.

45 National Association of State Energy Officials and Energy Future Initiatives. (2020, March). Washington Energy and Employment -

2020. US Energy + Employment Report. Retrieved March 22, 2022, from:
https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a98cf80ec4eb7c5cd928c61/t/5e7818da34a6bb7701b26883/1584928987056/Washington-
2020.pdf.
46 Washington State Department of Commerce. Growing Rural Economies. Retrieved May 12, 2022, from:

http://mystartup365.com/programs/growing-rural-economies/
47 Rising Sun Center for Opportunity. (2022). Retrieved March 14, 2022: Rising Sun Center for Opportunity (risingsunopp.org)
48 Interview with Stephanie Bostwick, Ph.D, Department Chair and faculty member, Northwest Indian College, February 2022

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 30
Goal 1: Case Study

Northwest Indian College
A core focus of the engineering program at Northwest Indian College (NWIC) is encouraging Tribal
members to support the needs of their communities and promote intergenerational learning and energy
sovereignty. In 2020, NWIC partnered with Remote Energy (RE) to incorporate solar training into the
engineering program to support this goal.

Stephanie Bostwick, department chair and faculty member, developed a hands-on curriculum with RE that
enables students to gain first-hand experience on how solar can support Tribal needs. Students have been
equipped with solar water pump kits to measure circuit properties and explore how solar works. NWIC and
RE also introduced solar suitcase kits to the K-12 Lummi Nation School students. Once assembled,
suitcases can be donated to a community member to use for cell phone charging and lighting during a
power outage. On the main NWIC campus, a mock roof is under construction to train workforce students in
solar installation and provide hands-on electrical experience to engineering students. The goal is for
students to apply these skills in future jobs within their communities.

In order to expand its training program, the college partnered with RE to develop a mobile solar training
facility. RE donated an enclosed trailer, which will be outfitted with equipment funded through grants and
donations. The trailer will include a battery bank, charge controller and several solar panels. Once it is fully
installed, the program plans to bring the mobile trailer to its five other campus locations, and eventually to
interested Tribal communities. To date, the college has had initial discussions with the Confederated Tribes
of the Colville Reservation around future solar workshops for grid tied and off-grid systems. In addition, the
college has had initial conversations with the Swinomish and Nooksack about future training programs.

Image Courtesy of Remote Energy

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 31
Goal 2: Increase financing opportunities for clean energy
projects and infrastructure improvements that support
community energy resilience while providing co-benefits
for economic and workforce development.
Agriculture

Workforce Community
development resilience
Infrastructure,
clean energy
and
broadband
Health care Digital equity

Economic
impacts

While no single technology can universally address the priorities of Washington's diverse rural communities,
discussions from the work group and public comments indicate that infrastructure improvements and
broadband are foundational for supporting multiple rural priorities and inequalities, which were amplified by
the COVID-19 pandemic. As the COVID-19 pandemic laid bare, reliable, resilient infrastructure including
electricity and broadband were paramount to supporting essential functions like remote work, education and
telehealth. The 2021 SES, which was written during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, centered these
ideas in a priority recommendation focused on enhancing resilience in rural Washington by strengthening the
electric grid to deliver clean energy and using universal broadband access to support a smart grid.

The 2021 SES also identifies broadband access as a critical crosscutting theme: “The need for universal
broadband access is outside the customary ambit of energy policy, but this need emerges across sectors.
There are multiple examples where universal, reliable Internet access is required to capture energy efficiency
improvements and increase access to fossil-free energy resources.”49 Lack of reliable broadband hindered vital
communication in emergencies like wildfires. Opportunities for public participation moved to virtual forums
during the pandemic, exacerbating inequality around participation. Without internet connectivity, "many
communities cannot participate in statewide or broader level convening work," said one work group member.
Commerce's Community Economic Revitalization Board's Rural Broadband program provides funding for
construction and planning for broadband projects in rural counties and communities and the State Broadband
Office provide broadband infrastructure funding. These programs must continue to be supported.

With extreme weather events and massive disruptions like forest fires and natural disasters, critical facilities
and individuals with in-home medical equipment depend on reliable alternative power sources to keep
machines running.50 The upfront cost of enhancing resilience may be a deterrent, especially for rural
jurisdictions or counties with fewer users to socialize the cost of upgrades. However, a 2018 report shows that

49 Washington State Department of Commerce. (2020, December). Washington State 2021 State Energy Strategy. Retrieved April 2,

2021, from Washington State Department of Commerce: https://www.commerce.wa.gov/growing-the-economy/energy/2021-state-
energy-strategy.(Pg. 18)
50 (Huff, 2021); Ericson, Sean and Dan Olis. (2019). A Comparison of Fuel Choice for Backup Generators. Golden, CO: National

Renewable Energy Laboratory. NREL/ TP-6A50-72509. Retrieved April 24, 2022. https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy19osti/72509.pdf. (Pg. 1)

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 32
federal programs deploying resilience solutions have huge benefits in terms of a cost benefit ratio (BCR).51 For
one Economic Development Administration grant for California projects, that result was 4:1 BCR.52 Therefore,
making upfront costs for resilience funding available to rural communities is both economic and the right thing
to do to support these regions.

In Washington, Commerce has begun to support applications for Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) and Hazard Mitigation Assistance grants to
provide some upfront funding for resilience work. If these grants are successful, the state will be able to
provide planning tools and analysis to help rural communities plan for a resilient future. However, leaning on
federal funding alone for planning is not enough. The state must also help communities with upfront costs for
building and deploying resilient infrastructure. By developing state financing grants, local communities might
have a potential funding match to better leverage federal infrastructure dollars that are aimed at building a
more resilient grid.53

2.A) Recommended strategy: Expand state grant and loan
programs to fill technology and use case gaps for rural
communities and broaden eligibility for certain programs.
The work group indicated that state grant programs provide funding for a narrow set of eligible
applicants, and that more opportunities for funding are critical to meeting diverse community clean
energy needs. "People have different needs so it's difficult to translate the idea into the narrow box
of a grant program," said one work group member.

Results from exercises and discussions within the work group indicated that both early stage
projects like predevelopment, field trials, pilot projects and deploying commercialized technologies
were important for addressing rural priorities. (For full results of the exercise, see Appendix A,
Homework #2). Additionally, the group ranked new and developing technologies like data
dashboards or outage notification alerts, which are important for addressing rural priorities such as
community resilience and wildfires, and other cross-cutting priorities like health care and
broadband. Such projects would not typically be funded with state capital dollars due to the
requirement that capital projects produce an asset with a "useful lifespan of more than 13 years."54

The work group also prioritized more established technologies with immediate benefits, including technologies
to increase access to broadband, improvements to transmission and distribution, energy efficiency, battery
technologies, advanced energy storage, solar, and projects to enhance resilience. Clean transportation
(including public transportation, electric vehicles and electric or hybrid marine vessels) and infrastructure were
mentioned more frequently in the public comment form than in work group discussions and exercises.55 Some

51 Herz, Jonathan. (2019, July 18). It’s Payback Time. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Retrieved April 2022, from

https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/its-payback-time
52 Herz, Jonathan. (2019, July 18). It’s Payback Time. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Retrieved April 2022, from

https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/its-payback-time
53 Department of Energy (n.d). Building a Better Grid Initiative. Retrieved April 27, 2022. Building a Better Grid Initiative | Department of

Energy
54 The 2021 Citizen's Guide to the Washington State Capital Budget. (2021). Retrieved March 16, 2022, from Washington State

Legislature:
https://leg.wa.gov/Senate/Committees/WM/Documents/Citizen%27s%20guides/2021%20Citizens%20Guide%20to%20Capital%20Bud
get.pdf. (Pg. 5)
55 Note that this difference may have been due to the way the questions were phrased and the assignment provided to the work group.

The public comment form asked participants to describe clean energy needs and select from a list of technologies, while the work
group completed an exercise in which they ranked a list of technologies derived from the 2021 SES and CEF5 Rural Innovation proviso
by how the technology addressed the 12 rural priorities (agriculture, broadband, infrastructure, etc.) See Appendix A, Homework #2.

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 33
of the priority technologies are already funded by Commerce grants programs and federal grant opportunities,
while others have gaps in state funding. As noted in previous sections, rural communities experience a
shortage of qualified technicians to install and maintain these technologies.

A work group member said there is a high demand for residential programs for rural communities, but many
state programs are oversubscribed and few federal programs exist that meet these needs. The USDA Rural
Energy for America Program (REAP), for example, funds small rural business and agricultural producers but
not residential programs. While this program provides a critical funding source to many small businesses and
farms, similar programs should be developed for residential applicants.

Additionally, many state and federal programs have narrow eligibility for specific grants. For example, some
grant programs, such as Rural Energy for America, may require that enterprises be operational for a certain
period of time, own the property, or have a lease agreement of a specific duration to be eligible for certain
types of state and federal funding in order to mitigate risk.56 One work group member said, "… the applicant
must own or control the site of the project for the 'useful life of the project.' For solar PV, usually warrantied at
25 years, that means that the applicant would need to either demonstrate property ownership or a lease of the
property for at least 25 years after project installation."

Although renters could apply to REAP, securing a lease agreement of that length of time is uncommon. This
poses significant challenges for early stage businesses, Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC)
farmers, and new farmers who need start-up capital or may be leasing land.57 58 59 Commerce should increase
its portfolio to include more funding types encompassing more stages and types of technologies, and expand
eligibility to more entities.

Addresses barriers:
 Lack of programs tailored for rural use cases
 Lack of access to capital
Example strategies, programs and policy mechanisms:
 Expand state clean energy grant program eligibility to include residential customers seeking resilient
clean energy technologies and energy efficiency. Opportunities could expand eligibility to churches,
mobile homes, multifamily housing, farmworker housing, rental housing and farmers with leased land.
 Provide low-cost loans for small wastewater and water utilities in rural communities, as well as small
off-grid energy storage projects.
 Design programs to prioritize locally owned or job creating projects.
 Expand funding for pilot projects, predevelopment, data dashboards and field trials.
 Provide a percentage of the project funding before the completion of key milestones or accrual of
expenses.
 Create financial or policy incentives for agricultural producers to pilot dual-use renewable projects,
such as agrivoltaics, solar grazing, conservation dual-use, or other innovative clean energy solutions on

56 reap_rule_4_27_21.pdf (usda.gov) $4280.112 Applicant Eligibility. The REAP program requires that the "applicant must at the time of

application and, if an award is made, for the useful life of the project as described in the Financial Assistance Agreement: (1) Own the
project; and; (2) Own or control the site for the project. For many solar PV projects, the average useful life is ~25 years."
57 Spark Northwest. (2021, July 13). USDA Racial Equity SNW Comments 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2022, from

https://www.regulations.gov/comment/USDA-2021-0006-0192
58 Commerce mentioned BIPOC farmers because of historic barriers to obtaining farmland and significantly lower rates of agriculture

land ownership by BIPOC farmers than white farmers.
59 Gazillo, C. (2021, February 25). Active policy efforts to address the history of BIPOC land theft in America. American Farmland Trust.

Retrieved May 4, 2022, from https://farmland.org/active-policy-efforts-to-address-the-history-of-bipoc-land-theft-in-
america/?msclkid=9dab0450ce5111ecab7c7f47f918c6dd.

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 34
agricultural land.60 Agrivoltaics, for example, have potential benefits for farmers, including "providing
passive income for farmers, conserving water, extending growing seasons, and protecting crops and
livestock from extreme temperatures," as noted by the American Farmland Trust. However, more
research and development is needed on agrivoltaics and other dual-use renewables as a potential
solution for agriculture and renewables, "to coexist rather than compete for land."61

2.B) Recommended strategy: Prioritize reliable, high speed
broadband and clean energy technologies that enhance
resilience and increase mobility for rural communities.
 Rural communities need reliable, affordable infrastructure to support education, economic
development and workforce training opportunities. As the 2021 SES mentions, broadband
is the foundation for so many other infrastructure, social and clean energy needs.62
Additionally, clean, affordable transportation is imperative in rural areas where people must
travel long distances to reach critical facilities and services. Commerce should prioritize
investments in broadband, clean energy systems that enhance resilience, and early warning
systems like wildfire alerts for rural communities, as well as incentivize planning among
key stakeholders.
Addresses barriers:
 Lack of programs tailored for rural use cases
 Lack of access to capital
 Small government and rural community staffing capacity
Example strategies, programs and policy mechanisms:
 Commerce's Energy Emergency Management Office should incentivize proactive planning and
coordination among utilities, partners and communities around wildfire mitigation.
 Continue to support programs that provide funding for rural grid modernization and resilience among
remote customers, as well as clean transportation options to improve mobility for remote communities.
 Expand on the success of Clean Energy Fund programs like Grid Modernization to allow funding for
feasibility studies and pre-development. Such funding is imperative for applicants to do a cost
benefit analysis on different backup systems and ensure that resilient clean energy projects are
funded at the appropriate price point.
 Build operating costs into project budgets to ensure that clean energy costs for technologies that
increase resilience are funded at the appropriate price point. For example, budgets could offset the
initial costs for replacing diesel generators and include the long term value of such an action in cost
savings.63
 In coordination with the Utilities and Transportation Commission, develop state cybersecurity
standards for the energy sector to address increasing threats against energy critical infrastructure. It
will be essential to provide support to Rural Electric CO-OPS/Rural Electric Associations and small

60 Marieb, D. (2019). Dual-Use Solar in the Pacific Northwest. Retrieved April 2022, from Renewable Northwest:

https://renewablenw.org/sites/default/files/Reports-Fact%20Sheets/Dual-Use%20Solar%20Report_FINAL.pdf
61 Interview with Dani Madrone, Pacific Northwest Policy Manager, American Farmland Trust, February 2022
62 Washington State Department of Commerce. (2020, December). Washington State 2021 State Energy Strategy. Retrieved April 2,

2021, from Washington State Department of Commerce: https://www.commerce.wa.gov/growing-the-economy/energy/2021-state-
energy-strategy/. (Pg. 18)
63 This recommendation was also informed by Commerce staff input.

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 35
municipal utilities to meet these state standards as many have limited staff capacity for a much
needed enhanced cybersecurity posture.64
 Incentivize and prioritize investments in distributed clean energy technologies for critical facilities,
including but not limited to drinking and waste water systems, communications infrastructure (such as
radio and cellphone towers), health care facilities, emergency shelters, grocery stores and food banks.
 Reduce the regulatory and cost barriers around developing and expanding clean energy projects and
infrastructure improvements with co-benefits for rural workforce development.
 Using guidance developed in the Low Carbon Energy Facility Siting Legislative Report (due
December 2022), support standardizing permitting across jurisdictions in order to minimize the
administrative burden for project managers.
 Focus on programs and policies that reduce the cost of manufacture/supply/permitting/installation
of clean energy technologies so it makes economic sense for residents, farms and businesses to
do it without direct subsidies or applying for a grant.
 After receiving grants, incentivize larger contractors to subcontract with rural or local businesses by
developing an approved contractor list.

2.C) Recommended strategy: Reduce barriers to applying for
and managing grants after they are received.
In addition to lack of awareness about specific grant opportunities, many rural communities face
challenges around applying for and managing grants due to issues mentioned in previous sections.
One work group member pointed out that some applicants will not apply to state grants at all due to
high match requirements. Onerous or lengthy applications and limited access to broadband further
compound these challenges. After grants are received, there may be additional challenges around
managing the contract. There are "lots of new categories in the contract — the more complex those
categories get the less expertise exists to interpret those requirement," said a work group member.
As recommended in the ECPAC report, grant administrators should "streamline applications" to the
extent possible to reduce complexity,65 and similarly reduce unnecessary complexity in contracts.

Addresses barriers:
 Small government and rural community staffing capacity
 Access to information
Example strategies, programs and policy mechanisms:
 Split grants into two phases, with the first phase covering planning, team building and capacity building.
First phase grant recipients would be eligible to apply to the second phase, which would focus on
project implementation.
 Provide separate grant applications with reduced requirements for lower cost, lower risk clean energy
projects compared to higher cost, higher risk clean energy projects.
 Establish significantly longer timelines for application deadlines. For example, instead of the standard
30-60 days, the application deadlines could be extended to 90 days.
 Consider providing paper applications with prepaid postage, distributed through community
organizations, as an alternative to online applications.

64 This recommendation was also informed by Commerce staff input; U.S. Department of Energy. (2022, March 29). Rural and Municipal

Utility Advances Cybersecurity Grant and Technical Assistance Program. Retrieved from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law:
https://www.energy.gov/bil/rural-and-municipal-utility-advances-cybersecurity-grant-and-technical-assistance-program
65 Washington State Department of Commerce. (2020, November). Energy and Climate Policy Advisory Committee. Retrieved October 1,

2021, from: https://www.commerce.wa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/ECPAC-Report_11-24-2020.pdf. (Pg. 10)

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 36
 To the extent possible, align state grant requirements and terminology with similar federal programs to
guarantee consistency and ensure that applicants can use grant awards as state or federal match.
 Build on the success of some Clean Energy Fund and Energy Retrofits for Public Buildings programs by:
 Using a two phase or pre-application process whenever possible with a simplified first phase or
concept paper application.
 Offering reduced match requirements for applicants who may have challenges securing match.
 Prioritize projects that include partnerships or collaboration.
 Provide state grant recipients with longer contract timelines to account for increased shipping costs
and shortage of building materials and other supplies, as well as staff capacity limits.
 Consider offering a percentage of grant payments to be made at the beginning of the grant period,
instead of on a performance/reimbursement basis.66

66 Work group comments; Spark Northwest. (2021, July 13). USDA Racial Equity SNW Comments 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2022, from

https://www.regulations.gov/comment/USDA-2021-0006-0192

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 37
Goal 3. Prioritize sustainable, economically viable and
climate-smart business models for the agriculture and
forestry sectors.
With climate change driving increased wildfires, extreme weather events and droughts, Washington's
agriculture and forestry sectors will face continuous and unique challenges to their operations in the coming
years.67 68 Furthermore, COVID-19 has compounded economic hardships for the agriculture sector due to labor
shortages and other effects on agriculture inputs.69 Washington's agriculture and forestry sectors need
policies and programs that conserve the resources that drive these economies, support sustainable business
models, and reduce risk around adopting new practices and technologies that will support climate change
mitigation and adaptation.

3.A) Recommended strategy: Reduce financial and
operational risk for farmers and foresters by encouraging and
incentivizing the adoption of new and existing clean energy
technologies and supporting translational R&D for clean
energy technologies that are close to ready for deployment,
with particular focus on the rural contexts in which these are
used.
The upfront capital costs of obtaining equipment are often too high for farmers that may have low margins or
for new farmers that need capital to get their enterprises off the ground. The Legislature should support new
and existing models that allow farmers and agriculture communities to preserve economic development, adopt
existing clean energy technologies, and expand options for relevant, useful clean energy technologies. Policies
should balance the need for efficiency, novelty and economics, and ensure that new technologies are
economical, reliable and support sustainable business models for the agriculture community.

Addresses barriers:
 Lack of technical expertise for developing clean energy projects
 Lack of access to capital
 Climate policy goals not considering forestry and agriculture industry needs
Example strategies, programs and policy mechanisms:
 Incentivize adoption of new and emerging agricultural, food processing and forestry, emission control,
and clean technology upgrades through tax credits and grants.70 Examples include but are not limited

67 Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources. (2018). Climate Impacts & Adaptation. Retrieved March 24, 2022, from

https://csanr.wsu.edu/publications-library/climate-change/climate-impacts-adaptation.
68 Environmental Protection Agency. (2016, August). What Climate Change Means for Washington. Retrieved March 2022, from

https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-09/documents/climate-change-wa.pdf.
69 USDA Department of Agriculture Economic Research Services. (2022, February 9). Farms and Farm Households During the COVID-19

Pandemic. Retrieved March 12, 2022, from https://www.ers.usda.gov/covid-19/farms-and-farm-households/.
70 Hasanbeigi, Ali, Lynn A. Kirshbaum, Blaine Collison, and David Gardiner. (2021, January). Electrifying U.S. Industry: A Technology- and

Process-Based. Retrieved January 2022, from Renewable Thermal Collaborative: https://www.renewablethermal.org/wp-
content/uploads/2018/06/Electrifying-U.S.-Industry-6.8.21.pdf. (Pgs. 87-88)

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 38
to light duty electrification, with particular attention to distributed energy needs (such as solar water
pumps and hot wire fences), electric tractors, electric refrigerated delivery vehicles, and biodiesel for
tractors (such as clean technologies for delivery of goods and on-farm fuel use).
 Incentivize equipment-sharing models and cost shares to enable the purchase and use of equipment.
 Provide funding to support the translational research needed to make electrification less expensive and
more viable for specific medium-duty farm-related tasks.
 Provide targeted assistance to address financial needs and barriers of new farmers, small farmers and
historically marginalized farmers, such as land ownership requirements and upfront capital equipment
costs. Ensure that grant programs are designed to prioritize smaller, BIPOC or beginning farmers71
through scoring criteria or funding set asides.

3.B) Recommended strategy: Expand education opportunities
for small farmers, forest property owners and the public
around proven and emerging technologies and methods for
transitioning to clean energy practices, tools, equipment and
technologies.
Farmers and large property owners may find it challenging to locate affordable, accessible
technical expertise to inform them about emerging climate-smart practices, including carbon
sequestration and renewable energy technologies. While emerging technologies are critical tools, it
is also important that farmers and the forestry sector have opportunities to learn about proven
practices, including energy efficiency and weatherization.

"Rural communities need visible renewable energy pilot projects that showcase the
possibilities and benefits of clean energy innovation." — Public comment form

The Legislature should incentivize the expansion of diverse learning opportunities for the agriculture and
forestry sector and the public on emerging and proven technologies relating to clean energy.

Addresses barriers:
 Lack of programs tailored for rural use cases
 Lack of technical expertise for developing clean energy projects
 Lack of access to capital
 Climate policy goals not considering forestry and agriculture industry needs
Example strategies, programs and policy mechanisms:
 Demo/pilot projects to allow community members to see small-scale changes and benefits provided by
new technologies. Support farmers who may be concerned with the risks and capital costs around new
technologies to better understand the benefits.

71 USDA defines a beginning farmer as one who "Has not operated a farm or ranch for more than 10 years; Does not own a farm or

ranch greater than 30 percent of the average size farm in the county as determined by the most current Census for Agriculture at the
time the loan application is submitted; Meets the loan eligibility requirements of the program to which he/she is applying - Farm
Operating Loan, Farm Ownership Loan, or Microloan; Substantially participates in the operation." USDA. (n.d.). Farm Service Agency
Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Loans. Retrieved May 3, 2022, from https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/farm-loan-
programs/beginning-farmers-and-ranchers-loans/index

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 39
 Create partnerships among community colleges, extension programs and other stakeholders to co-
develop programs and curricula. Hold no-cost field days, podcasts or monthly webinars on new and
emerging technologies, as well as proven practices. Establish low-cost programs to develop trainings
for energy auditors across the state to specialize in auditing agriculture operations.
 After students complete trainings, institutions could match them with farmers in need of agriculture
audits. The audits could be subsidized by the state through a strategic fund or other mechanism.

"Education opportunities need to be followed up through one-on-one technical
assistance" — Work group member

 Increase knowledge around grant writing assistance and grant opportunities for technical assistance,
including but not limited to the Department of Energy's Energy Auditor Training Grant Program or the
USDA's Incentive Programs and Assistance for Producers | NRCS (usda.gov).
 Share potential opportunities for carbon sequestration in land practices and eligibility for earning
credits under the Climate Commitment Act and other relevant policies.
 Increase availability of energy auditors for rural communities. The recently passed federal
infrastructure package includes $40 million for the Energy Auditor Training Program (Section 40503).

3.C) Recommended strategy: Increase research and
development in woody waste biomass products and carbon
sequestration technologies, and support the development of
wood energy opportunities and markets broadly.72
The forest and wood products sector has been an important part of Washington's economy for the
last two centuries, providing jobs opportunities for timber-dependent rural communities and
economic benefits to the entire state.73 While the forest products sector is important economically,
there is untapped potential to utilize low-grade woody biomass74 for projects that reduce wildfire
risk, increase resilience and contribute to local economies. Wood waste biomass in particular
provides multiple benefits, in that it uses waste from dead trees, post-harvest slash or wood
processing residues. Depending on the source, it can thereby divert materials from landfills or
facilitate thinning that reduces forest fire risk and improves forest health.75 There should be more
state funding opportunities to support new and emerging wood technologies. Additional efforts
should be made to incentivize efficiency improvements and markets for current wood energy
technologies.

Addresses barriers:

72 Part of this recommendation is in alignment with the USDA Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry Strategy: 90 Day Progress Report.

U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA. (2021). Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry Strategy: 90-Day Progress Report. Retrieved
February 2022, from Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry Strategy: 90-Day Progress Report (usda.gov). (Pg. 11)
73 Washington State Department of Commerce. Stewardship and sustainability in a growing industry. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from

http://choosewashingtonstate.com/why-washington/our-key-sectors/forest-products/
74 Washington State Department of Commerce. (2020, December). Washington State 2021 State Energy Strategy. Retrieved April 2,

2021, from Washington State Department of Commerce: https://www.commerce.wa.gov/growing-the-economy/energy/2021-state-
energy-strategy/. (Pg. 103)
75 Department of Energy. (n.d.). Biomass Resources. Retrieved May 9, 2022, from: https://www.energy.gov/eere/bioenergy/biomass-

resources.; USDA. (2021, July 29). Wood Waste Helps Keep the Lights on in Rural Communities. Retrieved May 9, 2022, from
https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2019/10/21/wood-waste-helps-keep-lights-rural-communities.; US Department of Energy. Biomass
Energy — Focus on Wood Waste. (2004, July). Retrieved March 22, 2022, from US Department of Energy: Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy: https://www.nrc.gov/docs/ML1409/ML14093A260.pdf

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 40
 Lack of programs tailored for rural use cases
 Lack of technical expertise for developing clean energy projects
 Lack of access to capital
 Climate policy goals not considering forestry and agriculture industry needs
Example strategies, programs and policy mechanisms:
 Expand funding opportunities for wood energy projects in all stages of development. Prioritize projects
that have partnerships across sectors. Commerce has run two one-time programs focused on the use
of woody biomass, resulting in diverse projects in all stages of development. More programs that
enable the development of woody waste biomass projects with co-benefits such as "reducing forest
fire hazards and supporting resiliency in rural timber-dependent communities"76 should be offered.
 These could be used as matching funds for federal programs like the U.S. Department of
Agriculture and Forestry Wood Innovations Grant, which "expands and creates markets for wood
products and wood energy that support long-term, sustainable management of national forest
system lands and other forest lands."
 Incentivize funding for projects that focus on efficiency and switching fuel from fossil fuel boilers to
wood biomass, and the conversion to more efficient certified wood stoves in rural areas. Incentivize
efficiency upgrades and/or electrification of existing wood energy technologies like wood stoves and
boilers, which may cause elevated levels of indoor air pollution, especially if they are not certified or
used improperly.77 Partner with other state agencies to develop or expand programs that complement
existing state or local grant programs. There are several federal programs that can be used as
matching funds for the development of a state grant program.78
 Support recommendations from “Biomass to Biochar: Maximizing the Carbon Value,” including
encouraging synergies in the forestry sector, agriculture producers, academia and the private sector
and other stakeholders to address supply chain constraints and other challenges79 and incentivize the
production of wood products with field trials, education, and coordinated research clusters. Leverage
these synergies to support research on the co-benefits of wood products and sequestration, including
soil health and wildfire risk reduction.
 Expand awareness of potential collaborations through existing resources like the USDA Northwest
Climate Hubs Atlas.

76 Washington State Department of Commerce. (2019) Forest Financial Assistance Program. Retrieved April 14, 2022, from

https://www.commerce.wa.gov/growing-the-economy/energy/forest-products-financial-assistance/
77 "Wood stoves & other home heating." Washington State Department of Ecology Air & Climate. Retrieved March 25, 2022, from

https://ecology.wa.gov/Air-Climate/Air-quality/Smoke-fire/wood-stove-info.
78 Weiss, J. (2014, September 17). EPA’s Guide to Financing Options for Wood-burning Appliance Changeouts. Retrieved April 27, 2022,

from Environmental Protection Agency: https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2022-03/finance-optionsupdated2022links.pdf
79 Amonette, J.E., J.G. Archuleta, M.R. Fuchs, K.M. Hills, G.G. Yorgey, G. Flora, J. Hunt, H.-S. Han, B.T. Jobson, T.R. Miles, D.S. Page-

Dumroese, S. Thompson, K.M. Trippe, K. Wilson, R. Baltar, K. Carloni, C. Christoforou, D.P. Collins, J. Dooley, D. Drinkard, M. Garcia-
Pérez, G. Glass, K. Hoffman-Krull, M. Kauffman, D.A. Laird, W. Lei, J. Miedema, J. O’Donnell, A. Kiser, B. Pecha, C. Rodriguez-Franco, G.E.
Scheve, C. Sprenger, B. Springsteen, and E. Wheeler. (2021). Biomass to Biochar: Maximizing the Carbon Value. Report by Center for
Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources, Washington State University, Pullman WA. csanr.wsu.edu/biomass2biochar (Pgs. 25-54)

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 41
3.D) Recommended strategy: Use a climate-smart agriculture
and forestry framework for policy design, referenced in
President Biden’s Executive Order 14008, U.S. Department of
Agriculture and the World Bank, as outlined by “three
principles: Increased productivity (sustainably intensifying
agriculture); enhanced resilience (adapting to climate change);
reduced emissions (mitigating greenhouse gas emissions)”. 80
Commerce should encourage the agriculture and forestry sector to incorporate a climate-smart
agriculture and forestry framework especially focused on increased localized carbon sequestration,
increased water smart and energy efficient practices, improved nutrient management, increased
agroforestry, and other practices to reduce emissions and enhance resilience. Although climate-
smart practices may not be considered within the scope of traditional clean energy, Commerce included a
focus on carbon sequestration and other climate-smart practices due to the specific language around eligible
grants technologies in the proviso and 2021 State Energy Strategy recommendations to develop "opportunities
for various methods biological sequestration as informed by DNR's Carbon Sequestration Advisory Group,"81
and alignment with broader state emissions reductions goals. 82

Addresses barriers:
 Climate policy goals do not adequately consider Washington forestry and agriculture industry needs83
Example, strategies, programs and policy mechanisms:
 Continue to incentivize voluntary conservation stewardship for the agriculture sector (due to its low
margins) and support the Sustainable Farms and Fields grant program, which provides increased
technical and financial support to farmers, ranchers, and aquaculturists, including:
 Cost sharing to implement climate-smart Best Management Practices (BMPs) and purchasing
equipment
 Financial assistance to help cover the cost of materials and supplies, including seeds for cover
crops, soil amendments and other expenses for climate-smart practices
 Support legislation such as HB1631, which expands Sustainable Farms and Fields to help farmers and
food processors reduce their carbon footprint by:
 Providing consultations to increase energy efficiency and incorporate more green energy options.

80 World Bank. (2021, April 5). Climate-Smart Agriculture. Retrieved March 23, 2022, from The World Bank:

https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/climate-smart-agriculture; Buda, D. A. (n.d.). USDA Northeast Climate Hubs. Retrieved March 5,
2022, from https://www.climatehubs.usda.gov/hubs/northeast/topic/role-climate-smart-agriculture-climate-adaptation-and-mitigation-
northeast
81 Washington State Department of Commerce. (2020, December). Washington State 2021 State Energy Strategy. Retrieved April 2, 2021

from: https://www.commerce.wa.gov/growing-the-economy/energy/2021-state-energy-strategy/. (pg. 103)
82 Please see the Introduction, "Approach to rural clean energy in this report," for an explanation on the broad definition of rural clean

energy used for this report.
83 This was one of the barriers identified and ranked by the work group but doesn't necessarily reflect Commerce's perspective. This

barrier ranked as one of the lowest priority and least urgent to address, which is why the report does not dedicate any specific sections
to the issue.

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 42
 "Informing conservation districts, farmers and food processors about local, state and federal
funding opportunities to implement practices that help reduce the carbon footprint of farmers and
food processors."84
 Commerce supports implementation of the Department of Ecology's Use Food Well Washington Plan,
including state grant funding for statewide food waste reduction and expansion of anaerobic digestion
at Wastewater Treatment and Water Resource Reclamation Facilities (WRRF), compost facilities, farms
and other locations. These actions also support Use Food Well Washington's recommendations 3, 5, 7,
14, 22, 24, 25, 27 and 29.85 By prioritizing food waste and wasted food reduction strategies, including
prevention, rescue and recovery, Washington can meet the 2030 food waste reduction goals while
building a more resilient food system and reducing our climate impact.
 Reduce food waste, address food insecurity and support farmer livelihoods by incentivizing
partnerships among local producers and businesses, improving distribution channels, and
expanding access to community supported agriculture (CSA), food rescue programs and markets
for lower grade produce, particularly in food deserts.86
 Increased use of small-scale anaerobic digesters in Washington could provide both cost savings
and environmental benefits and result in food waste reductions. This suggestion is in alignment
with recommendations increasing the use of small-scale anaerobic digesters, outlined in the Use
Food Well report (recommendations 14, 27 and 29). For example, the report recommends
supporting "feasibility studies and planning to identify opportunities for small-scale Anaerobic
Digesters (AD) to provide viable food waste management options for small generators, rural
residents, farms, schools and businesses, and island communities."87 88
Expand Clean Energy Fund dairy digester programs to include more eligible applicants, different types of
digester feedstocks, and related technologies.89 Dairy digester projects provide many benefits to farmers,
including better nutrient management, reduction of greenhouse gases, generation of renewable energy, and
additional economic opportunities. The program would benefit from expansion to additional types of
digesters and related technologies, additional feedstocks such as food waste, wastewater and other
organics, and opportunities for non-farm as well as farm applicants. This program should also provide
funding for feasibility studies and research and development of nutrient recovery in conjunction with clean
energy generation, as well as opportunities for farmers to create and market organic fertilizers and other
revenue-generating products.

84 Supporting Washington's food production system by providing technical assistance in support of improved voluntary environmental

stewardship, WA. HB 1631 (2022). https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?billnumber=1631&year=2022
85 Ecology, Washington State Department of. (2021, July 07). Use Food Well Washington Plan. Retrieved March 22, 2022, from

https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/publications/documents/2107027.pdf (Pgs. 28-78)
86 Defined by USDA’s Economic Research Service as “areas with limited access to affordable and nutritious food.” (Sources: Use Food

Well Washington Plan Recommendations 3, 5, 7, 24, 25, 22 and 24), Food Policy Forum, WA Ecology, USDA and FRAC)
87 Washington State Department of Ecology. (2021, July 07). Use Food Well Washington Plan. Retrieved March 22, 2022, from

https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/publications/documents/2107027.pdf, (Pg. 78)
88 Part of this recommendation is in alignment with the USDA Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry Strategy: 90 Day Progress Report.

U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA. (2021). Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry Strategy: 90-Day Progress Report. Retrieved
February 2022, from Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry Strategy: 90-Day Progress Report (usda.gov). (Pg. 7)
89 See also Recommendation 2A: Expand existing state grant programs

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 43
Goal 3: Case Study90

The Lands Council Biochar project through the Forest Products Financial Assistance Program
The high cost of disposing waste wood residuals deposited in slash piles is a challenge
regarding active forest management and fuels reduction. Unmanaged post-harvest timber
slash piles can also pose a risk of igniting wildfires. To address this issue, the Lands Council
received a Washington State Department of Commerce grant in 2019 through the Forest
Products Financial Assistance Program (FPFAP) to convert residual woody debris to biochar,
which will be left onsite for forest health and carbon sequestration. Biochar, a solid carbon
material, has multiple benefits including water retention and use as a soil amendment.

The project uses a portable Oregon Kiln, reducing the high cost of material transport from a
centralized facility. The kiln is easily transportable from site to site. Since the project initiated in
2019, the Lands Council has conducted two successful demonstration burns attended by
various groups who are interested in using biochar on their landscape from the private sector,
Tribes, private landowners and conservation districts.

According to the Lands Council's FPFAP quarterly progress report from Q4 2021, "The Lands
Council is continuing conversations with regional partners to utilize the biochar equipment for
biochar creation. These partners are also looking at ways to monetize the creation of biochar
in an effort to offset the cost of forest fuels reduction projects."

90 The write-up is based on the Lands Council FPFAP Grant Application (2019) and Quarterly grant reports between 2020-2022.

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 44
Goal 4: Ensure the equitable participation in program
design, equitable distribution of benefits and reduction
of burdens, and equitable access to funding for clean
energy projects in rural communities.
Washington's rural communities are not all alike, though many face similar challenges that are important to
address as we consider pathways to a clean energy economy in our rural areas. These challenges may include
higher poverty rates, higher energy burdens91 and higher unemployment rates.92 93 Additional factors might
include limited training and employment opportunities, limited transit systems and transportation options,
lower percentage of health insurance, worse health outcomes,94 buildings in need of weatherization and lack of
access to services such as broadband.95 96 In some cases, they also have energy security challenges, which
can be exacerbated by climate emergencies such as wildfire, drought and flooding.

Washington must ensure that all communities across the state — regardless of whether they are urban or rural,
or the racial or income demographics — can participate in decisions around clean energy opportunities
including siting and grants, and receive benefits from a transition to a clean energy economy. The HEAL Act
(SB 5141), which passed in 2021, is a historic step towards achieving this goal by requiring seven state
agencies to collectively address environmental health disparities in communities across Washington. This
includes conducting community engagement that centers people most impacted by pollution, incorporating
environmental justice in strategic planning, budgeting and funding decisions, developing a Tribal consultation
framework, and conducting environmental justice assessments on programs and policies.

Additionally, the Clean Energy Fund 5 mandates that programs use an equity and environmental justice lens for
program structure and participation, and prioritize projects that provide benefits to Tribes and communities
with high energy and environmental burdens. These are initial steps around increasing equitable participation
around program design and benefits, but more work is needed to understand and measure current gaps
around programs and policies for rural communities. Additionally, Washington state agencies and the
Legislature need to do more to identify and implement new policies and practices that improve equity and
environmental justice outcomes across the state, including in rural communities.

91 Ma, Ookie, Krystal Laymon, Megan Day, Ricardo Oliveira, Jon Weers, and Aaron Vimont. (2019). Low-Income Energy Affordability Data

(LEAD) Tool Methodology. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory. NREL/TP-6A20-74249.
https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy19osti/74249.pdf
92 USDA, Economic Research Service. (2022, February 4). State Fact Sheets: Washington. Retrieved March 31, 2022, from

https://data.ers.usda.gov/reports.aspx?StateFIPS=53&StateName=Washington&ID=17854
93 Note that this data set uses a definition of rural defined by the Office of Management and Budget.
94 Hailu, Asnake PhD. Washington State Department of Health. (2016, October 27). Guidelines for Using Rural-Urban Classification

Systems for Community Health Assessment. Retrieved May 1, 2022, from: Guidelines For Using Rural-Urban Classification Systems for
Public Health Assessment (wa.gov). (Pg 26).
95 Washington Broadband Office. Washington Broadband Survey Results. Retrieved February 24, 2022, from

https://www.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/4bcf7c77ecac475eb467e9df0028d05b
96 Shapiro, N. (2021, December 19). Vast numbers of people in Washington are shut out of the digital world; will massive government

funding solve the problem? Retrieved May 12, 2022, from: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/when-the-world-turned-digital-
hundreds-of-thousands-of-washingtonians-were-shut-out-will-massive-government-funding-solve-the-problem/

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 45
4.A) Recommended strategy: Partner with Tribal nations to
prioritize energy sovereignty.
Discussions from the work group and Tribal information session indicated that, despite differences,
many Tribes want increased energy independence and capacity building around clean energy
development. Commerce and other funding agencies should collaborate with Tribal nations to
understand unique differences and incentivize energy independence and capacity building through
grants and other programs. Funding agencies should complete formal consultations to ensure that
programs are tailored to unique needs of Tribal nations and partner with Tribes to facilitate
collaboration among grant recipients.

Addresses barriers:
 Lack of programs tailored for rural use cases
 Access to capital
 Access to information
Example strategies, programs and policy mechanisms:
 Partner with Tribes to provide the education necessary to present an energy sovereignty plan to Tribal
elders and leaders. Encourage Tribal partners reach out to elected leadership and invite elders to
meetings.
 Provide funding to develop a customizable blueprint for Tribes who are new to energy sovereignty
goals. Recognizing that while Tribes are not monolithic, obtaining energy sovereignty may be
unchartered territory and an adaptable roadmap could be beneficial.
 In grant programs, prioritize projects that will result in Tribal ownership of the asset.
 Provide funding for clean energy training programs.
 Partner with Tribes to:
 Provide a forum or workshops where applicants and grantees can share information on projects
and lessons learned. The workshops could be modeled on those hosted by the Department of
Housing and Urban Development. 97
 Host or provide funding for a Tribal clean energy mentorship program, where Tribes seeking to
develop clean energy projects are matched with other Tribes that have already developed or
deployed that specific type of clean energy.

97 This recommendation came from the Information session that is referenced in Appendix B

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 46
4.B) Recommended strategy: Provide ample and diverse
opportunities for community input around grant design and
ensure accessibility around applying to funding opportunities
"In every size of community — lowest income residents, and least served residents
don’t come forward — either they don’t know how or don’t trust the process. They
sometimes hear from community groups that don’t work for them. Need better
paths for low income residents to raise their voices where they welcome that,
believe in that, and are encouraged." — Work group member

State funding agencies recognize that BIPOC communities, migrant farmers, low-income
communities and other historically marginalized groups have high barriers to participation in project siting and
program design decisions. Although language translation of program materials should be an initial step toward
equitable participation, efforts must be made to engage and build trust with underserved communities. A work
group member suggested that community engagement should be "Up-front built into programs, beginning with
a Community Needs Assessment, and finding a community champion."

This work could align with the recommended strategies in Goals 2 and 3. Efforts should be made to ensure
that rural community members have ample and diverse opportunities to participate in discussions around local
control of their energy future, grant program design and other opportunities before deadlines. Government
agencies should also consider the unique perspectives of individual rural communities and the lifestyle of rural
residents. An online public comment said, "These are personal and social differences that should be
considered and respected, they are not things that are to be fixed."

State agencies should ensure that they reduce barriers to participation, including but not limited to literacy
barriers, language barriers and internet access.

Addresses barriers:
 Access to information
 Lack of programs tailored for rural use cases
 Cultural and language barriers
Example strategies programs and policy mechanisms:

"Trust takes a long time to build so it's important to start on microchanges." — Work
group member

 Funding agencies should ensure that comment opportunities and grant materials are translated into a
variety of languages. Other barriers that might prevent participation from certain groups should also be
considered.98 State agencies should provide in-person meetings with access to translators and
interpreters and opportunities to submit written comments through the mail, in addition to providing
opportunities to comment through online portals.
 Create awareness through various communication channels, including internet, social media, radio,
email, and printed materials/brochures in various languages posted in churches, post offices, libraries,

98 Rasmussen, E., Lopez, E., & Fernald, H. (2020). Environmental Justice Task Force: Recommendations for Prioritizing EJ in Washington

State Government. Page 64. Retrieved May 25, 2022, from Environmental Justice Task Force Information Page:
https://apps.leg.wa.gov/ReportsToTheLegislature/Home/GetPDF?fileName=EJTF%20Report_FINAL_39bdb601-508e-4711-b1ca-
6e8c730d57bf.pdf

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 47
apartment buildings, high schools and supermarkets. Several public comments suggested alternatives
to online notices such as local papers, mailed flyers and local chambers of commerce.
 Reduce barriers to in-person participation. Provide compensation to participate in program design and
stakeholder meetings, provide childcare and food during meetings, allow more time for community
liaisons to complete engagement and gather feedback, and ensure meeting locations are accessible
and near public transportation. The recently passed bill SB 5793 will aid in this effort. It requires
stipends for people whose lived experience provides a foundation for this work.
 Provide alternatives to online applications, which some rural communities may have trouble accessing
due to broadband issues. In developing grants, require that the opportunity is advertised through a
variety of media and translated in a variety of languages.
 Develop policies or laws that require utilities and other industries to partner or work with highly
impacted communities for grant applications.

4.C) Recommended strategy: Develop a framework for
measuring and tracking the equitable distribution and impact
of state capital investments, and to guide future investments.
It is imperative to begin with a clear sense of how state investments are currently made, including
which locations are receiving investments, which communities benefit, and what equity lessons can
be drawn from those investments. The HEAL Act will require an environmental justice lens be
applied to the creation of new grant programs, though work is needed to assess and improve
existing programs. The Clean Energy Fund has completed preliminary analysis on select grant
programs using the Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) framework. However, a more
comprehensive analysis is needed to assess the distribution of its investments and other state capital
investments. Such assessments should examine the distribution of funds to rural and non-rural areas, as well
as which communities benefit from the investments, including the extent to which vulnerable populations
benefit.

Critically, this work will require establishing and using clear terminology and definitions. At present, there are
inconsistencies in how the term "rural" is defined, which will lead to challenges in comparing data across
programs and entities. Other important terms include "overburdened communities" and "vulnerable
populations," both of which are defined in the HEAL Act, although awareness of these terms is still growing as
is the sense of how they should be used.99

Commerce will identify ways tools, such as the Environmental Health Disparities (EHD) map, can be used to
identify geographic areas where overburdened communities are located in Washington, as well as the
vulnerable populations that must be at the table to define and shape clean energy and resilience plans and
actions. Such populations may include but are not limited to Tribal members, immigrants, people with limited
English proficiency, individuals with lower incomes or unemployed workers, communities experiencing climate
impacts, lower water and air quality, hazards such as wildfire smoke and power reliability impacts, and other
factors.

Addresses barriers:
 Lack of access to capital
 Access to information
 Lack of programs tailored for rural use cases

99 Washington Healthy Environment for All Act, WA. SB 5141 (2022).

https://app.leg.wa.gov/billsummary?BillNumber=5141&Initiative=false&Year=2021

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 48
Example strategies, programs and policy mechanisms:
 Leverage work from the HEAL Act to establish a methodology for measuring the equitable distribution
of benefits from clean energy projects.
 Collaborate with environmental justice organizations, community organizations, Tribes, academia, and
state and federal agencies to collect and analyze relevant data around clean energy investments and
crosscutting energy and environmental justice issues in rural communities.
 Use data and indicators to measure the equitable distribution of clean energy projects in Washington.
These include but are not limited to: Local grid resilience, frequency of extreme weather events and
climate change impacts, pesticide exposure, proximity to concentrated animal feeding operations,
water and air quality, distributed energy for lower income customers, local renewable energy generation
and consumption, renewable project investments (private and public), environmental health disparities,
number of BIPOC farmers and land owners, small farmers (determined by revenue), and new applicants
receiving investments.100 101 102 103
 Conduct a gap analysis on the distribution of clean energy projects throughout rural communities in the
state.
 Ensure this framework is used to monitor the outcomes of state and federal grant contracts.
 Update the Washington Environmental Health Disparities Map or other tools that help identify
overburdened communities in rural areas or otherwise guide equitable investments in rural Washington.
This could involve working with the Washington State Department of Health to identify and seek
funding to increase access to additional data layers related to rural communities, which could be used
as an overlay or contribution to use of the EHD map.
 Develop a consortium of government, industry, academic and small private land stakeholders to track,
analyze and monitor data relating key agreed-upon metrics. Evaluated metrics could include but are not
limited to avoided costs related to fire suppression, supply chain efficiencies, carbon sequestration
potential, local forestry ownership, local job creation potential and ecosystem services. Needed
partners will vary depending on the metrics evaluated. For example, in the area of carbon sequestration
for agriculture, institutions including but not limited to College of Agriculture, Human and Natural
Resource Sciences at Washington State University; and Clean Energy Institute at University of
Washington could lead this work with support from the Washington Department of Natural Resources,
the Department of Agriculture and other state agencies and regional federal agencies.

100 EPA, Environmental Protection Agency. (2021, May 21). White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council Final Report Executive

Order 14008. Retrieved 2022 29, 2022, from White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council:
https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2021-05/documents/whiteh2.pdf
101 Lindwall, C. (2019, July 31). Industrial Agricultural Pollution 101. Retrieved April 29, 2022, from NRDC:

https://www.nrdc.org/stories/industrial-agricultural-pollution-101
102 USDA National Agricultural Library. (n.d.) Environmental Justice Resources. Retrieved April 29, 2022, from:

https://www.nal.usda.gov/legacy/ric/environmental-justice-resources.
103 USDA Economic Research Service. (2019, September 09). Retrieved April 29, 2022, from https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/natural-

resources-environment/environmental-quality/

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 49
Goal 4: Case Study

Pierce County Rural Climate Dialogues
In order to involve rural communities as key decision makers in local planning and implementation of
climate change strategies, the Pierce Conservation District commissioned the Rural Climate Dialogues in
June 2021. The event was modeled on the citizens' jury method of deliberative democracy and facilitated
through the Center for New Democratic Processes.

During the five-day deliberative virtual event, participants were tasked with authoring a community action
plan focused on responding to climate change and extreme weather events. Participants were randomly
selected from a pool of nearly 200 applicants to reflect the demographic makeup of east and south
Pierce County in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, education, political affiliation and region.

The event began with presentations by subject matter experts on climate change, public health and
emergency preparedness, and the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events on public
health and disaster management on rural communities. After the presentations, the citizen jurors were
tasked with developing recommendations to mitigate the negative impacts of climate change and
increase resiliency for rural communities. The report informed the Pierce Conservation District's Climate
Resiliency 2021-2025 Strategic Goals and Targets and will be shared with decision makers to inform
future planning.

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 50
Conclusion
The Rural Energy Work Group complemented work of the 2021 State Energy Strategy by providing
recommended strategies for increasing clean energy investments in rural communities and leveraging state
grants with federal funding developed based on the needs of rural communities. Through the convening of the
work group and stakeholder outreach, Commerce found that clean energy can support many rural priorities
regardless of emissions reductions. Washington’s rural communities desire more opportunities for clean
energy, but many have limited capacity to apply for and manage state and federal funding opportunities.

Commerce and the state of Washington need to do more to increase clean energy investments and reduce
barriers around applying to funding. We recommend that the Legislature:

Expand and support capacity and technical expertise both from the state and within rural communities
to access and respond to clean energy needs, opportunities and grants.

Increase financing opportunities for clean energy projects and infrastructure improvements that
support community energy resilience and while providing co-benefits for economic and workforce
development.

Prioritize sustainable, economically viable and climate-smart business models for the agriculture and
forestry sectors.

Ensure equitable participation in program design, equitable distribution of benefits and reduction of
burdens, and equitable access to funding for clean energy projects in rural communities.

More research and engagement is needed to understand and support the specific priorities of Washington’s
rural communities. Although this report begins this process through outreach and convening the work group,
Commerce recognizes that not every rural community is the same. To understand those diverse experiences, it
is critical to solicit more feedback and reduce barriers
to participation for individuals with lived experience "Without technical assistance, most rural
across these communities. Recently passed bills like SB communities, can't move forward with projects at
5793, which provides stipends for low-income and any scale (individual business owner, etc.) [and]
underrepresented community members of state boards, need help from outside sources. Most technical
commissions, councils, committees and similar groups, assistance is provided by someone who has a
may help in this process by providing the framework to financial gain around decisions (land owner
compensate individuals who are low income or with looking for cheap lease on property), so 3rd party
lived experience to participate in activities including unbiased technical assistance [is] invaluable." —
committees and work groups. Work group discussion comments.

Commerce has identified areas where more funding is
needed to achieve the goals throughout this report. More funding should be dedicated to:

 New grant opportunities that support rural community and Tribal needs
 New programs related to carbon sequestration incentives for agriculture and forest owners
 Continued outreach to agriculture and forestry communities, rural communities and Tribes
 Increased technical assistance for communities to access funding and other opportunities
The technical assistance should include funding for government agencies to provide assistance around the
grant applications, contract and project management, and to connect communities to resources. Additional
funding should be provided to enable rural communities to build capacity and develop "boots on the ground"
local technical experts to help with all stages of clean energy projects.

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 51
The strategic plan will also provide an actionable roadmap for short-, medium- and long-term steps to achieve
each of the four goals, advance towards more equitable outcomes, and accomplish many of the recommended
strategies. Throughout 2022, Commerce will partner with sister agencies and other stakeholders to determine
key performance metrics for each of the indicators in the strategic plan. Commerce remains committed to
continued engagement with rural communities and Tribes to develop programs that respond to their needs.

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 52
Appendix A: Work Group Exercises
Meeting #1: Breakout room discussion notes categorized by theme
Work group members were divided into breakout rooms and asked:

Question #1: "What do rural communities need irrespective of rural energy?"
 Follow up: "How have these needs changed from previous years with impacts from COVID-19 and
economic repercussions?"
Question #2: "What do you already know about your community partners and their priorities and needs?
Whose voice is not in the room?"

Priority area Discussion comments (comments are mostly unedited with revisions for clarity)
· Increased need to help the agriculture community. Explore localized, distributed, carbon
sequestration and other climate-smart agriculture practices

Agriculture/climate · Need to find opportunities and ways for agriculture communities in rural areas stay in
-smart agriculture, business – water smart practices and energy efficient practice helps compliance for issues but
wood biomass and also helps them stay in business! Famers are really struggling and COVID-19 was another blow
carbon for them
sequestration
· Use of woody waste and carbon sequestration technology. The results of forest fires can be
effectively used for agriculture. There needs to be a better understanding of technology, business
development, policy development

· Increase need for broadband. Broadband had impacts to educators and students in small
communities

· Many communities have no broadband internet, but are prolific smartphone users

· Lack of broadband has made communication during wildfires or other emergencies a
Broadband, digital
challenge
equity
· Without broadband many communities cannot participate in statewide or broader level in
convening work

· Lack of internet connectivity, increased dependency on remote devices (telehealth).
Communities have creative ways to provide internet (Wi-Fi on school bus)

· Rural communities need improvements in infrastructure to support education, economic
development and workforce training opportunities

· Missing knowledge of the process to get large-scale energy projects off the ground

Clean Energy · RNG for local transportation
projects/
Infrastructure · Challenges of getting small projects due to installers [labor], increased costs

· General concerns with energy projects

· Cost increases including shipping costs, building materials and other supplies have made it
challenge to prioritize projects and meet timelines

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 53
Priority area Discussion comments (comments are mostly unedited with revisions for clarity)
· Need to increase EV charging within rural communities rather than near the highway. This
will ensure that the benefits flow to the local economy

· Renewable energy [including DERs] and utilities incorporating into their plans

· Transmission and Distribution infrastructure insufficient

· Communities need improvements in wastewater treatment and conversion infrastructure

· Need for reliable, inexpensive energy and redundancy in systems

· Siting of industrial scale solar. Some counties are struggling with how this impacts rural
character and wildlife habitat

· COVID has made it more challenging for large families to gather as groups

· Young people leaving rural areas

· Technology improvements replacing labor and driving population decline

· Challenges for families to gather in large group during the pandemic
Communities
· Rural communities have unique needs despite commonalities

· The COVID impact to Tribes has been different because the communities many live in
isolated communities. When families gather together in larger groups (funeral or other activities)
then [Covid] is a bigger impact

· Connect with energy emergencies

· Economic challenges for the dairy industry have been compounded by COVID. Most dairy
producers are losing money and very few are building new biodigester projects

Economic impacts · Economic challenge for agriculture. Technology replacing labor

· Economic challenges – No economic development, small tax base, lots of Federal lands, not
a lot of infrastructure

· Food security issues compounded by Covid. Lots of food deserts in rural areas, grocery
Food security stores have been unable to stay open and transportation of food (Getting food from the farms
where it’s needed) have been major issues

· Needs for ambulances in rural communities. Health care issues including shortage of local
ambulances. Because hospitals and urgent care centers have filled up, ambulances have had to
be dispatched very far
Health care
· Health care infrastructure. Hospitals are over capacity especially urgent care centers/units

· Covid has triggered increase of telehealth

· Housing has been a strain (during the pandemic) with urban vacation home renters fleeing to
Housing
rural areas (especially where there is broadband access)

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 54
Priority area Discussion comments (comments are mostly unedited with revisions for clarity)
· Housing system as a whole is a challenge: there is a shortage of available housing and a lot
of existing housing needs to be upgraded or weatherized

· Few contractors want to convert buildings to all electric

· Technology improvements replacing labor and driving population decline

· Skill gap in local workforce
Workforce
development · Struggle to modernize municipal infrastructure due to staff limitations

· Not enough energy auditors to meet increased demand for energy efficiency, ductless heat
pumps and cooling

· Forest fires and increasing ignition risk around power lines

Wildfires · Forest fires have increased need to harvest wood

· Wildfires and other emergencies impact cell phone reception, day to day communication

Gaps/barriers in grant programs and/or government benefits
Residential programs: High demand for residential grant programs. Many people are interested in Rural Energy for
America Program (REAP) through USDA, though residential applicants are not eligible.
Narrow set of grant programs:
• Grant applications narrowly target specific set of applicants.
• People have different needs so it's difficult to translate the idea into the narrow box of a grant program.
Technical Assistance:
• Some organizations have grant writers, but they are often over capacity with other obligations or may not have the
technical knowledge required for certain grants.
• Commerce grants complicated and challenging to organizations without technical assistance. Many groups won't
even attempt to apply.
• It is challenging to apply for upfront [state] grants, unlike federal grants.
• Organic farmers and small communities need grant writers and technical support to apply to grants.
Small governments not well positioned to take advantage of investments.
Early stage businesses and farmers have challenges getting funding: Both have to be in business for a certain length of
time to take advantage of some programs. Few businesses and farmers can take advantage of tax credits.
Low income residents:
• Cannot apply for loans because of credit scores.
• In every size of community—lowest income residents, and least served residents don’t come forward—either they
don’t know how or don’t trust the process.
They sometimes hear from community groups that don’t work for them. Need better paths for low income
residents to raise their voices where they welcome that, believe in that, and are encouraged.
Organizations don’t want to apply for loans because they don’t want to accumulate more debt.

Homework #2
Exercise #1

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 55
Work group members completed a homework exercise where they were asked to rank technologies by priority
on how well it addresses the rural community priority along the top of the table (such as agriculture,
broadband, etc.). Technologies are based on both the 2021 State Energy Strategy and the proviso language for
the Rural Clean Energy Grants.

n=10

re ev
B ro ad ba nd el op
In fr as m
C
tr uc tu re en
om m un i ty t
Ec on om R es ili en D
ic Im ce rc
Agr
Fo od Se pa ct s e s
ire
ic H cu rit y or
ul
ea l thca re kf o ild f
Category Technology (State Energy Strategy and Clean Energy Innovation Grants Proviso) AVERAGE tu
H ou si ng W W
Additional Technologies Improve Early Warning Systems for Rural Communities, Wild Fires, Storm Alerts ect.. 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0
Buildings Technologies to address concern about outages with electric-only energy system 1.4 1.4 1.6 1.2 1.0 1.3 1.6 1.1 1.3 1.7 2.1
Electricity Projects to Enhance Resilience 1.4 1.4 1.5 1.2 1.1 1.2 1.7 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.7
Broadband Technologies to increase access to broadband 1.5 1.5 1.0 1.1 1.1 1.0 2.7 1.2 1.8 1.1 2.7
Buildings Energy Efficiency 1.5 1.3 2.2 1.1 1.0 1.1 1.9 1.6 1.1 1.4 2.5
Electricity Smart Grid and Grid Controls 1.5 1.8 1.3 1.1 1.1 1.3 1.9 1.8 1.7 1.5 1.7
Other Pilot Projects 1.5 1.4 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.7 1.7 1.5 1.6 1.7
Other Predevelopment 1.5 1.4 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.7 1.7 1.5 1.6 1.7
Other Research and Development 1.6 1.5 1.7 1.4 1.4 1.3 1.9 1.9 1.5 1.4 1.7
Transportation Battery Technologies 1.6 1.3 1.8 1.2 1.2 1.2 2.0 1.5 1.7 1.6 2.4
Other Tools to Inform Rural Project Development 1.6 1.5 1.6 1.6 1.4 1.4 1.8 1.7 1.8 1.4 1.7
Electricity Transmission and Distribution 1.6 2.0 1.8 1.0 1.1 1.3 2.0 1.9 1.7 1.5 1.8
Electricity Advanced Energy Storage 1.6 1.6 2.2 1.2 1.1 1.1 2.0 1.9 1.5 1.3 2.3
Other Data Dashboards 1.6 1.7 1.4 1.7 1.4 1.7 1.8 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.7
Electricity Solar 1.6 1.3 2.5 1.0 1.2 1.1 2.0 2.1 1.5 1.1 2.4
Other Field Trials 1.6 1.3 1.9 1.7 1.5 1.3 1.6 2.0 1.8 1.5 1.7
Electricity Beneficial Electrification 1.7 1.7 1.8 1.5 1.5 1.5 2.1 2.1 1.8 1.5 1.9
Buildings Grid-Connected and High-Efficiency Electric Heat Pumps and Water Heaters 1.8 1.9 2.7 1.2 1.2 1.5 2.1 1.8 1.3 1.4 2.5
Buildings Building Electrification 1.8 1.8 2.2 1.3 1.2 1.4 2.4 2.1 1.3 1.4 2.6
Electricity Wind 1.8 1.4 2.8 1.2 1.2 1.1 2.2 2.3 2.1 1.1 2.4
Industry/Agriculture Organic Waste Management 1.8 1.1 2.6 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.6 2.0 2.1 1.5 2.3
Additional Technologies Microgrids 1.8 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 1.0 2.0 2.0 3.0
Electricity Bioenergy 1.8 1.2 2.9 1.3 1.6 1.4 2.0 2.2 2.1 1.4 2.0
Transportation Efficient Freight Vehicles 1.9 1.1 2.6 1.3 1.7 1.4 1.7 2.3 2.7 1.5 2.4
Buildings Heat pumps with lower GWP refrigerants 1.9 1.8 2.8 1.5 1.4 1.8 2.0 1.7 1.3 1.8 2.6
Buildings Low-Carbon Building Materials 1.9 2.0 2.6 1.3 1.7 1.5 2.5 2.1 1.2 1.4 2.6
Transportation Hydrogen Fuel Cells 1.9 1.6 2.4 1.3 1.6 1.5 2.2 2.2 2.3 1.5 2.4
Electricity Hydrokinetic 1.9 2.0 2.5 1.6 1.5 1.4 2.3 2.3 2.1 1.3 2.3
Industry/Agriculture Advanced Bioenergy and Biorefining 1.9 1.3 2.7 1.5 1.6 1.5 2.1 2.5 2.3 1.5 2.4
Industry/Agriculture Development of New Earth Abundant and Lightweight Materials 1.9 1.9 2.4 1.8 1.6 1.4 2.4 2.0 1.9 1.5 2.5
Electricity Hydrogen 1.9 2.2 2.6 1.3 1.5 1.4 2.4 2.2 2.2 1.3 2.3
Buildings Low Emissions Refrigerants 2.0 1.5 2.9 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.6 1.7 1.6 2.2 2.7
Industry/Agriculture Membrane separation technologies 2.0 1.7 2.4 2.0 1.7 1.5 2.2 2.0 2.2 1.5 2.4
Electricity Geothermal 2.0 1.8 2.7 1.7 1.5 1.4 2.4 2.4 1.9 1.4 2.4
Industry/Agriculture Carbon Capture, Use and Storage: Direct Air and Flue Gas Capture 2.0 1.7 2.8 1.3 1.6 1.8 2.4 2.3 2.2 1.7 2.0
Buildings Demand Response 2.0 2.2 2.3 1.8 1.4 1.6 2.4 2.1 1.8 1.9 2.4
Industry/Agriculture Hydrogen Produced from Renewable Resources 2.0 1.9 2.6 1.4 1.5 1.5 2.3 2.1 2.4 1.5 2.7
Transportation Advanced Biofuels 2.0 1.2 2.6 1.6 1.8 1.2 1.9 2.4 2.7 1.8 2.7
Industry/Agriculture Dairy digesters 2.0 1.0 2.9 1.8 1.5 1.4 1.8 2.4 2.6 1.7 2.8
Transportation Electric Vehicles 2.0 1.7 2.4 1.1 1.6 1.5 2.6 2.5 2.0 1.7 2.9
Industry/Agriculture Battery Recycling 2.0 2.1 2.7 1.5 1.4 1.5 2.2 2.0 2.3 1.6 2.7
Transportation Hydrogen Produced from Renewable Resources 2.0 1.6 2.8 1.5 1.6 1.5 2.2 2.4 2.3 1.7 2.5
Industry/Agriculture Nutrient recovery 2.0 1.1 2.8 2.2 1.5 1.6 1.7 2.3 2.5 1.7 2.7
Transportation Renewable Hydrogen Storage and Distribution 2.0 1.7 2.8 1.5 1.5 1.5 2.2 2.4 2.3 1.6 2.6
Industry/Agriculture Renewable Hydrogen Storage, Distribution and Dispensing 2.1 2.0 2.6 1.4 1.6 1.4 2.5 2.4 2.4 1.6 2.8
Industry/Agriculture Carbon sequestration: Biological 2.1 1.1 2.8 2.2 1.7 1.7 2.3 2.6 2.7 1.8 1.9
Additional Technologies Biochar 2.1 1.0 3.0 3.0 1.0 2.0 2.0 3.0 3.0 2.0 1.0
Transportation Electric or Hybrid Short-Haul Aircraft 2.1 2.1 2.5 1.5 1.9 1.7 2.4 2.2 2.7 2.1 2.2
Transportation Electric or Hybrid Marine Vessels 2.2 2.1 2.7 1.4 1.7 1.5 2.3 2.4 2.6 2.0 2.8
Industry/Agriculture Carbon Capture, Use and Storage: Geological Storage 2.2 1.9 2.7 1.9 1.7 1.7 2.4 2.5 2.6 1.7 2.5
Additional Technologies On farm efficiency projects 2.2 1.0 3.0 2.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 3.0 2.0 3.0
Additional Technologies Conversion to efficient irrigation systems or dry farming techniques 2.3 1.0 3.0 3.0 1.0 2.0 1.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0
Additional Technologies Irrigation and other farm equipment energy efficiency projects (e.g. variable frequency pumps, dairy alley scrapers,
2.3grain dryers, 1
greenhouse3improvements,
3 etc.) 1 2 1 3 3 3 3

Exercise #2
Work group members were asked: "What are barriers to meeting the needs of rural communities? What might
rural communities need to address these issues?"

Work group members were asked to list recommendations on what rural communities need to address these
issues. Commerce staff took the results and grouped similar barriers into categories.

Meeting #2
Work group members were asked to rank each of the barriers based on how significant the impact to rural
communities would be from addressing that issue. They were then asked to rank the urgency in addressing
that barrier.

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 56
Importance Urgency
1 High 1 Short term (< 1 year)
2 Medium 2 Medium term (5 years)
3 Low 3 Long term (10 + years)

If there were duplicates of the same broader barrier, we picked the most conservative (lower score/more green
= more urgent/important). Note that the colors to rank the priorities under Barriers have been inversed for
clarity (e.g. more urgent/important = red). We averaged the results of the survey and summed the importance
and the urgency to get the total score.

Barrier Detail (aggregated from all meetings and Score Score Average Averag
homework) (importan (importan importanc e
ce x ce + e urgenc
urgency) urgency y
Lack of • Lack of technical assistance/expertise/contractors to advise 1.0 2.0 1.0 1.0
technical farmers and large property landowners (e.g. timber and forest
expertise landowners) about advantageous opportunities for carbon
for storage/sequestration/energy audits and efficiency.
developing • Technical assistance needs to be "boots on the ground." Small
clean rural communities don't have the expertise or resources to access
energy resources or support development
(projects) • Fund available for staff, and know how
• Need to offset technical and administrative costs
• Can we commit the funding to technical assistance, in preparing
the funding application but also the contractual obligations?
• Historical district, emergency structural repair of historical
building -- the pre-contract and contract document, and they do
not have technical assistance on staff as a community
organization it is hard/impossible to fill out those requirements
Aging or • Residential buildings in rural areas (homes +20-30 years or 1.1 2.2 1.4 0.8
inadequate trailer/manufactured homes) may be old and in poor condition
rural and need upgrades prior to installation of clean energy technology
infrastructu • Rural infrastructure may be old and in poor condition and need
re upgrades prior to installation of clean energy technology
• Transportation infrastructure is increasingly a need (aging roads
need to be fixed, rural areas need tourism to support)
• Real estate market extremely hot. Inadequate housing supply to
meet the demand
Lack of • Residential Programs: While residential properties aren't eligible 1.5 2.5 1.3 1.2
programs for REAP…
tailored for • Clean energy programs are not accessible to renters
rural use • Grant applications narrowly target specific set of applicants.
cases People have different needs so it’s difficult to translate the idea
into the narrow box of a grant program.
• High demand for residential grant programs. Many people are
interested in Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) through
USDA, though residential applicants are not eligible.
• Do outside investments have the communities’ best interests
and encourage continued adoption?
• Investment needed that has the communities’ long-term best
interest.
Small • Small governments are understaffed and do not have capacity 1.7 2.6 1.3 1.3
government for project development, leveraging outside sources of funding
and rural • Up-front money to support capacity, ex. City of Ritzville, here is
community the approach and availability of grants- instead of going in blind
staffing • Someone do to project management will often need to be
capacity brought on board
• Lack of staff for contract and program applications- the ability
for a small municipality/rural county to hire third party technical
assistance is difficult-
• An internal person able to do grants gives that entity a leg up

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 57
Cultural and • Cultural/language barriers with immigrant/migrant communities. 1.8 2.7 1.4 1.3
language Translation services for language isolated communities in rural
barriers areas (e.g. Latino farmers in Yakima Valley).
• Translation services are not widely available in rural
communities
• Language requirements
• This should be seen more broadly than just translation services,
but part of a broader effort to engage with and be accessible to
groups who have a number of barriers to accessing Commerce
and other state resources.
Lack of • Lack of contractors in rural areas who have the expertise to 2.1 2.9 1.5 1.4
workforce advise and install clean energy technologies (especially
in rural distributed wind, energy auditors, geothermal, ground source heat
areas to pumps, digesters)
build •Without technical assistance, most rural [communities], can't
projects. move forward with projects at any scale (individual business
owner, etc.) need help from outside sources. Most technical
assistance provided by someone who has a financial gain around
decisions (land owner looking for cheap lease on property), so 3rd
party unbiased technical assistance [is] invaluable.
Access to • Specific information not being communicated at the level where 2.6 3.4 1.2 2.2
information it's needed most
• In every size of community—lowest income residents, and least
served residents don’t come forward—either they don’t know how
or don’t trust the process.
• They sometimes hear from community groups that don’t work
for them. Need better paths for low income residents to raise their
voices where they welcome that, believe in that, and are
encouraged.
Lack of • Cash flow challenges 2.9 3.4 1.7 1.7
access to • Startup companies gravitate to urban centers where more
capital resources are available
• Federal funding requirements are cumbersome
• Match requirements preclude groups from applying (ex sliding
scale)
• Cannot apply for loans because of credit scores
• Organizations don’t want to apply for loans because they don’t
want to accumulate more debt.
Rural utility • Many PUDs, Rural Co-ops and Munis incentivized to do nothing 3.1 3.5 1.8 1.7
role, but avoid rate increases
mission and
capacity
Rural • Mistrust of/frustration with government 4.1 4.1 1.7 2.4
communitie • Reluctance to change
s attitudes • Philosophical differences in the existence of climate change and
(perceived the benefits of clean energy
or • Reluctance of conservative populations to take government
otherwise) handouts
• As someone who spends quite a bit of time talking about
climate change with rural audiences (focusing on ag and natural
resource stakeholders), I don't think that this is as much of a
barrier as you think. Clean energy provides other benefits beyond
addressing climate change that tend to be supported in rural
communities (e.g. energy independence, jobs, etc.). I would
emphasize these. I think that this is one that is perhaps not a huge
issue - but it takes some thoughtfulness and intention. I think that
Commerce should be able to address this one in the short term.
• Stark divide around attitudes to clean energy transition
• Perceptions of renewable energy in more conservative counties
and communities-- if there are more barriers, it will be easier to off
ramp
• Many progressive goals get lumped into Covid issues
• Trust takes a long time to build so it's important to start on
microchanges.
Global • Increasing extreme events driven by climate change are driving 4.9 4.4 2.1 2.3
supply heat pump sales. However, with global supply chain issues, can't
chain/COVI meet the demand
D-19

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 58
Climate • Carbon credit markets aren't in a place right now to incentivize 6.0 4.9 2.3 2.7
policy goals trees to stay in the ground on working timber forestlands.
not
considering
forestry and
agriculture
industry
needs

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 59
Appendix B: Considerations for Tribes
This section incorporates feedback received from a meeting with the Northwest Indian College, an information
and listening session on February 15 2022, and public comments. Commerce recognizes that this feedback
does not universally reflect the considerations of all Tribal nations. Further Tribal engagement, as
recommended by frameworks in the HEAL Act and other state and agency policy, should be employed in future
studies in order to weave in the unique perspectives of Tribal voices and the unique beliefs of each Tribal
nation. Themes that came out of the discussions were the desire for increased energy independence, the need
for more technical assistance around grant applications and renewable project installation, more grant
opportunities with diverse technologies, and a centralized source of information about grants and other
opportunities.

Barriers to meeting clean energy goals
Theme Comments
Complicated solicitation documents.
Not enough diverse technologies represented in grant programs. Solar tends to be
Grant programs prioritized but there are many other important renewable technologies.
Not enough residential program offerings.
Lack of programs for off-grid systems.
Not enough capacity or expertise to apply to grants.
Technical Assistance Technical assistance is needed but there aren’t a lot of opportunities for Tribal
staff to participate in the planning process.
Net metering policies.
Lack of financing.
Policy and other
Not having enough trained people to install clean energy projects (e.g. shortage of
wind technology installers in Washington).

Solutions to reducing barriers
 Provide technical assistance.
 Provide multiple types of grants for diverse technologies beyond solar.
 Support energy sovereignty by providing training programs around all kinds of renewable technologies,
building expertise within communities rather than outsourcing renewable design and installation.
 Offer diverse mobile training opportunities where the community develops expertise around
technology installation. Such programs can also "incentivize Tribal members to return to their
communities and support them in developing energy sovereignty," suggested Northwest Indian
College.
 Connect communities with trained people to install clean energy technologies.
 Strategies for funding agencies to partner with Tribes to reduce these barriers:
 Listen to diverse Tribal voices to understand needs.
 Provide technical assistance and feedback on applications before submission.
 Assemble a list of grants and investors. Provide guides or written materials on diverse funds (state
and federal) and other opportunities.
 "Reduce the need for renewable installation certifications that are too long," suggested the
Northwest Indian College. Some community members may need shorter term training programs
that result in immediate and/or local job opportunities.
 Provide more information on qualified local installers for wind and other renewable technologies.
 Communicate as far in advance as possible about upcoming grant or workshop opportunities.
 Streamline application and solicitation documents.

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 60
 Provide more residential program offerings and funding and support for various technologies like
geothermal.
 Partner with Tribes to provide a forum or workshops where applicants and grantees can share
information on projects and lessons learned. The workshops could be modeled off of those hosted
by Housing Urban Development.
 Host or provide funding for a Tribal clean energy mentorship program, where Tribes seeking to
develop clean energy projects are matched with other Tribes who have already developed/deployed
that specific type of clean energy.

Clean Energy Technology Priorities
 Solar and solar storage
 Energy efficiency
 Heat pumps or other technologies to support heating and cooling needs
 Wave energy or Tidal energy, geothermal heat pumps
 Wind
 Bioenergy
 Microgrid
 Geothermal
 Organic soil and regenerative agriculture
 Solar/storage/microgrid combined with electric transportation and flexible (smart) building projects

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 61
Appendix C: Collecting Input and Public Comment
 All staff presentations at work groups were recorded via Zoom and shared on the CEF Rural Energy
website with the PowerPoint deck and any notes and resources that came out of the meeting.
 A public comment form was posted on the website from December 2021 through January 2022 to
collect feedback simultaneously with work group meetings. Work group members were asked to
spread the word about the comment form. Only one comment was received during this period.
 After the work group meetings concluded in January, Commerce provided an additional public
comment period via a newly developed Rural Energy Newsletter. Commerce sent out three newsletters
(Jan. 28, Feb. 17 and March 10). In order to extend the reach of the final newsletter sent on March 10,
Commerce targeted a broader network of 28,002 recipients through seven subscription lists. The
comment form stayed open until March 18. A total of 39 comments were received between January 20
and March 18.
 The public comments were reviewed by internal Commerce staff. To process the feedback, Commerce
categorized responses into themes and recommendations, which were compared to those of the work
group.
Questions and identified themes:
 "What are the top 3 concerns/priorities in your community irrespective of rural clean energy?"
 “What are the clean energy needs of your community?”
 “Which of the following technologies are important to addressing the needs of your community?”
 Advanced Energy Storage
 Anaerobic Dairy Digesters
 Beneficial Electrification
 Bioenergy
 Biological Carbon Sequestration
 Building Electrification
 Data Dashboards
 Demand Response
 Energy Efficiency
 Organic Waste Management
 Renewable Energy (Wind, Solar, Bioenergy, Hydrogen, Hydrokinetic, Geothermal)
 Smart Grid and Grid Controls
 Transmission and Distribution
 "Describe any barriers to meeting the needs of rural communities"
 "What do rural communities need to address these barriers? Please describe programs, investments,
education, policies or other. How important and urgent is it to address these barriers?"
Overview:
Responses spanned 16 different industries, with the most respondents from the agriculture and food industry.
Commerce grouped similar responses into 16 different industries. Responses spanned 17 counties, with the
majority of responses from unknown counties, and the second highest response rate from Pierce County.

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 62
Responses by County
Jefferson 1
San Juan County 1
King 1
Whatcom 1
King, Pierce 1
Grant 1
Ferry 1
Whitman 1
Klickitat 2
San Juan 2
Clallam 2
Spokane 2
Clark 2
Okanogan 2
Kittitas 4
Pierce 6
Unknown 9

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Comments that overlapped multiple themes were listed under each of those themes

Priorities:
Commerce compared 12 Priority Topics identified by the work group with common priorities/themes from the
public comment form. Rural priorities from the public comment form had significant overlap with those
identified by the work group with the exception of four new themes:

 Environmental health, clean air and water
 Land/water resources/siting concerns
 Recycling and other clean technologies
 Senior services
If there was less than one comment on the same theme, it was categorized as “Other.” Compared to the work
group, there were more comments around high energy costs and cost of living, which we attribute to the
difference in timing around when the two groups were surveyed. For example, the first work group meeting
was in October, while the public comment responses came through in January through March. Factors that
may have influenced key differences include: Russian invasion of Ukraine impacting gas prices, supply chains
and fertilizer input; inflation; interest rates; or demographics. Additionally, there was a slight difference in
wording around the way the two questions were posed. For example, the work group was asked, "What are the
top 3 needs in your community irrespective of rural energy?" while the comment form asked "What are the top
3 concerns/priorities in your community irrespective of rural clean energy?"

 The work group and public comment form had overlap in themes. The twelve priorities identified by the
work group (see Priority Topics) were used to categorize themes identified in the public comment form.
Commerce identified additional themes from the public comments that were not part of the original
twelve Priority Topics. The Priority Topics from the work group are in bold text in the table below. The
public comments prompted the themes that are not in bold text in the table below.

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 63
Priorities Work group Comment Form
Agriculture/Climate-smart agriculture X X
Broadband and digital equity X X
Clean Energy projects/Infrastructure X X
Communities X X
Economic impacts X X
Environmental Health, clean air and water X
Equity X X
Food security X X
Health care X X
Housing X X
Land/water resources/siting concerns X
Other X
Recycling and other clean technologies X
Senior services X
Tribes X *
Workforce development X X
Wildfires X *
* The comment form didn’t identify Tribal or wildfire issues as general priorities irrespective of clean energy but did
identify them as clean energy priorities and wildfire risk as a barrier.

Barriers:
Respondents were also asked to describe barriers to meeting the needs of rural communities. Commerce
categorized each of the barriers into themes, the majority of which aligned with barriers identified by the work
group. The public comments prompted two new barriers: "inequities"(environmental and economic) and
"permitting and regulations." The work group did mention permitting in a different context specifically as a
barrier due to small government and community staffing capacity to managing permitting and zoning across
jurisdictions. The barriers identified by the work group are in bold text in the table below. The barriers
prompted by the public comments are not in bold text in the table below.

Question: "Describe any barriers to meeting the needs of rural communities?"

Question: "What do rural communities need to address these barriers? Please describe programs, investments,
education, policies or other. How important and urgent is it to address these barriers?"

Broader Barrier Workgroup Comment form
Access to information X X
Aging or inadequate rural infrastructure X X
Climate policy goals not considering forestry and agriculture
X X
industry needs
Global supply chain/Covid impacts X
Cultural and language barriers X X
Inequities (environmental and economic) X
Lack of access to capital X X
Lack of programs tailored for rural use cases X X
Lack of workforce in rural areas to build projects X
Lack of technical expertise for developing clean energy
X
(projects)
Permitting and regulations X
Rural communities attitudes (perceived or otherwise) X X
Rural utility role, mission and capacity X X
Small government and rural community staffing capacity X X

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 64
Recommended solutions:
Respondents were also asked to identify recommendations to address the barriers. Many suggestions aligned
with recommendations of the work group, including expanded education, training and technical assistance, job
creation, increased community feedback, more types of clean energy technologies, and more financing and
investments in clean energy. Additional suggestions aligned with Goals 2 and 3, "Rural communities need
visible renewable energy pilot projects that showcase the possibilities and benefits of clean energy innovation;
seed funding for programs and grant support for utility-sponsored landfill gas-to-electricity generation projects
can help break down barriers and prove the feasibility of rural-based clean energy resources."

Clean energy priorities:
The public comment form asked respondents to identify the clean energy needs of their community in
narrative form. Separately, there was a question prompting them to select from a list of technologies that were
mentioned in the clean energy grants proviso and 2021 SES. In responding to "Which of the following
technologies are important to addressing the needs of your community?" the most frequently checked
technologies were "Renewable energy (including "wind, solar, bioenergy,104 hydrogen, hydrokinetic,
geothermal)," "Energy efficiency," "Other," "Transmission and distribution," and "Advanced energy storage,"
which received more than 14 responses each. In the "Other" category, technologies that were not addressed by
the work group included "nuclear" and "sewage disposal and management."

Technologies
Question: “Which of the following technologies are important to addressing the needs of your community?”

Technology Priorities
Which of the following technologies are important to addressing the needs
of your community?
Renewable Energy 26
Energy Efficiency 23
Other 19
Transmission and Distribution 15
Advanced Energy Storage 14
Smart Grid and Grid Controls 13
Organic Waste Management 12
Bioenergy 12
Building Electrification 10
Biological carbon sequestration 10
Beneficial Electrification 8
Demand Response 6
Data Dashboards 5
Anaerobic Dairy Digesters 4

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

104 There was some overlap in categories due to the way technologies were described in the proviso and the way the technologies were

presented to the work group to align with the 2021 State Energy Strategy. Bioenergy was listed separately because it was referenced in
the proviso and also under the "renewable energy" category in order to align with the way it was described in the work group exercise.

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 65
Other technologies written in the "Other" category
 Alternatives to 5G
 Alternatives to all electric
 Alternatives to net metering
 Alternatives to solar and batteries
 Bicycles, community education
 Biochar
 Clean transportation
 Hydrogen
 Hydrokinetic
 Landfill methane gas
 Nuclear
 Regenerative agriculture
 Resilient technologies
 Sewage disposal
 Wildfire risk reduction

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 66
Appendix D: Federal Awards Data Methodology
We utilized the USDA Rural Eligibility Map tool to search for recipient or place of performance addresses
through data obtained from USAspending.gov. Commerce cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of
the data obtained from USAspending.gov. Note that this is analysis by Commerce staff using USDA Rural
Eligibility Map tool as a best estimate and any errors around urban and rural classifications are our own. The
data for the USDA Rural Eligibility Map utilize 2010 census data and cities like Olympia and Lacey would be
eligible under this definition. Some of the federal Department of Energy and U.S. Department of Agriculture
funding programs analyzed may have used a different definition of rural than that of the Rural Eligibility Map.

Department of Energy (DOE) Prime Award Data:
Footnote 23: This data set include all Department of Energy (DOE) prime awards. We excluded awards from
the following funding offices: Office of Fossil Energy, Nuclear Energy, NNSA-Defense Nuclear Nonpro Funds,
NNSA Weapons Activities Funds. We excluded the following program activities: Hanford Site, River Protection-
Tank Farm, Nuclear Physics, Fusion Energy Sciences, Natural Gas Technologies, Reactor Concepts R&D,
Advanced Reactors Demonstration Program, Weapons Activities, Other Defense Activities. Some data did not
identify the associated funding office or activity, so it is possible that there were still awards from the above-
mentioned offices, other DOE offices or the above program activities. Prime Award data from DOE was
obtained from Government Spending Open Data | USAspending. Accessed April 25, 2022.

Commerce analyzed prime award recipient data by recipient address between 2012-2021 from the Department
of Energy (DOE). Some project address data was incomplete, so the rural/urban classifications were made
using the recipient address. Analysis indicated that 33% of projects that received DOE awards during this
period were for prime award recipients in rural areas and 67% were for prime award recipients in urban areas.
Analysis indicated that only 2.3% of awards dollars in Washington between 2012 and 2021 went to rural
recipients. After removing one outlier, an award in 2021, Commerce found that 45% of the total award funding
in dollars between 2012-2021 was "rural" and 55% was "urban." Note that some of the prime award funding
went to states or other funding agencies and was awarded to counties or cities.105

Department of Energy (DOE) Sub Award Data:
Footnote 23: Commerce analyzed sub-award grant data by place of performance between 2012-2021 from
DOE. Some project address data was incomplete. In order to focus on clean energy grant awards, Commerce
omitted the following award program activities from the results: Hanford Site, Nuclear Physics, Fusion Energy
Sciences, Natural Gas Technologies, Unconventional FE Technologies, Reactor Concepts RD&D, Nuclear
Energy Enabling Technologies R&D, Weapons Activities. Sub-award data from DOE was obtained from
Government Spending Open Data | USAspending. Accessed April 25 and May 19, 2022.

Analysis indicated that 40% of projects that received DOE sub-awards during this period were in rural areas and
60% were in urban areas. 32% of the grant dollars were awarded to rural recipients and 68% of the grant dollars
were awarded to urban recipients.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Prime Award Data:
Footnote 24: Commerce analyzed US Department of Agriculture (USDA) prime award grant data from 2012-
2021 for seven funding offices related to clean energy: Business Programs, Conservation Planning and
Technical Assistance, Conservation Stewardship, Institute of Bioenergy, Climate and Environment, Technical
Agriculture Assistance, Technical Assistance and Training Grants and USDA Forest Service. We attempted to
omit program activities and spending categories that weren't related to goals of the CEF 5 proviso or the 2021
State Energy Strategy. We also attempted to omit state grant program spending categories in order to better

105 Congressional Research Service (2022). Tracking Federal Awards: USAspending.gov and Other Data Sources. Retrieved June 2022.

R44027.pdf (fas.org), (Pg. 5)

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 67
identify which grants were going directly to cities or counties. Nevertheless, it is possible that state grant
recipients were included in this estimate and that some awards unrelated to the proviso were inadvertently
included. Some entries didn't identify funding office. Some of this funding might have been awarded to
Washington state offices that was then awarded as grants to smaller communities. Sub-award data for some
relevant programs was not available. Prime award data from USDA was obtained from Government Spending
Open Data | USAspending. Accessed May 7, 2022.

Analysis found that 88% of the projects were in rural areas and 12% of the projects were in urban areas. 76% of
the USDA grant dollars were awarded to rural recipients and 24% were awarded to urban recipients.

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 68
Appendix E: Resources
Federal Resources
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Grant Opportunities (Program Information)
Provides funding opportunities to state, local, Tribal and other partners in several categories: Transportation;
Climate, Energy, and the Environment; Broadband and other programs including but not limited to water and
wastewater infrastructure. The most comprehensive and up-to-date resources should be on the website,
"Build.gov" linked in "Program Information", but there are additional resources that can direct rural
communities to relevant opportunities.

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Rural Playbook outlines opportunities specific to rural communities including
where to apply, whether the programs waive match requirements and/or prioritize rural recipients. Seven
federal agencies including the Department of Energy, the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental
Protection Agency have published related resource sheets.
National Conference of State Legislatures provides a timeline of key events and list of resources in six
sectors.
National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) hosts a resource hub for energy related funding
opportunities. NASEO also provided a table of estimated Energy formula funding for Washington through
the Department of Energy IIJA that has been reproduced below. 106

Energy Related Formula Funding for Washington Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
Estimated for
Program Notes
Washington*

Estimated amount the Washington State Energy Office is expected to
$9,342,500* receive in SEP funds under the infrastructure bill. No state match
State Energy
(estimated for required. A letter from the Governor on the status of the Washington
Program
Washington) Energy Emergency Plan is required as a condition of funding. NASEO
estimate; exact allocation to be issued by DOE.

The Washington State Energy Office is expected to receive of RLF funds.
$1,868,500* Energy Efficiency NASEO estimate; exact allocation to be issued by DOE. Additional funds
(estimated for Revolving Loan Fund will be available to the 15 states with the highest per-capita energy-
Washington) Grant Program related emissions or commercial/residential energy consumption as
determined by DOE.

Amount the Washington State Energy Office is expected to receive via
$2,136,171* Energy Efficiency
formula EECBG funds. Communities in Washington will be eligible for
(estimated for and Conservation
additional EECBG funding.
Washington) Block Grant Program
NASEO estimate; exact allocation to be issued by DOE after bill passage.

$55,870,514*
Weatherization Amount Washington is expected to receive. NASEO estimate; exact
(estimated for
Assistance Program allocation to be issued by DOE.
Washington)

106 Table and related notes are reproduced from two-page summary of estimated state funding. NASEO sent a table to each State

Energy Office Director in October 2021

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 69
$71,000,000*
National EV Formula Formula funds to State DOTs over five years. Estimate provided by Biden
(estimated for
Program Administration
Washington)

The bill provides $2.5 billion to “states” via “a formula” determined by the
U.S. Secretary of Energy. These funds are part of a set of grid resilience
Grid Resilience and investments (billions) to be directed by DOE to utilities. States should
Pending*
Reliability. consider what they would like to convey to DOE regarding a formula and
state government receiving entity. NASEO recommends a unified
message from states to maximize the value of the funds for states.

Energy-Related Competitive Program – Only State Energy Offices are Eligible
$40 million (total Energy Auditors Competitive program for State Energy Offices Only
for all states) Training Grants Maximum of $2 million per state

Other Competitive Programs – A Wide Range of Other Stakeholders are Eligible
$300 million
Competitive program through U.S. DOE
(total for all Carbon Capture and Utilization
States and others eligible
eligible entities)*

Competitive program through U.S. DOE for EE, RE, and alt
$500 million Grants for energy efficiency and
fuel vehicle upgrades
(total for all renewable energy improvements
School districts and schools are eligible. State Energy
eligible entities)* at public school facilities
Offices may consider reaching out to schools

$225 million
Building Energy Codes Technical Competitive program through U.S. DOE. States and others
(total for all
Assistance and Training eligible
eligible entities)*

$2.5 billion (total
Grants for Charging and Fueling Competitive program through U.S. DOT. State Energy
for all eligible
Infrastructure Offices potentially eligible (awaiting guidance from DOT)
entities)*

Energy Infrastructure Federal
$5 billion* Competitive program through U.S. DOE. States eligible
Financial Assistance Program

Rural and Municipal Utility
Competitive grant program through U.S. DOE. States,
$250 million* Advanced Cybersecurity Grant and
municipal governments, rural utilities, and others eligible
TA

Two competitive grant programs through U.S. DOE. $60
million for battery recycling research, development, and
$110 million* Battery Recycling Grants
demonstration programs (states eligible); $50 million for
state and local programs

Smart Manufacturing Technology Competitive grant program through U.S. DOE. States
$50 million*
Implementation eligible
* Important Note: The formula funding amounts indicated for your state are estimates based on past federal funding
actions and federal program guidance. The actual amount a state receives or that the relevant federal agency will

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 70
make available for competitive funding will be determined by those agencies following passage of the Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Region 10 Healthy Resilient and Sustainable Communities Grants (Program Information)
Supports communities as they develop and implement pollution prevention and/or sustainable materials
management systems that help make their communities safer, healthier and more resilient

Projects: Reuse of construction waste, food waste reduction and food recovery.
Eligibility: Region 10 states, local governments, city or township governments, independent school district
governments, state-controlled institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (other than
institutions of higher education), nonprofit private institutions of higher education, community-based
grassroots organizations, and federally recognized tribes and intertribal consortia.
AgStar: Biogas Recovery in the Agriculture Sector
Promotes the use of biogas recovery systems to reduce methane emissions from livestock waste. AgSTAR
assists those who enable, purchase or implement anaerobic digesters by identifying project benefits, risks,
options and opportunities. AgSTAR provides information and participates in events to create a supporting
environment for anaerobic digester implementation. Can provide information and tools including:

Opportunities to network with other stakeholders and network with stakeholders.
Technical and regulatory assistance, planning advice and guidance to help implement a project.
Education about anaerobic digestion basics and others’ experience.

Department of Interior Office of Indian Energy
Tribal Climate Resilience Program (Program Information)

Provides grants for several different climate resilience projects, including those that support renewable energy
and energy resilience.

Projects: Projects cover a wide range of issues, such as ocean and coastal management, adaptation
planning, and relocation and managed retreat.
Eligibility: Open to all federally recognized Tribes.
Grant: Each category of grant has a different maximum.

Federal Emergency Management Agency
Building Resilient Infrastructure in Communities (BRIC) (Program Information)
Supports states, local communities, Tribes and territories for hazard mitigation projects and reducing risks
from disasters.
Eligibility: Eligible states, territories, and Tribal governments can submit applications on behalf of
subapplicants.

Department of Energy
Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs (Program Information)
Provides financial assistance, technical assistance, education and capacity building to benefit American
Indians and Alaska Natives. The mission of the office is to "maximize the development and deployment of
energy solutions for the benefit of American Indians and Alaska Natives."

Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy Funding Opportunity Exchange (Program Information)
Provides a variety of funding opportunities from the Department of Energy & Renewable Energy Office.

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 71
National Renewable Energy Lab (Program Information)
Technical assistance related to energy use and future scenarios for U.S. state, local, and tribal jurisdictions.

USDA Forest Service Wood Innovations (Program Information)
Wood Innovations Program
Provides grants for projects that expand and accelerate wood products and wood energy markets
throughout the United States to support forest management needs.
Projects: Wide range of wood products projects including cross-laminated timber manufacturing,
expanding markets for biochar and developing affordable housing using mass timber.
Eligibility: Profit entities; state, local, and tribal governments; school districts; community, not-for-profit
organizations; institutions of higher education; and special purpose districts.
Community Wood Grant Program
Provides grants to build innovative wood product facilities or install thermally led community wood energy
systems.
Projects: Projects range from installing equipment to produce biofuels from forest residue to installing a
community wood energy system that replaces fossil fuels.
Eligibility: Profit entities; state, local, and tribal governments; school districts; community, not-for-profit
organizations; institutions of higher education; and special purpose districts.

USDA Rural Development
Rural Energy for America Program (REAP)
Provides loan financing and grant funding to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for
renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements.
Projects: Biomass, geothermal, hydropower below 30 MW, hydrogen, wind and solar generation, and ocean
generation. Funds may also be used for purchase, installation, construction of energy efficiency
improvements.
Grants: Renewable Energy Systems Grant & Energy Efficiency Grant.
Rural Energy Savings Program (RESP)
Provides rural electric cooperatives and utilities with loans to help rural families and small businesses
reduce energy use or expenditures through energy efficiency investments.
Projects: Lighting, building envelope upgrades, renewables, and energy storage.
Eligibility: Loans to corporations, states, territories, and subdivisions and agencies; municipalities; utility
districts; and cooperative, nonprofit, limited-dividend, or mutual associations.
Rural Energy Pilot Program (Program Information)
Provides grants for rural communities to further develop renewable energy.
Projects: "Community energy planning, capacity building, and technical assistance; Community efficiency
and weatherization; installation of community-scale renewable energy technologies and systems."107
High Energy Cost Grant (Program Information)
Offsets high household energy costs through energy efficiency and conservation measures and energy
systems upgrades in rural areas where energy costs exceed 275% of national average.

Projects: Renewable energy facilities, energy storage, energy efficiency and conservation improvements,
and installment of new and energy efficiency appliances.

107 USDA Rural Development. (2022). Rural Energy Pilot Program Grant Fact Sheet. Retrieved June 2022.

https://www.rd.usda.gov/sites/default/files/508_rd_fs_rbs_reppgrant.pdf

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 72
Eligibility: Retail or power supply providers serving rural areas such as state and local government entities,
Tribes and Tribal entities, non-profits, and businesses.

U. S. Small Business Administration
Small Business Innovation Research Grants (Program Information)
Three phase competitive programs that encourage domestic small businesses to engage in federal research
and development with the potential for commercialization. Eleven federal agencies participate in the SBIR
program.

Projects: Projects cover a wide range of issues from agriculture to energy.
Eligibility: United States small businesses that meet the following criteria: organized for profit with place of
business located in United States; more than 50% owned and controlled by one or more individuals who are
citizens or permanent residents of US; no more than 500 employees, including affiliates.
Management and Technical Assistance Program (Program Information)
Provides assistance to eligible businesses to help them be competitive for federal, state, and local government
contracts.

State opportunities
Washington State Department of Commerce
Clean Energy Grant Programs (Program Information)
Provides grants to fund the development, demonstration and deployment of clean energy technologies,
and grants for public entities to make energy updates to public buildings and facilities.
Projects: Wide variety of clean energy projects ranging from dairy digester enhancement to electrification
of transportation systems
Eligibility: Eligibility varies by program. Check program websites for specific details.

Washington State Conservation Commission
Irrigation Efficiencies Grant Program (IEGP) (Program Information)
The program provides a voluntary solution to "improve on-farm irrigation and help vulnerable salmonoid
populations."
Projects: Irrigation systems that conserve water.
Eligibility: Participants must have water rights in one of 16 identified fish-critical basins.

NGO and other opportunities
SPARK Northwest
Rural Energy Assistance program: Works with partners in Oregon and Washington to support renewable energy
and efficiency upgrades in rural communities.

Services offered:

Provide rural communities insight into options for pursuing energy efficiency and renewables
Evaluate costs and benefits of using energy efficiency and renewable energy for business and farming
operations.
Assist with grant applicants for state and federal programs to pay for installation
Provides free technical assistance

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 73
Pierce Conservation District
Works with local landowners and public agencies to conserve natural resources. The Pierce Conservation
District provides farm planning and agricultural assistance and other programs, such as water quality
improvement, environmental education and climate resiliency.

GRID Alternatives
Energy for All Program: GRID provides solar systems to low-income homeowners and affordable housing
units. Also provides access to community solar.
Tribal Program: Works with Tribes to install solar electric systems for tribal members and community
facilities. Projects range from single rooftop solar installations to large-scale projects that meet energy
needs of the whole community.
GRID Alternatives Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund
3-year grant funding from Wells Fargo to pursue Tribal energy

RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 74
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RURAL CLEAN ENERGY LEGISLATIVE REPORT 79

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