NO DOE Newsletter #21
Energy Related Funding Opportunities
On December 22, 2023, the DOE released a newsletter which contains several energy related funding opportunities, news and updates. Click here to view a copy.
Broadband Funding
Request for Public Comment
The State of New Hampshire, Department of Business and Economic Affairs (BEA) is currently in the process of applying for their federal Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) allocation of $196,560,278.97. It is intended that these funds will be used to deploy broadband infrastructure to 100% of the remaining addresses in NH that currently lack broadband speeds.
Part of this process is to provide an Initial Proposal Volume 1 and an Initial Proposal Volume 2 to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). These documents have been prepared and are posted for review and public comment on the BEA website https://www.nheconomy.com/office-of-broadband-initiatives/iija/bead.
All comments must be submitted by December 13, 2023 at 12:00 PM EST.
Comments can be emailed to broadband@livefree.nh.gov or mailed to
Business and Economic Affairs
Office of Broadband Initiatives
100 North Main Street, Suite 100
Concord, NH 03301
The BEA kindly requests your comments as soon as possible to allow their team to fully review and potentially incorporate them into the proposal submitted to NTIA. Thank you for your participation.
News Release
USDA and EPA Strengthen Partnership to Improve Access to Modern and Affordable Wastewater Infrastructure for People in Rural America
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5, 2023 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Deputy Under Secretary Farah Ahmad today announced that USDA is strengthening its partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and a network of 25 organizations to help people in rural and underserved communities access affordable, modern and safe wastewater infrastructure.
The actions being announced today further the continued collaborations between both agencies to revitalize the nation’s wastewater infrastructure, improve water quality and protect the health of people living in rural areas.
“Decentralized wastewater systems are an integral component of our nation’s wastewater infrastructure, especially in rural areas where centralized treatment is often too expensive or unavailable,” Ahmad said. “USDA is committed to doing everything we can to ensure every family in America has access to modern, reliable wastewater infrastructure. That’s why we are strengthening our partnership with EPA to help historically underserved communities identify and pursue federal funding opportunities to address their wastewater needs. These efforts have enormous impact because when we invest in rural infrastructure, we invest in the livelihoods and health of people in rural America.”
To learn more, read full NEWS RELEASE.
Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC)
The NBRC has announced $43.6 million in new awards. Of that, nearly $20 million is from the Catalyst Program competition stemming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Use these links to view the Press Release and the NH Award Recipients, including the GALA Community Center (grant administered by LRPC's Tracey Secula), the Lakes Region Model Railroad Museum (grant coached by LRPC's Executive Director Jeffrey Hayes) and Town of Gilford - Foam Recycling Project (grant application submitted by LRPC's Matthew Rose).
Headwaters Economics Toolset
Economic Profile System
In 2017 we were introduced to the Headwaters Economics Toolset. Using these report generators you can download socioeconomic reports of communities, counties, and states, including aggregations and comparisons. The Economic Profile System (EPS) uses federal data sources, including the Bureaus of Economic Analysis, Census, & others. EPS is also known as the Human Dimensions Toolkit by the Forest Service. Try it yourself here.
We'd like to thank UNH Cooperative Extension for providing us reports for all of the towns in the Lakes Region. Click the links below to view the reports. They will also be available on the towns' pages.
Please note: This information changes frequently. These reports were generated on July 14, 2017. For more up-to-date information, please use the tool to generate your own reports.
USDA Launches Resource Guide on Building a Recreation Economy
July 2020 — USDA has launched a Recreation Economy Resource Guide to provide rural community leaders and economic development practitioners a complete list of programs at Rural Development, Forest Service, and National Institute for Food and Agriculture that can be used to support recreational economies in rural America.
The guide addresses key factors necessary to build a sustainable recreational economy including natural resource management, conservation activities, infrastructure investment, business development and more.