Rural resources and landscapes are counted on to power America. From the coal mines to the wind farms, our staff is dedicated to bringing you the latest news and analysis on the energy beat.
Maine Governor Vetoes First-in-Nation Data Center Moratorium Bill, Greenlights Rural Development
Janet Mills broke with fellow Democrats by vetoing a moratorium bill and clearing the way for a proposed data center in rural Franklin County, Maine.
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Q&A: Bringing Agriculture Research and Education to New Hampshire
Anna Wallingford, founder of the nonprofit New Hampshire Community Supported Research, talks about her work at the USDA, losing her federal job, and hopes for her new organization.
USDA Staff Cuts Could Hinder Rollout of New Regenerative Ag Initiative
The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service has lost more than 2,000 employees since January 2025, potentially harming the department’s ability to roll out the initiative.
Free Union Seeks to Diversify Renewable Energy and Food Supply Chains
Free Union Farm will train local BIPOC farms on sustainable practices and renewable energy solutions.
Q&A: Ryan Dennis on the History of Agriculture
Author of the new book ‘Barn Gothic: Three Generations and the Death of the Family Farm’ discusses growing up on a dairy farm, the state of the industry, and what can be done.
Fear Over Farmland Loss Is Slowing Renewable Energy Development in Rural Areas
Despite financial incentives renewable energy offers to small-scale farmers, the hostile attitude of the current administration towards green energy stalls its development.
Farmers Now Owe a Lot More for Health Insurance
More than a quarter of the agricultural workforce purchases health insurance through the individual marketplace, a much larger share than the overall percentage of U.S. adults. After a tough year for farmers, the loss of enhanced ACA subsidies is putting health insurance out of reach for many.
Soybean Wars: When a Commodity Becomes a Political Weapon
“When [the federal government] starts using my commodity as some sort of leverage, some sort of weapon, I’m the one that suffers.” – Farmers face the aftermath of a soybean showdown between the U.S. and China.
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As Data Centers Look to Rural New England, Maine Considers a Moratorium
The bill’s advocates want answers about how data centers will affect energy costs in the region, which already has some of the country’s highest electricity prices.
Native Families Were Promised Free Solar. Trump Took It Away
From elders struggling with high electric bills to lost economic development opportunities, Trump’s gutting of Solar for All is felt by all on northern plains reservations.
Amid the AI-Driven Boom in Energy Demand, Rural Texans Fight a High-Voltage Transmission Line
Texas’s most powerful transmission line threatens pristine river basins and family ranches. Locals and conservationists are fighting to reroute it.
Cuts to Manufactured-Home Efficiency Rules Would Hit Southeast Hard
A U.S. House vote to repeal new efficiency standards for manufactured housing is a blow to a region where such homes are common and energy burdens are high.
Rural Wisconsin Has Become a Hotspot for Data Centers. State’s Unique Tax Instrument Explains Why
Concerns over transparency, tax policy, and data centers’ utility usage drive many rural residents to oppose planned developments.
The Data Center Rush in Appalachia
Big tech eyes coal country as AI demand soars, but rural communities push back.
Texas Voters Approve Billions for the State’s Water Future
A constitutional amendment earmarks billions of dollars for Texas’ water infrastructure, helping rural communities cover the cost of improving sustainability.
Carbon Credit Markets Help Rural Landowners Hold on to Their Land
Across Maine and eight Appalachian states, small-scale forest landowners are earning income by letting their trees grow and store carbon over time.
Can Cows and Solar Power Coexist? We’re About to Find Out
Solar companies have figured out how to mix sheep grazing and power production. This company is about to make a push to do it with cows, with huge growth potential.
New Texas Energy Package Could Help Older Adults in Long-Term Care Facilities During Extreme Weather
In recent years, Texas has experienced escalating climate disasters, which have disproportionately affected older adults and rural communities. Now, new state funding offers long-term care facilities the opportunity to implement backup energy infrastructure, if they can access it.
Electric Aquaculture Boats Splash Into Waters Off the Coast of Rural Maine
Battery-powered boats are expensive and marine electric charging infrastructure is sparse, but a handful of sea farmers in Maine are embracing this “innovation born from necessity.”
Meet the Small Business Owners Electrifying Maine’s Rural Coast
In Casco Bay’s cold, remote waters, electric workboats, and the aquaculture innovators who operate them, are putting marine electrification to the test.
Trump Wants to Eliminate a Grant Program Because It Funds ‘Equity-Building and Green Energy Initiatives’
Policy experts most familiar with the Community Services Block Grant program say eliminating it would hit rural communities especially hard.
In Texas, Federal Cuts to Renewable Energy Projects Mean Lost Revenue for Rural Communities
The One Big Beautiful Bill phases out tax incentives that lower costs for rural consumers.
How Wind and Solar Power Helps Keep America’s Farms Alive
Rural counties also benefit in jobs, manufacturing and tax revenue that will be hard to replace as the US government slashes support for the industries.
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