Iowa U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley has announced that an $8 million Rural Development loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will benefit seven counties in north and northeast Iowa.
Funding will go to the Butler County Rural Electric Cooperative to finance distribution facilities and improvement projects. This includes new underground and overhead connections, tie-lines, line conversions, transformers and meters, service changes, line sectionalizing equipment, line regulators, pole replacements, as well as security lights.
Grassley said, “Rural communities need sound infrastructure to thrive and grow. These federal dollars will strengthen service across North Central Iowa. Rural electric cooperatives keep the lights on for hundreds of thousands of Iowa families, and I’m grateful to see the Butler County Rural Electric Cooperative receive this federal support.”
Butler County REC serves Bremer, Butler, Cerro Gordo, Chickasaw, Fayette, Floyd, and Franklin counties.
The $8 million loan, from the Electric Infrastructure Loan And Loan Guarantee Program, will include 9.5 miles of new consumer lines and almost 150 miles of line improvements. It’s expected to benefit over 5,200 people
