Last week, nine rural electric cooperatives received loan guarantees to improve their electric systems. Cooperatives in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Wyoming, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Iowa, North Carolina and Wisconsin will use the money to develop a smart grid. By upgrading their systems they can save energy. This means homes and business will save money on electric bills.

A smart grid also makes electricity more reliable. This means fewer outages, and shorter blackouts. By improving their infrastructure, rural electric co-ops help make rural America stronger. And they are creating jobs. Contractors and tradespeople will be needed to upgrade power lines and install smart grid technology. This means more money in our rural economies.

In the Midwest, most of the funds are going towards transmission infrastructure and environmental improvements. But in addition to saving energy and money, these transmission projects will boost renewable energy efforts.