Rural Utilities Programs

USDA Rural Development has made major contributions throughout the State of Hawaii and Western Pacific to rural infrastructure from communications to health care to water treatment.  USDA Rural Development provides loans, grants and loan guarantees for drinking water, sanitary sewer, solid waste and storm drainage facilities in rural areas and cities and towns of 10,000 or less.

Rural Development programs are also concentrating on helping rural communities take advantage of broadband and other new technologies.

Distance Learning and Telemedicine programs help rural hospitals, clinics and education facilities bring quality health care and learning opportunities to rural communities throughout the State.

Water and Waste Disposal Loans and Grants - Water and Waste Disposal loans and grants are used to provide financing for water, sanitary sewage, solid waste disposal and storm wastewater facilities for rural residents. Eligibility include public bodies, such as municipalities, cities, towns and villages with a population of 10,000 or less, counties, and water districts or sewer districts, nonprofit corporations, and Federally recognized Indian tribes.  Priority will be given to communities with a population of less than 5,500. Loans and grants can be used to construct, enlarge, extend or otherwise improve water or waste disposal facilities; pay reasonable fees necessary for the project development such as legal and engineering; cost of acquiring land, rights-of-way, permits, etc; the purchase or lease of necessary equipment to install, operate, maintain, extend or protect facilities. Grants are considered only after a determination is made on the maximum amount of loan the community can afford and still have reasonable user rates.  Grant funds may not be used for any ineligible loan purposes.
	Rural Utilities Service Program $295,000 Loan & $1.135 Million Grant County of Maui
Water and Waste Guaranteed Loans- Guaranteed loans are available to non-profit organizations, Federally recognized Indian Tribes, municipalities, counties or other political subdivision. Funds may be used to construct, enlarge, relocate or extend water or waste disposal facilities; purchase major equipment; purchase existing facilities when necessary to improve, or prevent the loss of a service.  Expenses related to acquisition and construction may also be financed with loan funds, including: loan fees, engineering, rights-of-way acquisition, water rights, permits and other development costs, and equipment necessary to operate and maintain the facility.
Solid Waste Management Grants - The purpose of the Solid Waste Management Grant program is to reduce or eliminate pollution of water resources, and to improve planning and management of solid waste sites.  Eligible applicants include Public bodies and non-profit corporations. Eligible grant purposes include evaluating current landfill conditions to determine threats to water resources; provide technical assistance and/or training to enhance operator skills in maintenance and operation of active landfills; provide technical assistance and/or training to help communities reduce the solid waste stream; and provide technical assistance and/or training for operators of landfills which are closed or will be closed in the near future with the development and/or implementation of closure plans, future land use plans, safety and maintenance planning and closure scheduling within permit requirements.
	Recycle Hawaii was awarded a Solid Waste Management $39,000 grant for a solid waste problem-solving program to be conducted in rural areas of the Island of Hawaii.  The program will involve educating and training rural residents about recycling usable items.
Technical Assistance and Training Grants - The purpose of the Technical Assistance and Training Grant program is to identify and evaluate solutions to water and waste disposal problems in rural areas, assist applicants in preparing applications for water and waste disposal grants, and improve operation and maintenance of existing water and waste disposal facilities in rural areas. Entities eligible for Technical Assistance and Training Grants include private non-profit organizations that have been granted tax-exempt status by the Internal Revenue Service. Some examples of grant fund use include: -  Identifying and evaluating solutions to water problems of in rural areas relating to source, storage, treatment and distribution. -  Or identifying and evaluating solutions to waste problems in rural areas relating to collection, treatment, and disposal.
Rural Broadband Program - The USDA Rural Broadband Access Loan and Loan Guarantee Program provide loans and loan guarantees for the construction, improvement, and acquisition of facilities and equipment for broadband service in eligible rural communities. USDA has contributed to the President's Broadband Initiative by awarding more than $3.3 billion in loans and grants to fund broadband infrastructure. Those funds support high-speed broadband connections in more than 1.3 million rural homes and businesses.  Priority is given to applications that are proposing to serve areas where no residential broadband service currently exists.
Distance Learning and Telemedicine -Through our Distance Learning and Telemedicine Program, USDA Rural Development offers rural communities help in developing facilities to make these exciting new services accessible.  Financial assistance is available through loans, grants, and loan/grant combinations. Distance learning projects provide funding for computers and internet hookups in schools and libraries.  Now, students living in sparsely populated rural areas can obtain the same quality of education previously offered to suburban and urban areas. Telemedicine provides rural clinics and health care centers with instant access to physicians hundreds or thousands of miles away. The physician can do anything from conversing with the patient to making visual examinations, to running complicated tests - all in real time!

 

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