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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →In August 2024, USDA announced $99.6 million for 160 projects in 26 states through two programs: the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) and the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). The money came from the Inflation Reduction Act. The awards paid for fuel-pump and storage upgrades at commercial stations and for solar and efficiency improvements at farms and small businesses. The HBIIP application window closed on September 30, 2024, so this is a record of past awards, not an open funding opportunity.
What the announcement covered
The announcement was reported in full by Successful Farming’s Agriculture.com on August 16, 2024, which reproduced USDA’s release. We could not match the figures against the original USDA publication, so the numbers below are as reported in that coverage.
| Program | Reported amount | Projects | Who it targets | What it funds in these examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) | $90.3 million | 89 projects in 26 states | Businesses selling fuel | Pumps, dispensers, storage tanks, and distribution equipment for higher-blend biofuels |
| Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) | Not stated separately | Not stated separately | Farms and rural small businesses | Solar arrays and energy-efficient equipment such as shop heaters |
| Combined announcement | $99.6 million | 160 projects in 26 states | Both groups | Biofuel access plus clean-energy and efficiency upgrades |
Subtracting HBIIP’s $90.3 million from the $99.6 million total leaves about $9.3 million. That is simple arithmetic, not a reported REAP figure. The coverage does not state REAP’s total or its project count, and it does not say whether the 160 projects overlap between programs.
HBIIP: fuel infrastructure for biofuel sales
HBIIP grants went to businesses that install or upgrade equipment for selling blended fuels. The announcement’s examples show how project size varies widely, and each example is a projection of what the project was expected to add, not a measured result.
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#1 Best Overall
The Corner Store, Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota
The Corner Store received $518,250 for renewable-fuel infrastructure: four E15 dispensers, four E85 dispensers, and two ethanol storage tanks. The project was expected to increase ethanol sales by 506,100 gallons per year.
CSX Transportation, Georgia
CSX Transportation received $1.9 million to install a biodiesel storage tank, distribution equipment, and electric monitoring tools. The project was expected to make an additional 1 million gallons of biofuel available per year.
Anabi Real Estate Development, Nevada
Anabi Real Estate Development received $3.7 million to install E85 and B20 dispensers at two fueling stations. The project was expected to increase biofuel sales by more than 80,000 gallons per year.
REAP: renewable energy and efficiency for rural businesses
REAP’s examples in the announcement are much smaller and sit at the farm and small-business level. Both were in Minnesota.
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Raveling Outdoors LLC: 45-kilowatt solar array
The company received $59,475 for a 45-kilowatt solar array.
Moe Family Farm LLC: energy-efficient shop heater
The farm received $10,812 for an energy-efficient shop heater.
How to read “announced” figures
Grant announcements describe awards and expected outcomes at the time they are made. They do not confirm that each project was finished, that the equipment operated as planned, or that the estimated gallons were actually sold. The coverage does not include any independent evaluation or outcome data for these projects.
The Secretary’s statement, as reproduced in the coverage, framed the awards around energy independence, climate impacts, and rural jobs: “By expanding access to homegrown biofuels and clean energy systems, we are strengthening our energy independence, addressing the impacts of climate change, and creating new market opportunities and revenue streams for American producers while bringing good-paying jobs in rural communities.” That is a statement of policy goals. It is not a measured result, and we have not checked it against an official transcript.
Is the funding still available?
No, not for the HBIIP round described here. The announcement set the HBIIP application deadline at September 30, 2024, at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The source does not establish whether a later round exists, and we cannot confirm current program status as of this writing in October 2026. Before acting on any USDA grant, check the current program status yourself:
- Find the program’s current page on the official USDA website, not a news summary.
- Confirm whether applications are open, and note the exact closing date and time zone.
- Read the current eligibility rules, since they can change between funding rounds.
- Check whether the program is funded for the current year before budgeting for a project that depends on a grant.
What this means for a farm or small-business budget
For a household or business budget, the useful lesson is that the headline total says little about any one applicant’s odds or payout. The HBIIP awards ranged from about $518,000 to $3.7 million in the examples given, while the REAP examples were around $10,000 to $60,000. A grant that funds part of a project still leaves the rest of the cost to the applicant, and the announcement does not say how much of each project was covered by these awards. Build your own cost estimate first, then treat any grant as a possible offset rather than the plan.
Quick Recap
- Use the announcement as a guide to what USDA has funded before, not as a promise of what it will fund next.
- Compare the grant’s dollar figure with your full project cost, including installation and any ongoing maintenance.
- Treat projected sales or energy savings as the applicant’s estimate, and test them against your own numbers.
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