It’s been a momentous, often stressful, and exciting year. The year began with thrilling wins in the Georgia special election that transformed the US Senate. Just weeks later, the anti-democracy faction fueled a deadly attack on our nation’s Capitol. We’re ending the year with historic infrastructure funding and a promising increase in new jobs. While COVID and new variants are a continued threat, hospitalizations due to COVID are significantly down compared to the start of the year.
Park County, Montana is using Federal funding to partner with Yellowstone Bend Citizens Council (YBCC) to launch a new solar project. New solar arrays will reduce energy costs for low-income residents, a public school, and a county fairgrounds exhibit building. In addition to cost savings, it also reduces greenhouses emissions and is a critical component to avoiding the most devastating impacts of climate change.
In 2021, we convened rural advocates from across the country to create the Rural Policy Action Report. Identifying the top rural policy priorities for the year, the report was widely publicized and was shared directly with policymakers and key decision makers in the Biden administration. In 2022, we added resources for state-based policymakers and advocates. Then, we issued the updated 2023 Rural Policy Action Report. Each issue area includes policy priorities, example legislation, and the context for how these issues impact people in rural communities.
The intense challenges posed by COVID-19 to our rural partners have spurred us to quickly provide additional assistance to organizations rapidly adjusting their programming because of the outbreak. RDI is uniquely positioned to be responsive to organizational needs related to COVID, and we're in continuous contact with grantees.