MINOT, N.D. (KXNET)— As the Biden Administration invests $2.7 billion to improve and expand rural electric infrastructure, how much will truly go to North Dakota?

We need electricity to keep everything running, but how difficult is it to provide electricity to our rural areas? $51 million dollars will go to North Dakota, but what will that look like?

It’s not just turning the lights on. Electricity can bring a lot of good to a community. Safer work environments, faster internet, filtered water, and even waste are all impacted when it comes to electricity.

“The way our electric programs are being utilized isn’t specific to renewable energy at all,” USDA’s Rural Development State Head Erin Oban said. “This is about the infrastructure that is required to deliver electricity to people’s homes.”

As more grants are approved through the Biden administration, more jobs, schooling, and housing for Americans become available. This allows for more reliable and affordable energy, as well as economic growth. Families will also be able to move to our rural communities, have more kids, and live comfortably. Now, the federal government has to find out where to use the most energy, and where to spread it across the state.

“We can help people be more efficient in using electricity,” stated Oban, “which really saves all of us in cost, and makes sure that reliability is always there.”

In winter, we naturally use more energy than in warmer months, meaning more energy in rural North Dakota creates an environment that more people can call home.