Biden announces over $5 billion to support rural communities – including Big Island

President Joe Biden has announced over $5 billion in new investments in Hawai‘i
from his Investing in America agenda – including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
and the Inflation Reduction Act – to advance rural prosperity, economic development,
competition and sustainability.

The Hawaii Rural Development new investments include:

Climate-Smart Agriculture:

• Waianae Community Re-development Corp. dba MA’O Farms – $896,000 grant with joint funding with EDA for a new packing facility for vocational training.
• Malama Kauai – $492,000 grant to support food hub project.

Rural America Infrastructure:

• Pat’s at Punaluu – $2 million Water and Environmental Program funding will be used to replace the wastewater treatment system at Pat’s at Punalu’u, a residential 160-unit condominium community in Hau’ula on the northeast coast of Oahu.
• AOAO Poamoho Camp – $125,000 Special Evaluation Assistance for Rural Communities and Households grant is for the Association of Poamoho Camp that owns and operates a privately owned Public Consecutive Water System Pipeline from Alii Turf to Poamoho Camp which is the original water pipeline from the 1900s.
• AOAO Ono Vista – $498,000 WEP funding is for Ono Vista is a residential community situated in Waialua on the north coast of the island of Oahu. The Association of Apartment Owners is proposing to rehabilitate the residential community’s aged wastewater effluent disposal system.
• Kawaihae Village Association – $1,059,000 WEP loan and grant combination to fund a sewage treatment plant for the Association.
• Majuro Water and Sewer Corp. – $10.8 million WEP grant for replacement of the Delp sewage outfall system.

Critical Rural High Speed Internet Infrastructure:

• National Telecommunications Authority – $25 million investment to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises and fixed wireless network to provide high-speed internet in the Republic of the Marshall Islands.
• Palau National Communications Corporation is receiving $34,991,340 to deploy a fiber-to-the-premises network to connect 7,855 households and three educational facilities to high-speed internet in Angaur, Babeldaob, Kayangel, Koro, Meyuns and Peleliu in Palau. Palau National Communications Corporation will make high-speed internet affordable by participating in the FCC’s Affordable Connectivity and Lifeline programs. This project will serve socially vulnerable communities in Palau.

Renewable Energy and Lower Energy Cost for Rural Americans:

• Hawaiian Island Trading Company, dba Kona Sea Salt Farm and Sea Salts of Hawai‘i – $70,987 REAP grant to purchase and install a 46.1 kWh photovoltaic energy system to produce 97% of their energy needs.
• Hawi Renewable Development, LLC – $1 million REAP grant to retrofit 16 660 kW Vesta wind turbines at their wind power generation facility in Hawi, Hawai‘i.
• Frontier Guam Corporation, dba JK Tile – $162,000 REAP grant to purchase and install a 128.76 kW photovoltaic solar system that will generate 105% of their energy needs.