rural-issues

PJM, which coordinates the flow of electricity from power generators to utility companies in 13 states and the District of Columbia, is facing complaints about how it ensures it will have enough capacity to keep the electricity flowing during a winter storm or summer heat wave. (Photo by fhm/Getty Images)

Rural electric co-ops to get $10.7B in USDA funds for clean energy grants, loans

BY: - May 16, 2023

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin to administer two loan and grant programs worth nearly $11 billion to boost clean energy systems in rural areas, administration officials said Tuesday. Congress approved the federal spending — $9.7 billion for a grant and loan program the department is calling the New Empowering Rural America program, or […]

The ceiling of the main Rotunda inside Pennsylvania’s Capitol building. May 24, 2022. Harrisburg, Pa. (Photo by Amanda Berg, for the Capital-Star).

Staff shortages, ‘burdensome’ regulations among top hurdles for addiction treatment providers

BY: - March 9, 2023

At the three-hour-long public hearing hosted by the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, a bipartisan and bicameral legislative agency, panelists provided lawmakers with an update on various efforts to stem the tide of opioid addiction and prevent overdose deaths in the commonwealth.  

MAIL TRUCK GETTY

Postal service on-time performance similar in rural, urban areas, report finds

BY: - January 24, 2023

Pa. was among the locales where USPS periodical deliveries occurred 5% or more frequently in rural areas than urban areas.

OLDER PERSON COMPUTER ART

USDA to spend $500M extending high-speed internet to rural America

BY: - September 26, 2022

The current funding stream was targeted to upgrade existing infrastructure, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said.

Rural leaders fear they’ll miss out on infrastructure money | Analysis

BY: - November 28, 2021

The local leaders we have in rural communities are just trying to do their best,” he said. “They’re just making sure that the roads have gravel on them

Candidates, constituents of rural Pa. call for ‘their own Bill of Rights’

BY: - September 17, 2020

Several of the candidates said that residents of rural Pennsylvania don’t feel “heard” in Harrisburg.

Federal coronavirus aid posed barriers to rural small businesses, lawmakers hear

BY: - May 21, 2020

Rural small businesses have largely missed out on federal coronavirus assistance and many may not survive without another round of aid tailored to small-town and agricultural enterprises, members of a U.S. House small business subcommittee heard Wednesday.

‘We have to fix this’ Sens. Casey, Collins hear rural home healthcare concerns

BY: - February 12, 2020

The home health care system in rural America needs a facelift. This was the consensus of both lawmakers and a panel of witnesses who testified Wednesday before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging.

Could a state cell phone tax power Pa.’s rural broadband expansion?

BY: - January 9, 2020

As a starting point, Grange president Wayne Campbell suggested that a $.75 to $1 surcharge per-month on every cell phone user could finance small, matching state grants for local broadband projects.

While the state farm bill is a start, Pennsylvania’s agriculture leaders see further reforms

BY: - January 8, 2020

At a House Agriculture & Rural Affairs Committee hearing Wednesday, lawmakers heard more potential small fixes to aid farmers, big issues that needed some action, and hope that the PA Farm Bill was taking root.

Rural Pa.’s immigrant workforce is growing, new study finds

BY: - November 14, 2019

The share of immigrant workforce in rural parts of Pennsylvania has grown by 75 percent between 2000 and 2016, a new study has found. Using 2016 American Communities Survey data, the report by Penn State University and the Center for Rural Pennsylvania, found that 3.5 percent of the rural workforce — defined as those between […]

Bill that allows hunting in Pennsylvania on three Sundays a year is closer to reaching Gov. Tom Wolf’s desk

BY: - October 30, 2019

The bill pitted rural lawmakers, hoping to keep countrysides clear of orange vested hunters for at least one day a week, against the National Rifle Association and pro-hunting groups.