WASHINGTON — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced Monday that rural electric cooperative utilities will receive funding for smart grid technologies and improvements to generation and transmission facilities. These loans will benefit more than 19,000 rural consumers in 14 states.

“Rural electric cooperatives provide direct jobs and support economic growth in our rural communities,” Vilsack said in a press release. “By financing electrical system improvements USDA and the Obama Administration helps ensure sustainable growth and business job creation. Investments in smart grid technologies will give rural electric utilities and their consumers one more tool to better manage use of electricity, increase reliability and lower costs.”

Nearby recipients:

Minnesota
•Crow Wing Cooperative Power and Light Company – $22,400,000, to build 49 miles of new distribution line, improve 147 miles of existing distribution line and make other system improvements.

Minnesota and Wisconsin
•East Central Energy – $50,000,000, to build 174 miles of new distribution line, improve 158 miles of existing distribution line and make other system improvements.

Iowa
•Harrison County Rural Electric Cooperative – $9,000,000, to build 23 miles of new distribution line, improve 389 miles of existing distribution line and make other system improvements.

South Dakota
•Union County Electric Cooperative, Inc. – $2,690,000, to build 16 miles of new distribution line, make improvements to 26 miles of existing distribution line, and make other system improvements.

States of other facilities that received money include Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas.