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In an updated projection, Pulsar Helium aims to begin production in 2027, according to founder Thomas Abraham-James in a recent statement. Several key steps remain before an official decision can be made in 2026 to enact this timeline the following year.Currently, Pulsar is engaged in the testing process with its...
The new tax law makes permanent and expands Opportunity Zones (OZ), a program allowing investors to defer capital gains taxes if they make investments in certain low-income census tracts.The new law — known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act — offers benefits for investing in low-income rural areas. Explore...
Echo Press: Sustainable aviation fuel of the future offers farmers the hope they need right now
Aug 5 2025Farmers gathered inside the Farmfest grounds in Morgan on Tuesday, Aug. 5, said they needed something to improve the current negative margins they are seeing in major commodities. They also needed something that would get the next generation excited about farming.Minnesota Farmers Union president Gary Wertish said farmers must look...
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today announced the U.S. Forest Service is investing $106 million to support state and landowner efforts to conserve private working forestlands across the country. Funded through the Forest Legacy Program, these projects will protect forests vital to the economic and social fabric of...
The newly revamped federal Opportunity Zone program is expected to have a lot fewer real estate parcels involved than its predecessor, setting up potential fight over which areas are chosen for inclusion. The sweeping tax and spend legislation enacted earlier this month, the President Trump's Big Beautiful bill has changed.Click...
Twin Cities Business Journal: New SBA partnership aims to boost workforce development for manufacturers
Jul 16 2025The Small Business Administration wants to strengthen its cooperation with the Department of Labor to get more skilled workers into manufacturing. The two agencies on Wednesday announced a memorandum of understanding that would increase cross collaboration to help support manufacturing. That means connecting the SBA's capital and a contracting tools...
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Deputy Under Secretary Todd Lindsay announced that USDA will be opening the first grant application window for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 for the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) on October 1, 2025. USDA is using the remaining time in FY25 to implement...
An 11-acre lakefront resort in Park Rapids recently hit the market for nearly $1.2 million. The Walters Resort offers a family-friendly vacation spot with modern comforts while surrounded by northern woods, according to its listing with Rice Real Estate Services. The resort sits on the shores of Lake Ida with...
If anyone is looking for the definitive definition (if you will) of biotechnology, an inquiry to Professor Google quickly reveals the following:“Biotechnology is the use of biology to solve problems and make useful products. The most prominent area of biotechnology is the production of therapeutic proteins and other drugs through...
Minneapolis-St. Paul is one of the leading biomanufacturing and med-tech hubs featured in a new report released by the Hickey Institute, division of Hickey & Associates, a global consulting firm specializing in site selection and location strategy.According to the report, “Minneapolis–St. Paul stands out as one of the most important...
Great River Energy calls for all its members to celebrate Todd-Wadena Electric Cooperative in 2025, which marks its 85th anniversary of providing reliable and affordable electricity to rural central Minnesota. Beginning with power supplied to its first residence near Verndale in 1941, the cooperative has expanded its service area to...
Viking Substation now on ECE’s grid
Jul 3 2025East Central Energy marked a key milestone by successfully interconnecting the Viking Substation, formerly owned by North Branch Water & Light, into its distribution system. ECE purchased the electric infrastructure in 2023.A planned outage occurred in North Branch at 4 a.m. on June 24, which lasted a total of ten...
Great River Energy electric cooperative of Minnesota will be the host utility at a major regional conference that brings electric utilities of all types together to discuss solutions to challenges facing the power industry.DTECH Midwest—the first regional meeting in the region—will be held July 14-16 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. GRE's commitment...
Powering progress in rural communities: The value of Great River Energy's E3 Commercial Financing Program
Jun 30 2025As federal funding and economic conditions remain uncertain, Great River Energy is doubling its commitment to rural progress. Through its Energy Efficiency and Electrification (E3) Commercial Financing Program, Great River Energy provides a stable, affordable financing tool to help member-owner cooperatives and their communities invest in high-efficiency equipment and innovative...
McLeod Cooperative Power actively works to maintain the safety and reliability of its electric system through proactive vegetation management. McLeod cleared trees and shrubs from over 240 miles of right-of-way in its service area in 2024, including Acoma, Hutchinson, Hale, and Winsted. The efforts are intended to reduce outages, improve...
State of Minnesota Transportation Economic Development Infrastructure Grant Program Request for Proposals
Jun 30 2025The Transportation Economic Development Infrastructure Program (TEDI) is a competitive grant program available to communities for road and public infrastructure projects that create jobs and support economic development.Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development's (DEED) TEDI Program can be combined with the Minnesota Department of Transportation's (MnDOT), Transportation Economic Development...
The Minnesota Department of Commerce this week announced $15 million in clean energy grants for Minnesota electric cooperatives, businesses, nonprofits, Tribal governments, and other organizations, including more than $2 million to projects located in Kandiyohi, Swift and Renville counties.The grants are issued via the State Competitiveness Fund Matching Funds Program,...
The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) has awarded more than $5 million in grants to three infrastructure projects in Greater Minnesota. The funding, from DEED's Greater Minnesota Business Development Public Infrastructure Grant Program (BDPI), is expected to create or retain 1,006 jobs in North Branch, Sartell and...
Each summer, the Heartland Lakes Area transforms into a hot spot for summer fun.Cabins, hotels and resorts fill up.Restaurants and shops buzz with activity, and our area hosts two to four times more visitors than locals.What looks like seasonal fun is also a pillar of our local economy - and...
Did you know Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative (MVEC) utilizes drone technology to improve service and reliability? MVEC embraced drone technology to enhance safety and efficiency, inspecting 833 miles of overhead line, out of a total of 1,948.6 miles, in 2024.MVEC leverages innovative technology for member benefitsEquipped with high-resolution cameras and...
Oppidan Investment Company broke ground on a 61,000-square-foot data center on Argenta Trail, south of the YMCA in Eagan, Minnesota, one of only two ground-up data center projects underway in Minnesota. Oppidan has developed data centers across the country since 2016.The project is unique in its build-to-suit approach: Oppidan is...
The insatiable appetite for data centers raised concerns about an unsustainable future, and as demand continued to soar, the struggle to meet this rapid growth had become more pronounced than ever. However, the skyrocketing demand for generative AI integration now seems to be finding a local equilibrium, which can be...
Manufacturing’s New Risk Game for Site Selection
Jun 16 2025In the current political climate in the U.S., companies face significant challenges choosing manufacturing locations. The ever-changing Trump trade policies and tariffs have sown doubt and uncertainty around costs, currency fluctuations, regulations, and sourcing and sales strategies. Multinational firms, in particular, must carefully review their current and projected global operations...
Rural electric cooperatives support local tourism by powering many of Minnesota's lake resorts
Jun 11 2025Minnesota's iconic lake resorts are the heartbeat of many rural communities. They generate economic activity, preserve traditions and offer visitors an unforgettable escape into nature. With 11,842 lakes and 755 resorts and lodges across the state, these family-owned businesses fuel the tourism economy, creating jobs and sustaining local enterprises.But behind...
