A freeze on federal loans and grants is creating turmoil for some rural U.S. business owners who fear they won't get reimbursed for new, cleaner irrigation equipment or solar panels they purchased with the promise of a rebate.
In Cherryville, Maine, Hugh Lassen and his wife and two teenagers grow organic, wild blueberries on their Intervale Farm. Last year they purchased solar panels to run their home, a blueberry sorter and 14 freezers. They did it thinking they'd get an $8,000 grant through the Rural Energy for America Program.
