ONE RED - Biochar Incentive Program

ONE RED - Biochar Incentive Program is sponsored by Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment (DWEE NE). The ONE RED Biochar Program provides financial incentives to establish biochar processing facilities that convert woody organic waste into biochar.

ONE RED - Implementation Grant | DWEE NE ONE RED - Implementation Grant The ONE RED programs listed below are being redesigned, pending approval from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The overall objectives of the programs remain unchanged.

The Nebraska Department of Water, Energy, and Environment (DWEE) has received a $307 million Climate Pollution Reduction Implementation Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for Nebraska’s ONE RED program. This is the largest federal grant ever awarded to the Department.

DWEE will use the grant funds over a five-year period to implement voluntary programs with financial incentives to strengthen all sectors of Nebraska’s economy while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The funded programs will include energy efficiency measures to reduce energy costs, incentives for sustainable agriculture practices, solar energy projects, and advanced livestock waste management.

A significant portion of the projects are designed to benefit low-income and underserved communities, which include both rural and urban areas of the state. Details of the anticipated programs are available in the links to the left of this page or in the full workplan attached to the bottom of this page.

The success of Nebraska’s application was made possible by the extensive public input from a broad range of partners and stakeholders across the state, including state and local government departments, public power districts, agricultural stakeholders, subject matter experts, and Nebraska citizens.

This input was vital to the development of Nebraska’s Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP), which formed the basis for DWEE’s implementation grant application. DWEE received the official award in October 2024. DWEE is working to set up the funding programs authorized by the grant award.

Please return to this page often for updates on the progress of these programs. Programs funded through the CPRG Implementation Grant Metric Tons GHG Reduction Non-Residential Energy Efficiency Program : Projects for industrial, commercial, agricultural, public, and nonprofit buildings and facilities.

$30,302,420 Residential Pre-Weatherization Program : Funding to address critical home repairs for low-income residents to allow eligibility for the Weatherization Assistance Program. $4,078,027 ONE RED Irrigation Engine Program : Rebates to farmers to replace diesel irrigation pump engines with electric motors or pumps connected to the electric grid.

$6,140,507 Rural Community Solar Program : Solar arrays to provide partial power to water and waste-water facilities, reducing energy cost.

$16,406,847 Non-Residential Solar Program : Funds for solar projects in locations such as rooftops for industrial, commercial, or municipal facilities; community solar in brownfield locations; solar canopies over parking lots and cattle feedlots; and other locations that do not displace other productive uses.

$28,081,847 Ag Data Bank and Grants Program : Three interdependent strategies: 1) Develop a Carbon Intensity (CI) Data Bank with incentives for participation; 2) Incentives for adoption of Regenerative Agriculture Practices to improve soil health and reduce N fertilizer use; 3) Incentives for Precision Agriculture equipment for more efficient production.

* Wastewater Treatment Facility Anaerobic Co-Digestion/Biogas Program : Support the development, expansion, and optimization of anaerobic digestion/biogas systems at wastewater treatment facilities (WWTFs) that incorporate the co-digestion of agricultural feedstocks. $57,182,628 Biochar Incentive Program : Funding for biochar processing facilities that will convert woody organic waste into biochar, which can store carbon in the soil.

$4,373,035 * The Anaerobic Digester/Biogas Hub Program is being updated to the Wastewater Treatment Facility Anaerobic Co-Digestion/Biogas Program. The webpage for this program reflects the department’s proposed changes, pending EPA approval The listed programs listed above were developed measures selected for funding from the larger set of pollution reduction measures developed for Nebraska’s PCAP.

The programs will provide broad benefits to Nebraska geographically and across different economic sectors. Some PCAP measures were not included in this implementation grant because other pending federal funding sources are expected to be available for them. ONE RED Implementation Grant Workplan