USDA Dodges Lawsuit Over Denied Rural Energy Grant Applications

A federal judge rejected a renewable energy developer’s lawsuit against the Agriculture Department over its denial of grant applications for its Rural Energy for America program.

Ovanova Inc. and related entities lacked standing because plaintiffs were “insufficiently specific about the nature of the harms” they allegedly experienced due to the USDA’s rejection, according to the Thursday opinion filed in the US District Court for the District of Columbia.

The plaintiffs filed their challenge against the department in September. They claimed that the USDA arbitrarily and capriciously changed technical merit requirements after they filed over 60 applications on behalf of rural ...