News from rural America.

Winter blues? Alaskans cure theirs at the Cordova Iceworm Festival, Trump's energy plans will impact rural folks, legislation in Virginia aims to ensure rural communities get adequate EV charging stations, and a retreat for BIPOC women earns rave reviews.

TRANSCRIPT

For the Daily Yonder and Public News Service, this is the news from rural America.

The new administration's energy plans will have a big rural impact.

Anya Slepian has more.

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump followed through on campaign promises to expand fossil fuel production and weaken climate rules.

He also froze funding allocated by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act.

As Daily Yonder's Julia Tilton reports, that includes more than $9 billion in clean energy grants for rural projects.

But much of that funding is still on its way out the door, making it vulnerable to being clawed back by the new administration.

According to the Rural Climate Partnership, more than 80 percent of America's clean energy is produced in rural areas.

So what happens to clean energy policy in the next four years has a bearing on rural communities and economies.

I'm Anya Slepian.

Virginians are buying more electric vehicles and some lawmakers want to ensure rural communities get their fair share of charging stations.

For the fourth time, state delegate Rip Sullivan is sponsoring legislation to create an infrastructure fund to partner with private charger station developers so rural areas aren't left behind.

The bill is sort of rooted in the notion that all Virginians and all parts of Virginia should be participating in the transition to clean energy and to clean cars.

Last year, the Virginia Automobile Dealers Association reported a 50 percent jump in electric vehicle sales.

Sullivan says rural charging stations would help smaller communities and boost tourism.

We've got people coming in from all over the country and many of them will be driving EVs and we want those who are driving EVs to feel comfortable that they'll be able to charge their.

If you're a woman of color who's feeling burned out, the wilderness is calling.

Since 2017, the Trailblazers Radiance Retreat has served black, indigenous, and people of color who identify as women and non-binary.

Women's Wilderness Executive Director, Kristi Peoples, says their retreats offer a safe outdoor space for yoga, meditation, and more.

Nature provides a really wonderful opportunity to lower our anxiety levels, relieve symptoms of stress.

She says BIPOC women are often unsung heroines, sole providers of care for their families and communities.

We too often downplay the need for our own self-care.

We don't prioritize it.

If cold weather has you down, Alaska's Cordova Iceworm Festival could be the antidote.

It honors a tiny worm that lives in glaciers.

The festival culminates in a parade that features a 100-foot long people-powered iceworm with a treasure hunt for its missing tail.

For the Daily Yonder and Public News Service, I'm Roz Brown.

For more rural stories, visit dailyyonder.com.