In Idaho, sustainable building materials firm Hempitecture has been awarded $8.42 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy under the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda. The funds will facilitate an industrial hemp fiber processing and manufacturing facility in northeast Tennessee, aimed at producing high-performing, carbon-reducing products for the building materials, packaging, and automotive sectors.
The new facility is expected to create 25 full-time jobs with wages 15% above the local prevailing rate. Selected as one of 14 projects nationwide, Hempitecture’s initiative will also revitalize former coal communities. “This funding recognizes both the potential of biobased materials and the role they play in building a cleaner, more resilient economy,” Matthew Mead, CEO of Hempitecture, said in a press statement.