Domtar, NewPage, Quad/Graphics, Thilmany Paper, Wausau Paper, among nine Wisconsin companies to split US$14.5M in state funding for energy efficiency projects

Sandy Yang

KOHLER, Wisconsin , December 10, 2009 (press release) – Governor Jim Doyle announced today more than $14.5 million in funding to nine industrial companies in Wisconsin to help complete energy efficiency projects and create and retain more than 400 jobs in the state. The funding builds on the Governor’s efforts to make Wisconsin a national leader in renewable energy, energy efficiency and green jobs.

“Wisconsin has a tremendous opportunity to be one of the greenest manufacturing states in the country,” Governor Doyle said. “With this funding, we will be able to help these companies become more energy efficient, so they can retain their competitive edge, reduce energy costs and carbon emissions, and create good-paying jobs to support Wisconsin families.”

Governor Doyle has laid out an ambitious strategy to achieve energy independence by calling on the state to generate 25 percent of our electricity and 25 percent of our transportation fuels from renewable resources by 2025. Under the Governor’s plan, Wisconsin will also capture 10 percent of the market share for renewable energy by 2015 and utilize the state’s tremendous research capability to become the country’s leader in making alternative energy more affordable and available.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is providing the awards under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The $14.5 million in funding will be administered through Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s statewide resource for energy efficiency and renewable energy.

The projects announced today will save an estimated 1.21 trillion Btus annually – enough energy to power 15,000 Wisconsin homes for a year, increasing overall energy efficiency by 45 percent and helping retain and create more than 400 jobs in Wisconsin. According to the Department of Energy, the industrial sector uses more than 30 percent of U.S. energy and is responsible for nearly 30 percent of U.S. carbon emissions.

The Governor made the announcement at the Kohler Company in Kohler, which is receiving more than $1.7 million in DOE funding. The following Wisconsin industrial companies will receive awards:

* Briggs and Stratton Corporation of Wauwatosa – $1,290,585
* Didion Milling, Inc. of Cambria – $5,593,700
* Domtar Paper Company, LLC of Rothschild – $870,500
* Kohler Company of Kohler – $1,717,666
* NewPage Wisconsin System, Inc. of Wisconsin Rapids – $495,500
* Quad/Graphics, Inc. of Sussex – $868,466
* Thilmany Paper of Kaukauna – $1,071,100
* Wausau Paper Specialty Products, LLC of Mosinee – $706,968
* Wausau Paper Specialty Products, LLC of Rhinelander – $1,973,900


Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy program is a national leader in efforts to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy. Focus on Energy has received four consecutive Sustained Excellence Awards from U.S. EPA’s Energy Star program. For more information, call (800) 762-7077 or visit focusonenergy.com.

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