WEST VIRGINIA RECORD

CHARLESTON -– Gov. Joe Manchin and the West Virginia Division of Energy have announced that four large West Virginia businesses have received national recognition for their efforts to reduce energy consumption.

Mittal Steel in Weirton, Marble King in Paden City, QuadGraphics in Martinsburg, and Wheeling Nisshin in Follansbee each recently received the U.S. Department of Energy's Industrial Technologies Program Save Energy Now Awards.

Each of these businesses participated in an onsite energy assessment conducted by the Industrial Assessment Center of West Virginia University, which focused on all energy-using industrial processes.

By implementing recommendations from these evaluations, Mittal Steel was able to achieve more than 15 percent total energy savings and was named an Energy Champion Plant for 2009. The other three companies each achieved a total annual energy savings of more than 7.5 percent and were recognized as Energy Saver Plants for 2009.

Manchin said he applauds their efforts and encourages other West Virginia companies to follow their lead.

"The first step toward energy independence is better energy efficiency, and I appreciate the commitment that our industries are making toward that," Manchin said. "These investments will help our companies remain competitive, retain their employment base while reducing their environmental impact. These companies have set a good example for all of our industries and I'm pleased the U.S. Department of Energy has recognized their accomplishments."