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Manufacturing Plants Recognized for Energy Efficiency

Seventeen U.S. manufacturing plants were first-time winners of EPA's Energy Star award in recognition of their energy-efficient operations that prevented some 3 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.

The manufacturers' efforts not only cut pollution but also lowered energy consumption and reduced costs.

"By committing to smart energy use, America's historic economic backbone is now supporting our nation's brightening environmental future," said U.S. EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "Working with our manufacturing partners, we are implementing President Bush's aggressive and practical strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while growing the American economy."

The plants represent six percent of cement production capacity; seven percent of wet corn milling capacity; and 23 percent of auto assembly capacity.

The U.S. manufacturing sector consumes about one-third of the energy used in the United States and contributes about 28 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Energy is a significant, controllable expense for most manufacturers, and energy efficiency is a direct way to reduce this cost while avoiding emissions of greenhouse gases. EPA's national energy performance rating system, developed in cooperation with industry, enables companies in the wet corn milling, cement and auto assembly industries to evaluate the energy efficiency of their plants relative to their industries and develop challenging energy improvement goals and plans.

Plant owners are eligible to earn the Energy Star award for a plant if the plant's energy performance score is in the top 25 percent nationally using EPA's plant energy performance indicators. The scores are based on actual energy use. EPA is currently working with 10 industries to advance innovative corporate energy management tools.

The first plants being recognized with the Energy Star award, listed by industry, include:

Auto Assembly
The Ford Motor Company assembly plant in Chicago, Ill.
The Ford Motor Company assembly plant in St. Paul, Minn.
The Ford Motor Company assembly plant in Claycomo, Mo.
The Ford Motor Company assembly plant in Norfolk, Va.
The Nissan North America, Inc. assembly plant in Canton, Miss.
The Nissan North America, Inc. assembly plant in Smyrna, Tenn.
The Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc. assembly plant (NUMMI passenger) in Fremont, Calif.
The Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc. assembly plant in Princeton, Ind.
The Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc. assembly plant in Georgetown, Ky.

Cement
The Ash Grove Cement Company plant in Chanute, Kan.
The Ash Grove Cement Company plant in Seattle, Wash.
The California Portland Cement Company plant in Colton, Calif.
The California Portland Cement Company plant in Mojave, Calif.
The Lafarge North America plant in Calera, Ala.
The Lafarge North America plant in Sugar Creek, Mo.

Wet Corn Milling
The Penford Products Company plant in Cedar Rapids, IA
The Tate and Lyle Ingredients Americas, Inc. Sagamore plant in Lafayette, Ind.

Energy Star is a voluntary, market-based partnership designed to offer business and consumers effective energy efficiency solutions for saving energy, money and the environment. Programs like Energy Star are vital to meeting the Bush Administration's goal to cut the greenhouse gas intensity by 18 percent by 2012. In 2005, Americans with the help of Energy Star saved about $12 billion on their energy bills and prevented greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those produced in powering 11 million single family homes.

Source: U.S. EPA