Department of Environmental Protection issuing nearly $3.5 in grants to help small businesses become more energy efficient

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is awarding nearly $3.5 million grants to 15 small businesses across Pennsylvania, the agency’s secretary, Jessica Shirley announced at a press conference held at Tröegs Independent Brewing in Dauphin County.

Through the Reducing Industrial Sector Emissions in Pennsylvania Small-scale Award Track, the state expects to save businesses more than $470,000 in energy costs and reduce approximately 2,500 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in their first year. The greenhouse gas reductions are equivalent to removing 575 gasoline-powered passenger vehicles from the road for one year, recycling 209,447 trash bags of waste instead of sending them to a landfill, or growing 40,741 tree seedlings for 10 years.

Tröegs, one of the grant recipients, will use its $204,284 award to help offset the cost of installing a carbon dioxide reclamation system at its facility. The system will capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from the fermentation process and reuse it in later stages of beverage production, reducing the amount of CO2 the company needs to purchase for its production process.