A New York-based insulation company has been awarded a $10 million federal grant to build a 60,000-square-foot production facility in Chehalis that will support 40 full-time jobs, according to U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell.

“This planned new manufacturing plant is a triple win for the region: it will deliver good new manufacturing jobs, produce energy-saving advanced insulation, and reduce waste by upcycling local materials,” Cantwell said in a statement. “Supporting well-paying jobs in transitioning communities is a key requirement we included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and this announcement shows the federal government is betting on Chehalis to be an engine of revitalization in Southwest Washington.”

In an announcement Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced that CleanFiber will receive two $10 million federal grants to build facilities in Chehalis and Ennis, Texas, that will create 80 full-time jobs.

The Chehalis plant is one of 14 projects announced by DOE to increase clean energy manufacturing in 15 coal communities across the United States.

According to Cantwell, construction of the facility will also require approximately 33 full-time local contractors who will be paid at or above the prevailing wage. Once built, the Chehalis plant will support 40 full-time employees who will be paid competitive wages and full benefits packages, Cantwell stated. 

CleanFiber will conduct outreach to disadvantaged and displaced coal workers and has pledged to remain neutral during any union-organizing campaigns. According to DOE, each project will include a community benefits plan to maximize economic, health and environmental benefits.

According to the company’s FAQ page, CleanFiber is “next-generation cellulose insulation for use in attics, walls and floors of residential or commercial new construction, and retrofit applications.”

Once operational, each facility will produce enough insulation to weatherize more than 10,000 homes a year. 

“The transition to America’s clean energy future is being shaped by communities filled with the valuable talent and experience that comes from powering our country for decades,” Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm said in a statement. “By leveraging the know-how and skillset of the former coal workforce, we are strengthening our national security while helping advance forward-facing technologies and revitalize communities across the nation.”

The Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC), which selected CleanFiber, was created and funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) that Cantwell helped draft in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

“Under President Biden and Vice President Harris’s leadership, we are leading an unprecedented expansion of American energy production, a manufacturing renaissance, and the essential work of rebuilding our middle class. This is especially true in former coal communities, which are mounting a clean energy comeback by harnessing the urgent climate challenge in front of us and the clean energy solutions we invented here in America,” White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi said in a statement.

DOE will host a webinar Wednesday afternoon to further discuss the announcement. The Chronicle will attend.

An initial news release didn’t state where the production facility will be located or when it will be operational. 

Learn more about CleanFiber at https://www.cleanfiber.com/. 

This article will be updated.