Pacific Northwest Research Station

Olympia Forestry Sciences Lab to receive Recovery Act funding.

Contact:

Source: Doug Ryan, dryan01@fs.fed.us, (360) 753-7652

Media assistance: Yasmeen Sands, ysands@fs.fed.us, (206) 732-7823

Money will be used to replace facility’s single-pane windows with energy-efficient alternative

PORTLAND, Ore. March 27, 2009. The Olympia Forestry Sciences Laboratory is the first facility in the Pacific Northwest Research Station to receive funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. It received $250,000 through the first round of monies from the U.S. Forest Service as it administers funding provided by the ARRA. The funding will provide local jobs for the installation of energy-efficient windows, which will ultimately reduce the lab’s heating and cooling costs.

“This project will significantly reduce the lab’s energy use and, at the same time, it creates needed jobs in our local community,” said Doug Ryan, line officer at the 16,000-square-foot research facility.

The lab was built in the 1960s and currently has 150 single-pane, low thermal-rated windows. The project will remove the outdated windows and replace them with modern energy-efficient windows that provide better insulation and that reflect infrared light, which will help to retain heat in the winter and repel it in the summer. 

The project is being performed by Longview, Wash.-based Twin City Glass. Pacific Tech, also based in Longview, is the project’s general contractor.

“One of the easiest ways to save money is by conserving energy, and it won’t be long before this investment pays for itself through lower energy bills for the Olympia Forestry Sciences Laboratory, “ said Congressman Brian Baird (D-WA-03). “This project is just one of the many ways that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is not only putting people back to work, but building the green economy of the 21st century.”

Installation of the new windows began earlier this month and is scheduled for completion in April.

The ARRA, formerly known as the “Economic Stimulus Package,” was signed into law by President Obama in February 2009. It represents an unprecedented effort to jumpstart the economy and to create or save millions of jobs. Enhancing energy independence and modernizing our Nation’s infrastructure are among the Recovery Act’s measures. For more information, visit http://www.recovery.gov. 

The PNW Research Station is headquartered in Portland, Oregon. It has 11 laboratories and centers located in Alaska, Oregon, and Washington and about 500 employees.