Three regional businesses received grants through the state Department of Environmental Protection to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy costs and strengthen the state’s industrial sector.

On Tuesday, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced that Gautier Steel Holdings, Johnstown, was awarded $1.9 million in Medium-scale Award Track (MAT) funding through the Reducing Industrial Sector Emissions in Pennsylvania (RISE PA) program.

Gautier Steel will use the funds to upgrade the steel plant’s furnace and increase the plant’s energy efficiency. The plant’s upgrades will reduce 7,800 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalents in its first year alone.

“This project will drive a vital investment in innovative technology that will modernize the reheat furnace that is at the forefront of our 14-inch bar mills production line while significantly reducing the carbon emissions generated by our facility,” said Dale Gray, president and CEO of Gautier Steel Holdings Inc.

Gautier Steel is an employee-owned steel manufacturer founded in Johnstown in 1852 that operates a bar mill, producing hot rolled carbon, and alloy flats and squares.

The manufacturer also operates a plate mill producing plate products including tool steel and stainless steel.

Currently, Gautier employs 100 people, including 75 steelworkers — members of United Steelworkers Local 2632 — and 25 administrative staff.

In addition to Gautier, NPC Inc. in Claysburg received a $1.9 million RISE PA MAT grant to install a 1.9 MW solar system, replace the facility’s HVAC and implement energy efficiency retrofits throughout the paper print manufacturing facility.

Quaker Sales Corp. in Cambria County received a $5.25 million RISE PA MAT grant to Shapiro and state Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Jessica Shirley Gautier Steel Holdings on Tuesday to announce a more than $267 million investment in 31 manufacturing projects across Pennsylvania to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy costs and strengthen the Commonwealth’s industrial sector.

These projects will save Pennsylvania businesses more than $3.1 million in annual energy costs and reduce more than 1.3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent within their first year of implementation — the equivalent of removing 320,614 cars from the road for one year, eliminating emissions from 154,666,592 gallons of gasoline, or recycling 116,843,239 trash bags instead of landfilling them, the Shapiro administration said in a news release.