Senate President Blair Praises GreenPower Investment in West Virginia

CHARLESTON – Senate President Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, today welcomed GreenPower Motor Company Inc.’s announcement of their agreement with the state to locate a manufacturing facility in South Charleston.

The company plans to manufacture zero-emission, all-electric school buses at a Kanawha County site. When manufacturing begins later this year, the operation is expected to bring 200 new jobs with the potential for as many as up to 900 new jobs in two years.

“This is a really exciting development for West Virginia and shows that the efforts we have made to diversify our economy have paid off,” Senate President Blair said. “We have been looking for opportunities to create high-tech, clean energy jobs, and this company is a leader in innovation. I am grateful that they have recognized the advantage to locating in West Virginia.”

The GreenPower announcement comes on the same day that West Virginia and Nucor Corporation, a Charlotte-based company released details of a historic $2.7 billion investment in a new, state-of-the-art facility in Mason County.

“West Virginia is on the rise, and all you have to do is look around to see it,” Senate President Blair said. “With announcements like these as we head into a new legislative session, it builds our momentum to continue making the changes West Virginia needs to be a competitive player on the world stage and keep us moving forward on the right track.”

Contact: Jacque Bland at (304) 357-7999