Aerojet Honored by National Association of Environmental Professionals

SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Aerojet, a GenCorp (NYSE: GY) company, announced today that on behalf of Aerojet, its Vice President of Environmental Health and Safety, Chris Conley, was presented with the National Association of Environmental Professionals' (NAEP) 2011 Environmental Excellence Award for Public Partnerships. Aerojet was recognized for the public partnerships the company pursued in two exceptional projects – development of the six megawatt solar facility at Aerojet's Sacramento, Calif. facility, and the company's "GET L-A" groundwater extraction and treatment facility in Ancil Hoffman Park in Carmichael, Calif.

"We are deeply honored to receive the NAEP's Excellence Award," said Conley.  "NAEP is an internationally respected environmental organization, and to have our two projects recognized by them is a validation of our efforts to partner on innovative solutions for our environmental remediation programs."

Aerojet received recognition for the two major projects, which involved extensive partnerships with public and private entities. Both projects were completed in 2010, making them eligible for consideration by NAEP.

The first honored project, Aerojet's six-megawatt solar array, is a significant part of the company's environmental and sustainability initiatives. The project was built in partnership with Solar Power, Inc. of Roseville, Calif., and the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, with regulatory facilitation provided by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). The array offsets approximately 6,000 tons of carbon dioxide, 23.8 tons of sulfur dioxide and approximately 9.3 tons of nitrogen oxide that would have otherwise been produced using fossil fuel power production. The first year, net clean energy benefits equate to offsetting approximately 11.8M car miles driven or the clean air benefits realized from planting 1.7M trees. The electricity created by the solar facility provides more than 30 percent of the power required to operate Aerojet’s extensive groundwater remediation program.

The other recognized project is Aerojet's groundwater extraction and treatment (designated as "GET L-A") facility located in Ancil Hoffman Park, a major regional park located in Carmichael, Calif.  Born of a cooperative partnership between Aerojet, the Carmichael Water District (CWD) and Sacramento County Parks, the facility was constructed to remove N-Nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), a byproduct associated with liquid rocket engine testing, while protecting CWD's down-gradient drinking water sources.

The project enjoyed the regulatory support of the U.S. EPA, the California Regional Water Quality Control Board and the California Department of Toxic Substances Control. In addition to achieving the environmental objectives, the project beneficially repurposes the treated effluent for park irrigation, conserving 125M gallons of potable water annually, and saving Sacramento County $100,000 in annual water costs.

"This award would not have been possible without the enthusiastic support of all of our public and private partners," said Conley. "The realized benefits prove that Aerojet can successfully achieve our remediation objectives through partnerships that are focused on sustainable and energy-efficient solutions."

Conley concluded, "If the will exists to cooperate, the payoff for the environment, the community and the bottom line can be great for all of those involved."

Aerojet is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader principally serving the missile and space propulsion, defense and armaments markets. GenCorp is a leading technology-based manufacturer of aerospace and defense products and systems with a real estate segment that includes activities related to the entitlement, sale, and leasing of the company's excess real estate assets. Additional information about Aerojet and GenCorp can be obtained by visiting the companies' websites at http://www.Aerojet.com and http://www.GenCorp.com.

SOURCE Aerojet