(AGENPARL) - Roma, 12 Dicembre 2024 - (AGENPARL) – gio 12 dicembre 2024 Issued: Dec 12, 2024 (11:50am EST)
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EPA Announces 16 Organizations Across U.S. to Receive Nearly $7.5M in
Brownfields Job Training Grants at Wichita, Kansas, Event
Funding includes nearly $500K for the Workforce Alliance of South Central
Kansas
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region 7 – 11201 Renner Blvd., Lenexa,
KS 66219
Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Nine Tribal Nations
Contact Information: Jonathan Klusmeyer, 913-343-2991,
LENEXA, KAN. (DEC. 12, 2024) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) announced the selection of 16 organizations to receive nearly
$7.5 million in grants for environmental job training programs across the
country.
EPA’s Brownfields Job Training Program Grants are funded by President
Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and will help recruit, train, and
place workers for community revitalization and cleanup projects at brownfield
sites, while advancing economic opportunity and environmental justice.
EPA Office of Land and Emergency Management Deputy Assistant Administrator
Cliff Villa announced the awards in Wichita today, alongside grant recipient
Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas, EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg
McCollister, and City of Wichita Council Member Brandon Johnson. The Workforce
Alliance hosted today’s event.
“EPA’s Brownfields Job Training grants are changing lives and improving
communities that have been overburdened by contaminated properties for far too
long,” Villa said. “Thanks to President Biden’s Investing in America
Agenda, EPA is helping to create good-paying jobs for low-income, unemployed,
and underemployed residents who are helping make their communities cleaner,
healthier, and stronger.”
“Today’s announcement is a key step in revitalizing communities and
transforming underutilized Midwestern spaces,” McCollister said. “We
congratulate the selected organizations and eagerly look forward to working
together to develop a skilled workforce in environmental jobs.”
“The Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas is pleased to be named a
Brownfields Job Training Grant partner by the EPA,” said Workforce Alliance
President and CEO Keith Lawing. “This is an exciting step forward for
Wichita. Through this funding, we will be able to partner with community
organizations and local employers to empower 90 individuals, especially those
who are unemployed or underemployed in communities impacted by blighted
properties and contaminated sites. Graduates will gain the skills necessary to
secure full-time, sustainable employment in the environmental sector. This
program not only opens doors for personal growth, but also contributes to the
environmental revitalization and sustainability of our community. Together, we
are building a cleaner, healthier Wichita for future generations.”
The Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas will provide training in key
areas, including asbestos abatement; obtaining a commercial driver’s license
for the transportation of hazardous waste; Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act (RCRA) Hazardous Waste Management; and OSHA 30-hour Occupational Health
and Safety for General Industry. This comprehensive training will equip
students with the necessary expertise to contribute effectively to their
community and empower them with the essential skills needed to tackle and
mitigate critical environmental issues within the local community.
Each job training grant, of up to $500,000, will provide funding to
organizations that are working to create a skilled workforce in communities
where assessment, cleanup, and preparation of brownfield sites for reuse
activities are taking place. Individuals completing a job training program
funded by EPA often overcome a variety of barriers to employment. Many are
from historically underserved neighborhoods or reside in the areas that are
affected by environmental justice issues.
All of the FY25 Brownfields Job Training Program applications selected have
proposed to work in areas that include disadvantaged communities, as defined
by the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, delivering on President
Biden’s Justice40 Initiative to deliver 40% of the overall benefits of
certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized
by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
Individuals typically graduate from the program with a variety of
certifications that improve their marketability and help ensure that
employment opportunities are not just temporary contractual work, but
long-term environmental careers. This includes certifications in:
Lead and asbestos abatement.
Hazardous waste operations and emergency response.
Mold remediation.
Environmental sampling and analysis.
Other environmental health and safety training.
Today’s selected applicants are:
*Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas – Wichita, Kansas
*Iowa Western Community College – Council Bluffs, Iowa
*Saint Louis University – St. Louis
Groundwork Rhode Island – Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Worcester, City of – Worcester, Massachusetts
*Groundwork Elizabeth – Elizabeth, New Jersey
*Montclair State University – Montclair, New Jersey
*Center for Nonprofit Advancement – Washington
*Groundwork Richmond Virginia – Richmond, Virginia
*Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University – Blacksburg, Virginia
*Eco Ed Impact Corp – Miami
Southwest Economic Solutions – Detroit
Groundwork Denver – Denver
*NyE Communities Coalition – Pahrump, Nevada
*Pocatello, City of – Pocatello, Idaho
*Tribal Solid Waste Advisory Network – Tekoa, Washington
*First-time Brownfields Job Training Program grant recipients.
For more information on the selected Brownfields Job Training Grant
recipients, including past grant recipients, please visit EPA’s Grant Fact
Sheet Search tool.
Background
President Biden’s leadership and bipartisan congressional action delivered
the single-largest investment in U.S. brownfields infrastructure ever. The
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) invests over $1.5 billion through EPA’s
highly successful Brownfields Program, and the funding from this grant cycle
comes from this historic investment. This budget boost gives EPA the ability
to fund more communities, states, and tribal nations.
In addition, these entities have the opportunity to apply for larger grants to
build and enhance their environmental job training curriculums to support job
creation and community revitalization around brownfield sites. Ultimately,
this investment will help trained individuals gain access to jobs created
through brownfields revitalization activities within their communities.
Since 1998, EPA has awarded 430 grants totaling more than $113 million through
Brownfield Job Training Programs. With these grants, over 23,400 individuals
have completed training and over 17,400 individuals have been placed in
careers related to land remediation and environmental health and safety. Over
the last five years, the average starting wage for these individuals is
approximately $23 per hour.
If your organization is considering applying for, or has a question related
to, Brownfields Job Training Grants, please submit a technical assistance
request to EPA.
Learn more about the types of Brownfields funding.
# # #
Learn more about EPA Region 7
Visit the Region 7 Media page
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