(AGENPARL) – ven 08 dicembre 2023 Issued: Dec 8, 2023 (12:16pm EST)
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Biden-Harris Administration Announces Major Grant to Recruit and Train Harlem,
New York Workers for Community Revitalization and Cleanup Projects as Part of
Investing in America Agenda
Latest funding for EPA’s Brownfields Job Training Grants is supported by the
President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and will boost workforce training
in underserved and overburdened communities
NEW YORK (December 8, 2023) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) announced the selection of Research Foundation of the City College of
New York to receive a total of $500,000 for environmental job training
programs as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. The
grants through EPA’s Brownfields Job Training Program will help recruit,
train, and place workers for community revitalization and cleanup projects at
brownfield sites across New York.
This initiative is set to provide specialized environmental job training for
84 students, with a goal to place at least 64 graduates in relevant roles.
The comprehensive training program will encompass 136 hours of instruction,
covering key areas such as 40-Hour HAZWOPER, 30-Hour OSHA for Construction,
10-Hour Site Safety Training, ASTM Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site
Assessments, and Green Infrastructure I and II. Successful completion of the
program will result in students earning up to two federal certifications.
The Research Foundation of the City College of New York is specifically
targeting students within the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. This
includes underemployed, unemployed, and potentially previously incarcerated
residents, providing them with an opportunity to gain valuable skills and
improve their employment prospects.
This initiative is supported by key partners including the New York City
Mayor’s Office of Environmental Remediation, Brownfield Coalition of the
Northeast, New York City Brownfield Partnership, New York State Department of
Labor, Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement, New York City
Administration for Children’s Services, Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce,
Living Redemption Community Development Corporation, Silicon Harlem, WE ACT
for Environmental Justice, Athenica Environmental Services, and Roux
Associates Inc.
“President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is having a powerful,
real-world impact on the ground, creating good-paying jobs and revitalizing
communities,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “The President’s
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has supercharged our Brownfields program,
enabling EPA to invest in the next generation of environmental workers to take
on the much-needed work of cleaning up legacy pollution in communities across
America.”
“EPA is thrilled to award this grant to CCNY and its partners to help train
and prepare the next wave of local workers for opportunities in the
Brownfields sector,” said EPA Region 2 Administrator Lisa F.
Garcia. “Through the cleanup and revitalization of brownfield sites,
communities can put underutilized properties back to good use. Reclaiming
these sites benefits the community and its residents, our economy, and our
environment.”
“This is a win-win: investing in getting youth the hands-on skills they need
to get good-paying jobs and helping clean up our communities from Utica to
NYC,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. “I am proud to help
deliver this federal funding, which will help train hundreds of students in
New York for environmental jobs, and I will never stop fighting to address
environmental justice issues faced by New York’s underserved
communities.” 
“Environmental research is critical to our future and the sustainability of
our communities. I was proud to help secure this funding in Congress and
commend the EPA for awarding the Research Foundation of the City College of
New York with this significant investment,” said Congressman Adriano
Espaillat. “Investing today will provide vital training and job
opportunities for 84 students in Harlem, empowering them to pursue careers in
the environmental field, while helping to bolster their future as well as our
planet.”
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil
Seggos said, “President Biden, EPA Administrator Regan, and EPA Region 2
Administrator Garcia recognize the importance of growing New
York’s environmental workforce to protect public health and help revitalize
communities. DEC applauds the Biden-Harris Administration for awarding the
Research Foundation of the City College of New York and the Workforce
Development Board of Herkimer, Madison, and Oneida Counties to help create
brighter futures for New Yorkers, particularly those from underserved
communities, and we look forward to continuing to work with local, state, and
federal partners to advance workforce development opportunities across the
state.” 
These grants 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 and many are from historically underserved
neighborhoods or reside in the areas that are affected by environmental
justice issues.
High-quality job training and workforce development are an important part of
the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to advance economic
opportunities and address environmental justice issues in underserved
communities.  All of the FY24 Brownfields Job Training Program applications
selected have proposed to work in areas that include disadvantaged communities
as defined by the Climate & Economic Justice Screening Tool, delivering on
President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative which aims to deliver at least 40% of
the benefits of certain government investments to underserved and overburdened
communities. 
Under the Brownfields Job Training Program, individuals typically graduate
with a variety of certifications that improve their marketability and help
ensure that employment opportunities are not just temporary contractual work,
but long-term and high-quality environmental careers. This includes
certifications in: 
Lead and asbestos abatement, 
Hazardous waste operations and emergency response, 
Mold remediation, 
Environmental sampling and analysis, and  
Other environmental health and safety training 
For more information on the selected Brownfields Job Training Grant
recipients, including past Grant recipients, please visit EPA’s Grant
Factsheet Tool.
Background
President Biden’s leadership and bipartisan congressional action have
delivered the single-largest investment ever made in U.S. Brownfields
infrastructure. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests more than $1.5
billion through EPA’s highly successful Brownfields Program, which is
helping more communities than ever before begin to address the economic,
social, and environmental challenges caused by the legacy pollution at
brownfield sites. Today’s funding for Brownfields Jobs Training grants comes
from this historic investment, which is allowing more communities, states, and
Tribes to access larger grants to build and enhance the environmental
curriculum in job training programs to support job creation and community
revitalization at brownfield sites. Ultimately, this investment will help
trained individuals access jobs created through Brownfields revitalization
activities within their communities.
Since 1998, EPA has announced 414 grants totaling over $100.5 million through
Brownfield Job Training Programs. With these grants, more than 21,500
individuals have completed training and over 16,370 individuals have been
placed in careers related to land remediation and environmental health and
safety. The average starting wage for these individuals is over $15 an
hour.  
For more information on this, and other types of Brownfields Grants, please
visit EPA’s Brownfields webpage.