Biden-Harris Administration Announces $500,000 EPA Brownfields Grant to Train Hawaii Environmental Workers, Revitalize Communities
Publilshed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
SAN FRANCISCO – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a $500,000 grant funded through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for an environmental job training program in Hawai’i. The grants through EPA’s Brownfields Jobs Training Program will recruit, train, and place workers for community revitalization and cleanup projects at brownfield sites. EPA is awarding more than $14 million in grants for job training programs to 29 organizations across the country. Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, total funding for the program has more than tripled for fiscal year 2023, ensuring stronger environmental benefits and more economic opportunities in overburdened and underserved areas. This is the largest amount of total funds EPA has ever awarded for Brownfields Job Training grants.
“These grants will bring clear benefits to communities in Hawai’i, offering residents training and certifications to clean up contaminated properties and begin environmental careers,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA is bringing unprecedented resources to our longstanding commitment to help revitalize underserved communities.”
EPA selected the environmental nonprofit Kaunalewa for the $500,000 Brownfields Job Training grant. Kaunalewa’s mission is to clean up brownfield sites and amplify the impact of conservation and social justice work through allyship, education, and western and Native Hawaiian knowledge. Kaunalewa plans to train up to 230 students within the Moku Kona community, specifically native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, in three environmental tracks: disaster recovery and remediation, stormwater and green infrastructure, and ecological restoration/land reuse. All students can earn up to five federal certifications, depending on the track. The program is also designed to train three graduates to become instructors to deliver the National Green Infrastructure Certification Program.
President Biden’s leadership and bipartisan Congressional action have delivered the single-largest investment in U.S. brownfields infrastructure ever through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which invests more than $1.5 billion over five years through EPA’s highly successful Brownfields Program. This historic investment enables EPA to fund more communities, states, and Tribes, and provides the opportunity for grantees to build and enhance the environmental curriculum in job training programs that support job creation and community revitalization.
The Brownfields Jobs Training Program also advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver at least 40% of the benefits of certain government programs to disadvantaged communities. Based on data from the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, approximately 97% of the communities selected to receive funding as part of today’s announcement have proposed projects in historically underserved areas.
Individuals completing a job training program funded by the EPA often overcome a variety of barriers to employment. Many trainees are from historically underserved neighborhoods or reside in areas that are overburdened by pollution.
Graduates of Brownfields Job Training programs learn valuable, sought-after skills and have the opportunity to earn a variety of certifications, ensuring employment opportunities result not just in temporary contractual work, but in long-term 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
Background:
Brownfields Job Training (JT) grants allow nonprofits, local governments, and other organizations to recruit, train, and place unemployed and under-employed residents of areas affected by the presence of brownfield sites. Through the JT Program, graduates develop the skills needed to secure full-time, sustainable employment in various aspects of hazardous and solid waste management and within the larger environmental field, including sustainable cleanup and reuse, and chemical safety. These green jobs reduce environmental contamination and build more sustainable futures for communities.
Since 1998, the EPA has awarded 371 Brownfields Job Training grants. With these grants, more than 20,341 individuals have completed trainings and over 15,168 individuals have been placed in careers related to land remediation and environmental health and safety.
For more information on the selected Brownfields Job Training grant recipients, including past grant recipients, please visit the Brownfields Grant Fact Sheet Search
For more information on this, and other types of Brownfields Program grants, please visit the Brownfields Job Training Grants webpage.
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Read the full article at: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/biden-harris-administration-announces-500000-epa-brownfields-grant-train-hawaii
