Biden-Harris Administration Announces $1M from EPA’s Brownfields Grants to Train Connecticut Environmental Workers
Publilshed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
BOSTON (Dec. 14, 2022) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a total of $1 million in grants funded through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for environmental job training programs in Connecticut. The grants through EPA’s Brownfields Jobs Training Program will recruit, train, and place workers for community revitalization and cleanup projects at brownfield sites. 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.
“President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is supercharging EPA’s Brownfields Program, which is transforming blighted sites, protecting public health, and creating economic opportunities in more overburdened communities than ever before,” said EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe. “The investments announced today will not only support the cleanup of some of our nation’s most polluted areas, but they will also equip a new generation of workers to take on the significant environmental challenges that plague overburdened neighborhoods, and jumpstart sustainable, long-term careers in the communities that need these jobs the most.”
“Congratulations to The WorkPlace and the Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board on earning Brownfields job training grants,” said EPA New England Regional Administrator David W. Cash. “Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we can look forward to the important work you will do in bringing skilled workers and environmental jobs to the underserved areas of Bridgeport, Waterbury, and the lower Naugatuck Valley region.”
“This critical federal funding will offer new opportunities for underserved communities to enter the environmental workforce – helping to clean up blighted, hazardous properties and bring new economic development to their own neighborhoods. Cleaning up contaminated properties is critical for our environment and our communities, and it is possible only with a skilled workforce. I am proud to fight for these investments in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and will work to expand them,” said U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal.
“Investing in workforce development is crucial to strengthening our economy and creating new opportunities in poor communities. I’m glad to see this funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law support the important work of the Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board and the WorkPlace. This grant will fund really important job training programs to help clean up brownfields and transform them into places where more people can live affordably and small businesses can thrive,” said U.S. Senator Chris Murphy.
“In today’s economy, it is vital that we supply our communities with the resources, programs, and job training to create jobs and spearhead opportunity in the places we call home,” said U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro. “I am so proud to see the Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board in Waterbury awarded an EPA workforce grant – which will prepare the next generation with critical skills and create a pipeline for jobs in the environmental justice field. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues to make historic infrastructure investments that will strengthen our economy.”
“I am glad to hear that these two organizations are receiving job training grants from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. I work closely with the leadership of The WorkPlace and have seen first-hand their commitment to training and diversifying Bridgeport’s workforce. I’m grateful that these funds are going to support that mission not just in Connecticut’s Fourth District, but across the state,” said U.S. Representative Jim Himes.
“The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is historic not only for its incredible investments in repairing crumbling infrastructure but also for the significant steps the legislation takes to build our skilled workforce and open economic opportunity for communities that have long been shut out. I am thrilled to see Northwestern Connecticut receive critical funding to train and prepare the next generation of workers on environmental remediation and redevelopment over the next five years. This funding is a vital component that will bring our state a cleaner, healthier, and more financially secure future,” said U.S. Representative Jahana Hayes.
“This is a great program, and these two organizations are among Connecticut’s very best at job training, particularly for brownfield remediation work,” said Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) Commissioner Katie Dykes. “This program is an important aspect of upholding commitments to environmental justice in the very communities impacted by brownfield sites. The Workplace and the Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board have a long history of training those in need of a new career and supplying Connecticut with high-skilled employees to remediate and redevelop brownfields, a task vitally important for Connecticut’s future.”
The selected grant recipients are The WorkPlace, Inc., based in Bridgeport, and the Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board, based in Waterbury.
The WorkPlace, Inc. will use their grant to train up to 60 students near the City of Bridgeport in important skills needed to work in the environmental remediation field and to assist local economic development over the next five years. The organization is targeting students within the Lower Naugatuck Valley, specifically underemployed or unemployed individuals from struggling neighborhoods impacted by brownfields and other environmental hazards.
The WorkPlace, Inc. has previously been awarded EPA Brownfields Job Training grants seven times from 2001 – 2021, and with this new grant will have received a cumulative total of over $1.94 million. The organization’s training program includes 489 hours of instruction in 40-Hour HAZWOPER, OSHA 30-Hour Construction, Asbestos Abatement, Lead Abatement, Storage Tanks, Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), DOT/OSHA Hazmat, and others. Students who complete the training will earn up to two state and nine federal certifications.
The Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board will use their grant to train up to 80 students in or near the City of Waterbury in important skills needed to work in the environmental remediation field and to assist local economic development over the next five years. This grant will serve 41 municipalities in northwest Conn. and will be targeting students within the City of Waterbury, specifically low-income, minority, unemployed, or underemployed residents.
The Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board has previously been awarded EPA Brownfields Job Training grants three times from 2009 – 2016, and with this new grant will have received a cumulative total of $1.1 million. The organization’s training program includes 146 hours of instruction in 40-Hour HAZWOPER, Lead Abatement, Asbestos Abatement, Confined Spaces, Respiratory Protection, and others. Students who complete the training will earn up to three state and four federal certifications.
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 percent of the benefits of certain government programs to disadvantaged communities. Based on data from the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, approximately 97 percent 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, Tribes, 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.
For more information on Brownfields in New England please visit the Brownfields and Land Revitalization in EPA Region 1 webpage.
Read the full article at: https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/biden-harris-administration-announces-1m-epas-brownfields-grants-train-connecticut
