EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. The Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act of 2002, as amended by the Brownfields Utilization, Investment and Local Development Act of 2018, was passed to help states and communities around the country clean up and revitalize brownfield sites. Under this law, EPA provides financial assistance to eligible applicants through five competitive grant programs: Multipurpose Grants, Assessment Grants, Revolving Loan Fund Grants, Cleanup Grants, and Brownfields Job Training Grants. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism.
Brownfields Job Training Grant funds are provided to nonprofit organizations and other eligible entities to recruit and train unemployed and underemployed residents from communities affected by environmental pollution, economic disinvestment, and brownfields and place them in environmental jobs. Since the program was created in 1998, EPA has funded 352 job training grants totaling over $75 million through the Brownfields Job Training program. A total of 19,456 individuals have been trained and 14,560 individuals have been placed in full-time careers related to land remediation and environmental health and safety. The average starting wage for these jobs is more than $14 an hour. This equates to a cumulative placement rate of approximately 74 percent.
$200,000.00
EPA has selected Alaska Forum, Inc., for a Brownfields Job Training grant. Alaska Forum plans to train 90 students and place at least 40 in environmental jobs. The training program includes 88-90 hours of instruction in 40-hour HAZWOPER, OSHA 10, Confined Space Entry, First Aid/CPR/Survival, Driving Safety, Lead and Asbestos Awareness, Energy Isolation/Fall Protection, Hazardous Materials Awareness, Freon Removal and Handling, Asbestos Handler and Worker, OSHA 2015 Hazardous Materials, MSHA Awareness, Wilderness First Aid, Air Craft, Field, Bear, Firearm Safety, Erosion and Sediment Control, Basic Fire Fighting, OSHA Disaster Site Worker, DOT Shipping and Transportation, Trenching and Excavating, Incident Command System, NIMS IS 700/706, Intro to Hazardous Materials, OSHA Evacuation and Emergency Planning, Hazardous Communication, Home Fuel Tank Inspection & Maintenance, Recycling Health and Safety, Small Boat ATV/ORV Safety, GPS/GIS Mapping Awareness, North Slope Training Cooperative, Alaska Qualified Sampler, and Forklift Operation. Students who complete the training will earn up to five state certifications and 23 federal certifications. Alaska Forum is targeting unemployed, underemployed, and low-income minority students across the state of Alaska. Key partners include Jacobs, the University of Washington NIESH Worker Training Program, Knik Tribal Council, ChemTrack, Environmental Management, Inc., UMIAQ Environmental, Cook Inlet Tribal Council, and Terrasond.