EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, Tribal Nations, 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, Tribal Nations, 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 371 job training grants totaling over $79 million through the Brownfields Job Training program. A total of 20,341 individuals have been trained and 15,168 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 75 percent.
$500,000.00
EPA has selected Limitless Vistas for a Brownfields Job Training grant. Limitless Vistas plans to train 200 students and place at least 120 in environmental jobs. The training program includes 158 hours of instruction in 40-Hour HAZWOPER, Environmental Stewardship, Environmental Justice Awareness, EPA Brownfields Program, Mapping, Geology of Southeast Louisiana, Water and Soil Contamination, OSHA 10/30 Hour, HAZMAT, All-Appropriate Inquiries, Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation, Planning and Conducting Ecological Restoration, and First Aid/CPR/Bloodborne Pathogens. Students who complete the training will earn up to three federal certifications. Limitless Vistas is targeting students from the City of New Orleans, specifically dislocated, unemployed, underemployed, and low-income individuals, minorities, opportunity youth, citizens with justice-system involvement, and veterans. Key partners include APTIM Environmental and Infrastructure, BFA Environmental, the Environment and Construction Pre-Apprenticeship Program, the Epic Network, Greater King Solomon Baptist Church, L. Turner and Associates, Leaaf Environmental, LLC, Neel-Schaffer, Inc., the New Orleans Regional Planning Commission, the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans, the State of Louisiana Department of Quality Office and Environment Assessment, The Corps Network, and the Urban League of Louisiana.