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 PathStone Corporation for a Brownfields Job Training grant. PathStone Corporation plans to train 120 students and place at least 80 in environmental jobs. The training program includes 334 hours of instruction in 40-Hour HAZWOPER, Pesticide Safety Worker Protection Standard, AED and CPR Training, Forklift Driver, OSHA 10 Safety, Disaster Site Response, Asbestos Remediation, Lead Abatement, Mold Remediation, CDL Class A with HazMat TWIC (seaport access), and Industrial Welding (UST). Students who complete the training will earn up to nine state and one federal certification. PathStone Corporation is targeting students within Caguas, Guaynabo, Gurabo, Humacao, Juncos, Las Piedras, and San Juan, specifically underemployed and unemployed individuals. Key partners include American Jobs Centers, Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs, Bermudez Longo, Caribe Hydroblasting Corp, Center for Creative Land Recycling, Corporacion del Proyecto ENLACE del Cano Martin Pena, Economic Development, First Industrial Technological College, Homeca Recycling, Junta Local de Desarrollo Laboral, Area Local de Desarrollo Laboral Sureste, Municipality of Guaynabo, Municipality of Juncos, Municipality of Las Piedras, National Partnership for Environmental Technology Education, Sunset Contractors, Technical Demolition & Recycling Services of Puerto Rico, and Toledo Engineering.