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 The Fortune Society for a Brownfields Job Training grant. The Fortune Society plans to train 96 students and place at least 57 in environmental jobs. The training program includes 284 hours of instruction in 40-Hour HAZWOPER, EPA Lead Renovation, Repair, and Repainting, OSHA Construction Industry Health and Safety Program, OSHA Confined Space, Asbestos Handler Initial, Global Hazard Communication, NYC DOB four-hour Supported Scaffold User, Site Safety Training (SST) Worker, OSHA Lead in Construction, New York State Mold Remediation Awareness, Bloodborne Pathogens and Infections, and Medical and Fit Test. Students will also take awareness training in Environmental Science, Environmental Health and Safety, Innovative Treatment Technology, Remediation Techniques, Stormwater Management and Green Infrastructure, Solid Waste Management, Assessment and Cleanup, and Medical and Fit Test. Students who complete the training will complete two state and five federal certifications. The Fortune Society is targeting students within New York City, specifically people with justice-system involvement. Key partners include ANDO International, Approved Storing & Waste Haulage, Building Skills NY, Commercial District Services, Marin Workforce, the Office of Climate and Environmental Justice, the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, Newtown Creek Alliance, New York City Department of Probation, the New York City Mayor's Office of Workforce Development, and Smiling Hogshead Ranch.