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 St. Louis Community College for a Brownfields Job Training grant. St. Louis Community College plans to train 88 students and place at least 63 in environmental jobs. The training program includes two distinct programs. The Brownfields program contains 224 hours of instruction in 40-Hour HAZWOPER, First Aid/CPR, Intro to Environmental Technology (including waste management), OSHA 10 Construction Safety, OSHA 7205 Chemical Hazards, OSHA 7510 Bloodborne Pathogens, Radiation Worker I, Lead Abatement Worker, Mold Remediation, Lead Renovator, Repair, and Painting, Asbestos Abatement Worker, Underground Storage Tanks, Environmental Sampling and Monitoring, Innovative/Alternative Treatment Technologies, Storm Water Management, OSHA 7405 Fall Protection, OSHA 7410 Excavation and Trenching, OSHA 7300 Permit Required Confined Spaces, and Ecosystem Restoration. The Solar Installer program contains 74 hours of instruction in 40-Hour HAZWOPER, Introduction to Climate Science and Environmental Justice, OSHA Construction Safety, OSHA 7404 Fall Protection, and Solar Install and Design. Students who complete the Brownfields program will earn up to two state and 13 federal certifications, and students who complete the Solar Installer program will earn up to three federal certifications. The college is targeting students within St. Louis County, Missouri, and East St. Louis, Illinois, specifically residents who are unemployed or underemployed, veterans, and people with justice-system involvement. Key partners include BDS Environmental, Breaking Chains Mending Minds, City Abatement Services, LLC, Detroit Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, Go Green Contracting, Great Lakes Restoration Service, Team Wellness Center, and UAW Health and Safety.