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 Cypress Mandela Training Center for a Brownfields Job Training grant. Cypress Mandela Training Center plans to train 205 students and place at least 160 in environmental jobs. The training program includes 95 hours of instruction in 40-Hour HAZWOPER, Introduction to EPA and OSHA, Waste Worker Health and Safety, Confined Space Awareness, Asbestos Awareness, Phase II Environmental Site Assessment, Injury and Illness Prevention Awareness Program, Hazard Communication Right to Know, Ergonomic Hazards, and Mold Awareness and Inspection. An additional 120 hours of supplemental life skills and job readiness training also will be offered. Students who complete the training will earn up to six state and federal certifications. Cypress Mandela Training Center is targeting students within the City of Oakland and Alameda County, specifically unemployed, underemployed, low-income, and at-risk individuals, minorities, and residents with justice-system involvement. Key partners include Eagle Environmental and Construction / Wings of Eagle Development; McGuire and Hester; the National Association of Minority Contractors-Northern California; Pacific Gas and Electric Company; and Swinerton Builders.