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 awarded 414 job training grants totaling over $100.5 million through Brownfield Job Training Programs. With these grants, more than 21,500 individuals have completed training and over 16,370 individuals have been placed in careers related to land remediation and environmental health and safety. This equates to a cumulative placement rate of approximately 75 percent. The average starting wage for these jobs is more than $15 an hour.
$499,270.00
EPA has selected Groundwork Ohio River Valley for a Brownfields Job Training Grant. Groundwork Ohio River Valley plans to train 40 students and place at least 30 in environmental jobs. The training program includes 154 hours of instruction in 40-Hour HAZWOPER, OSHA 10, OSHA 8-hour Confined Space Entry Operations, Asbestos Building Inspector/Management Planner, Asbestos O&M Class III, and Lead-Based Paint Inspector/Risk Assessor. Students will also participate in a Green Corps Practicum, which will give them hands-on training in areas including invasive species, job readiness, financial literacy, environmental justice, and citizen science, and a Green Corps Field Experience, where trainees will gain real-world experience working with partner organizations on contracted work. Groundwork Ohio River Valley is targeting students within Cincinnati, specifically young people from neighborhoods that have been identified as climate-vulnerable, have higher percentages of brownfields located in their areas, and also see high rates of unemployment or underemployment. Key partners include the City of Cincinnati's Office of Environment and Sustainability, the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati, and the Davey Resource Group.