EPA Announces $458K to Recruit and Train Missouri Workers for Community Revitalization and Cleanup Projects as Part of Investing in America Agenda
Latest funding for EPA’s Brownfields Job Training Grants is supported by the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and will boost workforce training in underserved and overburdened communities
LENEXA, KAN. (DEC. 8, 2023) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the selection of Cornerstones of Care to receive a total of $458,358 for environmental job training programs as part of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda.
The grants through EPA’s Brownfields Job Training Program will help recruit, train, and place workers for community revitalization and cleanup projects at brownfield sites across Missouri.
Cornerstones of Care has been selected to receive funding to train 50 students and place at least 25 in environmental jobs. The training program includes 180 hours of instruction in 40-hour HAZWOPER, Eco-Community Build Action, Forestry Restoration, Landscape Restoration, Environmental Data Analysis, Eco-Community Build Engagement, Conservation Job Readiness, and General Industry. Key partners include Heartland Conservation Alliance, Native Lands Restoration Collaboration, Bridging the Gap, Kaw Valley Engineering, and True North Outdoor.
“We are proud to partner with Cornerstones of Care in their efforts to train under-resourced youth to be the environmental leaders of tomorrow,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister. “The Brownfields Job Training Program is an excellent opportunity to train local workers in environmental careers while providing the skills and certifications needed to obtain well-paying jobs.”
“With this federal funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Kansas City will have an opportunity to revitalize underserved communities that are too often forgotten, while also strengthening our workforce and training the next generation of America’s environmental leaders,” said U.S. Representative Emanuel Cleaver II (MO-5). “It’s just another example of what we can accomplish when we put politics aside and focus on the needs of our communities. While I may have been the only Representative from Missouri to vote for the President’s infrastructure law, I remain proud to have done so – and I will never stop working to find common ground and deliver bipartisan solutions for communities throughout Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District.”
“On behalf of Cornerstones of Care and Build Trybe, we are ecstatic about receiving this grant from the Environmental Protection Agency,” said Cornerstones of Care President and CEO Merideth Rose. “Build Trybe’s alliance with the EPA will provide training and marketable skills in conservation to underserved and disadvantaged youth throughout Kansas City. This is a win-win for the environment and the future of the youth we serve.”
These grants will provide funding to organizations that are working to create a skilled workforce in communities where assessment, cleanup, and preparation of brownfield sites for reuse activities are taking place. Individuals completing a job training program funded by EPA often overcome a variety of barriers to employment, and many are from historically underserved neighborhoods or reside in areas that are affected by environmental justice issues.
High-quality job training and workforce development are essential to the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to advancing economic opportunities and addressing environmental justice issues in underserved communities. All of the FY 2024 Brownfields Job Training Program applications selected have proposed to work in areas that include disadvantaged communities as defined by the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, delivering on President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver at least 40% of the benefits of certain government investments to underserved and overburdened communities.
Under the Brownfields Job Training Program, individuals typically graduate with a variety of certifications that improve their marketability and help ensure that employment opportunities are not just temporary contractual work but long-term and high-quality environmental careers. This includes certifications in:
- Lead and asbestos abatement
- Hazardous waste operations and emergency response
- Mold remediation
- Environmental sampling and analysis
- Other environmental health and safety training
For more information on the selected Brownfields Job Training Grant recipients, including past grant recipients, please visit EPA’s Brownfields Grant Fact Sheet Tool.
Background
President Biden’s leadership and bipartisan congressional action have delivered the single-largest investment ever made in U.S. brownfields infrastructure. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests more than $1.5 billion through EPA’s highly successful Brownfields Program, which is helping more communities than ever before begin to address the economic, social, and environmental challenges caused by the legacy pollution at brownfield sites.
Today’s funding for Brownfields Job Training Grants comes from this historic investment, which is allowing more communities, states, and tribes to access larger grants to build and enhance the environmental curriculum in job training programs to support job creation and community revitalization at brownfield sites. Ultimately, this investment will help trained individuals access jobs created through brownfield revitalization activities within their communities.
Since 1998, EPA has announced 414 grants totaling over $100.5 million through Brownfields 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. The average starting wage for these individuals is over $15 an hour.
For more information on this and other types of Brownfields Grants, please visit EPA’s Brownfields Grants page.
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