U.S. EPA News Release:

EPA Selects Three Bay Area Organizations for Environmental Job Training Grants

Approximately $3.8 Million to be Awarded Nationwide to Build a Skilled Environmental Workforce in Economically Distressed Communities

SAN FRANCISCO (Feb. 2, 2022) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that the Hunters Point Family in San Francisco, the City of Richmond, Calif. and the City of Pittsburg, Calif., will each receive a $200,000 Brownfields job training grant. Job training and workforce development are important parts of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to advance economic opportunities and address environmental justice issues in underserved communities to build a better America. In total, 19 grantees were selected to receive a total of $3,797,102 in grants for job training programs across the country.

“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a better America, and that means new, good-paying jobs. The Brownfields Job Training grants announced today will prepare over 1,000 individuals for new environmental jobs like those,” said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. “This program will directly impact people’s lives, boosting the environmental workforce while helping to transform communities that need it the most.” 

“We are thrilled to recognize our Northern California partners with these job training grants,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “The funding will help equip dedicated Bay Area community members with the job skills they need for well-paying jobs that reduce environmental contamination and advance environmental justice efforts.”

Each of the three award recipients will focus their programs on communities where cumulative environmental impacts have persisted for decades. Graduates earn a variety of certifications to ensure that employment opportunities lead to long-term careers with local unions, environmental contractors, private industry, and the public sector.

• Hunters Point Family plans to recruit 60 residents from the neighborhoods of Bayview Hunters Point, Potrero Hill and Visitation Valley. The curriculum will include five certifications and train residents in 40-hour HAZWOPER, underground storage tank, solid and hazardous waste management, confined space, and lead, asbestos, and mold remediation training.
• The City of Richmond, RichmondBUILD, plans to recruit 50 residents to provide training in 40-hour HAZWOPER, refinery safety, 10-hour OSHA workplace safety, and instruction in remediation and utility-scale solar installation technology.
• The City of Pittsburg plans to recruit 80 residents who will receive seven certifications, including 40-hour HAZWOPER, refinery safety, forklift for remediation, solar technology, emergency response, confined space and 10-hour OSHA workplace safety training.

Funded through the Agency’s Brownfields Job Training Program, these grants provide support in communities actively cleaning-up and preparing so called brownfield sites for reuse. Rather than filling local jobs with contractors from distant communities, grant recipients prepare residents to satisfy this job demand. Individuals completing a job training program funded by EPA often overcome a variety of barriers to employment, and many of these individuals are from historically underserved neighborhoods affected by environmental justice issues.

President Biden’s leadership and bipartisan congressional action have delivered the single-largest investment in national brownfields revitalization ever. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) invests more than $1.5 billion through EPA’s Brownfields program. Of that investment, $30 million will be directed into future Brownfields Job Training grants. During the next five years, communities, states, and tribes will have the opportunity to apply for larger grants to expand and enhance environmental job training programs. This investment will help trained individuals access jobs created through brownfields revitalization activities within their communities. EPA anticipates awarding as many as 50 additional grants to job training entities with BIL funding, beginning in federal fiscal year 2023. Application guidelines will be available in Spring/Summer 2022.

Additionally, EPA is planning a listening session to receive feedback from current and potential grant applicants regarding the BIL and the future of the Brownfields Job Training Grant Program. The listening session is scheduled for February 9, 2022, 12:30-2pm EST. https://usepa.zoomgov.com/j/1604678094

For more information on the selected Brownfields Job Training grant recipients, including past grantees, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/applicants-selected-fy22-brownfields-job-training-grants

For more information on this, and other types of Brownfields grants, please visit: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-job-training-jt-grants

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