EPA Press Office:

EPA Announces $1M in Brownfields Job Training Grants to New Jersey under Investing in America Agenda

NEW YORK (December 17, 2024) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Groundwork Elizabeth and Montclair State University have each been selected to receive a grant to help recruit, train, and place workers in community revitalization and cleanup projects at brownfield sites in New Jersey. The Brownfields Job Training Program grants is funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and will advance economic opportunity and environmental justice. 

"Investing in brownfields job training grants in New Jersey not only revitalizes our communities but also empowers individuals with the skills they need for a sustainable future,” said EPA Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “Together, we are transforming neglected spaces into opportunities for growth and economic resilience."    

“These grants are a great example of how we can create economic opportunities and address the very real environmental concerns that hazardous materials pose to our communities,” said U.S. Senator Andy Kim. “Every person trained because of this funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law - whether through Groundwork Elizabeth or Montclair State University - will play a part in cleaning our state up and making it more livable for everyone. It’s an important start, but I’ll continue to advocate for greater resources so that we can put more New Jerseyans to work and create a future where our kids won’t have to live with hazardous and toxic materials in their backyards.”

“Job training programs are essential to our mission of protecting the environment and building a green economy,” said U.S. Representative Rob Menendez (NJ-08). “Groundwork Elizabeth is leading the way to meet those goals by supporting the next generation of workers who come from the communities they will be serving. With the support of our partners at the EPA, more students in Elizabeth will benefit from this great program, and our environmental cleanup efforts - as well as our communities - will grow even stronger.”

“Brownfields remediation is critical to expanding opportunities for housing, small businesses, open space, and other community resources in the Garden State. That’s why I am so excited that Montclair State University is going to use federal funding to not only help communities remediate brownfields, but train New Jersey’s workforce in the skills needed to assess and cleanup brownfield sites for better use, all while providing access to good-paying jobs and protecting New Jersey’s environmental resources,” said U.S. Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11).  

“The EPA Brownfields Job Training Program funding provides a huge boost to the state’s ongoing efforts to build the next generation of environmental professionals equipped with the skills needed to clean up contaminated sites and revitalize communities,” said New Jersey Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn M. LaTourette. “Also supporting the Murphy Administration’s commitment to environmental justice, my DEP colleagues and I thank the Biden-Harris Administration for this important investment in the future of students from historically underserved communities, providing valuable job training and empowering young leaders to drive transformational change in their neighborhoods.”  

“Groundwork Elizabeth is incredibly proud to have been awarded the EPA Brownfields Training Grant, a testament to our commitment to creating sustainable and healthy communities. This grant represents a significant step forward in empowering our youth and beyond with the skills and knowledge needed to transform underutilized spaces into thriving assets,” said John Evangelista, Executive Director for Groundwork Elizabeth. “We look forward to providing impactful job training that not only strengthens our workforce but also drives environmental restoration and economic revitalization in our community. This milestone reinforces our dedication to building a brighter, greener future for all while changing places and changing lives.”

"We are extremely pleased to receive this award which initiates the Job Training Program at the university that will enable disadvantaged, unemployed, and underemployed residents of Essex and Passaic County in New Jersey to find Brownfields-related jobs and prepare these underserved communities for continued economic growth. As a public-spirited university the program helps us continue our efforts to provide educational, workforce development, and community support services to the youth and families in the neighboring communities,” said Dr. Pankaj Lal, Director of Clean Energy and Sustainability Analytics Center (CESAC) with Montclaire State University. “Through an innovative partnership between the Clean Energy and Sustainability Analytics Center and University Facilities, our project will provide young people the comprehensive training and supporting resources they need to secure meaningful jobs that help our environment." 

Groundwork Elizabeth in New Jersey has been awarded nearly $500,000 Brownfields Job Training Grant to train 75 students and help place 40 of them in environmental jobs.

The program participants will receive 168 hours of instruction covering various topics, including HAZWOPER certification, construction safety, environmental data analytics, and more. This initiative specifically targets unemployed or underemployed youth aged 16-24 from public housing or the Youth Corp program. Groundwork Elizabeth is collaborating with multiple organizations, including the American Red Cross and Kean University, to support this effort.

Montclair State University has been awarded a $500,000 Brownfields Job Training Grant to support environmental job training in Essex and Passaic Counties, New Jersey.

The university plans to train 100 students and assist in placing 68 of them in environmental jobs. The training program will offer 125 hours of instruction on essential skills, including HAZWOPER certification, OSHA safety courses, and specialized training in areas like Geographic Information Systems and confined space safety. This initiative focuses on veterans, women, minorities, and economically underserved residents. Montclair State University is partnering with several organizations, including the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Veolia North America, to enhance the program's impact.

EPA’s Brownfields Job Training Program provides 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. Many are from historically underserved neighborhoods or reside in the areas that are affected by environmental justice issues. All of the FY25 Brownfields Job Training Program applications selected have proposed to work in areas that include disadvantaged communities as defined by the Climate & Economic Justice Screening Tool, delivering on President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative to deliver 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.

 

Individuals typically graduate from the program with a variety of certifications that improve their marketability and help ensure that employment opportunities are not just temporary contractual work, but long-term environmental careers. This includes certifications in: 

• Lead and asbestos abatement;
• Hazardous waste operations and emergency response;
• Mold remediation;
• Environmental sampling and analysis; and
• 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 Grant Factsheet Tool.

Background

President Biden’s leadership and bipartisan congressional action delivered the single-largest investment in U.S. brownfields infrastructure ever. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) invests more than $1.5 billion through EPA’s highly successful Brownfields Program and the funding from this grant cycle comes from this historic investment. This budget boost gives EPA the ability to fund more communities, states, and Tribal Nations. In addition, these entities have the opportunity to apply for larger grants to build and enhance their environmental job training curriculums to support job creation and community revitalization around brownfield sites. Ultimately, this investment will help trained individuals gain access to jobs created through brownfields revitalization activities within their communities. 

Since 1998, EPA has awarded 430 grants totaling more than $113 million through Brownfield Job Training Programs. With these grants, more than 23,400 individuals have completed training and over 17,400 individuals have been placed in careers related to land remediation and environmental health and safety. Over the last 5 years, the average starting wage for these individuals is approximately $23 per hour. If your organization is considering applying for or has a question related to Brownfields Job Training Grants, submit a technical assistance request to EPA at https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/forms/brownfields-job-training-program-technical-assistance-inquiry-form.

For more information on this and other types of Brownfields Grants, please visit https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/types-funding.

24-112

###