Biden-Harris Administration Announces Almost $500,000 to Recruit and Train Cincinnati, Ohio Workers for Community Revitalization and Cleanup Projects as Part of Investing in[...]

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Almost $500,000 to Recruit and Train Cincinnati, Ohio Workers for Community Revitalization and Cleanup Projects as Part of Investing in America Agenda

Latest funding for EPA's Brownfield Job Training Grants is supported by the President's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and will boost workforce training in underserved and overburdened communities

December 8, 2023

CHICAGO (Dec. 8, 2023) - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that the Groundwork Ohio River Valley in Cincinnati, Ohio, has been selected to receive a $500,000 environmental job training grant as part of President Biden's Investing in America agenda. The grant, provided through EPA's Brownfields Job Training Program, will help recruit, train, and place workers for community revitalization and cleanup projects at brownfield sites in Ohio.

Groundwork Ohio River Valley will use the funding to train 40 students and place at least 30 in environmental jobs. 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 in Cincinnati, specifically young people from neighborhoods that have been identified as climate-vulnerable, have higher percentages of brownfields located in their areas, and see high rates of unemployment or underemployment.

"President Biden's Investing in America agenda is having a powerful, real-world impact on the ground, creating good-paying jobs and revitalizing communities," said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. "The President's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has supercharged our Brownfields program, enabling EPA to invest in the next generation of environmental workers to take on the much-needed work of cleaning up legacy pollution in communities across America."

"This grant will give young people the tools they need to address environmental challenges in their own communities," said EPA Regional Administrator Debra Shore. "The program provides disadvantaged youth the opportunity to get a job leading the way for the next generation of environmental leaders in Ohio."

"This is great news for Groundwork, for our environment, and for our local economy. Groundwork's job training program will set up pathways to success for so many of our young people," said Congressman Greg Landsman. "We're building a workforce that is prepared to tackle climate change right here in Southwest Ohio."

Brownfield Job Training Program Grants provide funding to organizations 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 the areas that are affected by environmental justice issues.

High-quality job training and workforce development are an important part of the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to advance economic opportunities and address environmental justice issues in underserved communities. All the FY24 Brownfields Job Training Program applications selected involve work in areas that include disadvantaged communities as defined by the Climate & 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 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, and
• Other environmental health and safety training.

For more information on the selected Brownfields Job Training Grant recipients, including past recipients, please visit EPA's Grant Factsheet 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 brownfields revitalization activities within their communities.

Since 1998, EPA has announced 414 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. 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 webpage.

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