Biden-Harris Administration Announces $500,000 in Brownfields Job Training Grant to Groundwork Richmond under Investing in America Agenda

Biden-Harris Administration Announces $500,000 in Brownfields Job Training Grant to Groundwork Richmond under Investing in America Agenda

December 18, 2024

PHILADELPHIA (Dec. 18, 2024)- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that Groundwork Richmond has been selected to receive a $500,000 grant to help recruit, train, and place workers in community revitalization and cleanup projects at brownfield sites in Richmond, Virginia.

"Thanks to President Biden's unwavering commitment to historically overburdened communities, EPA is investing $1.4 million in Brownfields Job Training grants in the Mid-Atlantic Region," said Adam Ortiz, EPA's Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator. "These grants are changing lives and improving communities, as well as making a generational impact."

The Brownfields Job Training Program grants are funded by President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and will advance economic opportunity and environmental justice. Groundwork plans to train 64 students, placing 35 in environmental jobs.

"Groundwork RVA is absolutely thrilled to have been selected from the Mid-Atlantic Region as a Brownfields Job Training Grant Recipient," said Rob Jones, Chief Executive Officer, Groundwork Richmond Virginia. "We are committed to supporting young people in our community with high-quality training and experience in Green Stormwater Management and other Brownfields remediation skills that will put them on the path to career-based employment for a lifetime. We are grateful for the support for our programming and approach to youth-focused workforce development that the EPA has shown in making this grant in Richmond, Virginia. We look forward to many years of productive partnership and placements to come."

EPA's Brownfields Job Training Program provides funding to organizations that are working to create a skilled workforce in communities where brownfield sites are being assessed, cleaned up and prepared for reuse.

Many of the program participants are from historically underserved neighborhoods or reside in the areas that are affected by environmental justice issues. Individuals 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.

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