On December 8, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the selection of North Side Industrial Development Company in Pittsburgh and the Housing and Redevelopment Authorities of Cumberland County to receive a total of $1 million for environmental job training programs.

The grants through EPA’s Brownfields Jobs Training Program will help recruit, train, and place workers for community revitalization and cleanup projects at brownfield sites across the Commonwealth.

North Side Industrial Development Company has been selected to receive $500,000 to train approximately 155 students from within the City of Pittsburgh and place at least 116 in environmental jobs upon completion of the program.

The training program includes 108 hours of instruction including 40-hour HAZWOPER, OSHA, green infrastructure, asbestos, and fieldwork training.

Housing and Redevelopment Authorities of Cumberland County has been selected to receive $500,000 to train at least 57 students from the Carlisle area and provide them with 203 hours of instruction and training.

The curriculum will span OSHA, asbestos, confined space entry, site assessments, and field work.

“This grant funding is an investment in our future,” said EPA’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz. “These are real dollars that will be used to benefit not only the job trainees themselves, but the environment as a whole.”

"This is great news! We are really looking forward to being a recipient of these EPA Workforce Training funds. These funds are so important to our partner organizations, the diverse businesses, and workers so that they can get the necessary training for the future job opportunities in the Pittsburgh region,” said Juan Garrett, Executive Director, North Side Industrial Development Company.

“The Cumberland County Housing and Redevelopment Authorities are invested in helping our communities, clients and the whole of Cumberland County find ample employment in fields that offer competitive wages and growth opportunities.  We are very grateful to be a partner with the Employment Skills Center in Carlisle, PA.  They are a true asset and have driven this grant forward for our County. Thank you so much to the EPA and our federal representation for ensuring a bright future for careers within the environmental mitigation field!” – Mary Kuna, Executive Director, Housing and Redevelopment Authorities of Cumberland County

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 the areas that are affected by environmental justice issues.

All of the FY24 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 which aims to deliver at least 40% of the benefits of certain government investments to underserved and overburdened communities.

Under the Brownfields Jobs 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 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, visit EPA’s Brownfields Job Training Grant Program webpage.

Related Articles:

-- EPA Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz Visits Brownfields Job Training Site In Pittsburgh, Highlights Conservation Work  [PaEN]

-- EPA Awards Brownfield Job Training Grants To Landforce In Pittsburgh, Energy Coordinating Agency, Philadelphia [PaEN]

[Posted: December 8, 2023]

12/11/2023