On March 26, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency joined the Engineers’ Society of Western Pennsylvania, the Department of Environmental Protection, state and local partners, grantees, consultants, and industry leaders to help kick off the 2024 Pennsylvania Brownfields Conference in State College.

Offering remarks during the opening plenary, EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz spoke to conference attendees on the importance of partnerships, priorities, and perseverance. 

“Brownfields programs hold significant power, and we know these remediation, restoration, and revitalization efforts change lives and communities all across the Commonwealth,” said Ortiz. “When we come together, align our priorities and goals, and commit to seeing projects through, we’re telling our present and future communities that they’re worth it.”

Thanks to additional funding from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA in 2023 awarded a total of $14 million to 19 grantees across Pennsylvania for assessments, cleanups, and revolving loan funds.

EPA currently has 50 open Brownfields grants across 35 grantees in the Commonwealth.  

During his remarks, Ortiz congratulated two Pennsylvania entities – North Side Industrial Development Company in Pittsburgh and the Housing and Redevelopment Authority of Cumberland County in Carlisle – on being selected to receive $500,000 each in Brownfields Job Training grants. 

“Pennsylvania has a rich industrial history with thousands of revitalized Brownfields sites and many more sites across the Commonwealth are currently undergoing the cleanup process, said DEP Acting Executive Deputy Ramez Ziadeh. “Brownfield projects can both restore the environment and contribute to greater economic development for businesses and communities. The success of our Brownfield Redevelopment program would not be possible without our collaborative partnerships with US EPA and other state agencies. DEP is committed to connecting communities and transforming sites into places where people want to live, work and visit through brownfield redevelopment.”

Provided to nonprofit organizations and other eligible entities, these grants are used to recruit and train unemployed and underemployed residents from communities affected by environmental pollution, and economic disinvestment, and place them in environmental jobs.

Since the program was created in 1998, EPA has funded 371 job training grants totaling over $79 million through the Brownfields Job Training program.

A total of 20,341 individuals have been trained and 15,168 individuals have been placed in full-time careers related to land remediation and environmental health and safety.

To learn more about brownfields redevelopment, visit EPA’s Brownfields Program webpage and DEP’s Land Recycling webpage.

[Posted: March 26, 2024]

4/1/2024