EPA Issues Brownfields Grants

Thirteen communities in 12 states will share $2.6 million in job training grants geared toward cleaning up contaminated properties. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Brownfields Program is awarding grants of $200,000 each to nonprofit organizations, workforce investment boards and state and local governments.

The grants will teach environmental assessment and cleanup job skills to individuals living in areas near browfiends sites in Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

“EPA’s Brownfields Program is helping revitalize and restore neighborhoods nationwide,” says EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson.  “These grants will help community members convert contaminated land into sources of public pride.”

Since 1998, the EPA has awarded more than $25 million in brownfields job training funds. More than 4,000 people have completed training programs, with more than 3,000 obtaining employment in the environmental fields.  The program is designed to ensure that the economic benefits derived from brownfields redevelopment remain in the affected communities.