EPA Selects Pathstone to Receive $500,000 Brownfields Job Training Grant to Boost Puerto Rico Economy and Clean Up Communities
San Juan, Puerto Rico — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the selection of Pathstone to receive $500,000 in Brownfields Job Training Grant funding. This funding will help Pathstone recruit, train, and place workers for community revitalization and cleanup projects at Brownfield sites. EPA's Brownfields Program helps grow local economies and support efforts to assess and clean up contaminated sites and return blighted properties to productive use.
“EPA has selected Pathstone to receive this funding due to their proven track record of driving community transformation through workforce development, benefiting both the people and the economy of Puerto Rico," said EPA Regional Administrator Michael Martucci. “The EPA's Brownfields job training program consistently leads to sustainable, well-paying employment opportunities in the environmental sector, driving lasting economic and environmental progress."
Pathstone will conduct this Brownfields training in 12 locations. These include Naranjito, Orocovis, Barranquitas, Comerio, Salinas, Barceloneta, Manati, Vega Baja, Vega Alta, Toa Alta, Aguas Buenas, and Aibonito. Residents in these areas face unemployment rates 1-2 points higher than the US national average (4.3%). The job training program significantly reduces unemployment and poverty while increasing income and readying people to take jobs in areas impacted by brownfields.
Pathstone plans to train 110 people with the new EPA funding. These trainees will earn essential environmental workforce certifications. The training program includes disaster site response, pesticide safety, automated external defibrillator and CPR training. Participants will also learn skills for operating forklifts, handling hazardous materials, inspecting asbestos and lead, and piloting drones. This training equips individuals with the knowledge needed for safe and effective work in environmental roles.
For more information on the selected Brownfields Job Training Grant recipients, including past grant recipients, please visit EPA’s Grant Factsheet Tool.
Background
EPA’s Brownfields Program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.9 billion in grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse. To date, Brownfields investments have leveraged more than $42 billion for cleanup and redevelopment and have created more than 220,500 American jobs. Since 1998, EPA has awarded 456 grants totaling over $119 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 five 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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