Alaska
EPA selects Alaska Forum and Zender Environmental Health and Research Group for $1 million in Brownfield Environmental Job Training Grants | US EPA
At this time, the U.S. Environmental Safety Company introduced the number of the Alaska Discussion board and Zender Environmental Well being and Analysis Group in Alaska, to obtain a complete of $1 million in grants for environmental job coaching applications funded via the Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation. The grants are amongst 29 new grants awarded nationally via EPA’s Brownfields Job Coaching Program to recruit, prepare, and place staff for neighborhood revitalization and cleanup tasks at brownfield websites.
“President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation is supercharging EPA’s Brownfields Program, which is reworking blighted websites, defending public well being, and creating financial alternatives in additional overburdened communities than ever earlier than,” mentioned EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe. “The investments introduced at this time won’t solely help the cleanup of a few of our nation’s most polluted areas, however they may even equip a brand new era of staff to tackle the numerous environmental challenges that plague overburdened neighborhoods, and jumpstart sustainable, long-term careers within the communities that want these jobs essentially the most.”
“Congratulations to the Alaska Discussion board and Zender Environmental on being chosen for EPA’s Brownfields Job Coaching grant funding,” mentioned EPA Area 10 Administrator Casey Sixkiller. “EPA is worked up to help their efforts to equip the subsequent era of environmental stewards with in-demand abilities for high-paying, long-term jobs that assist make their communities safer, cleaner, and more healthy locations to dwell and work.”
Alaska Discussion board will use $500,000 in Brownfields grant funding to coach 100 college students and place at the least that quantity in environmental jobs. The coaching program consists of 60 hours of instruction in HAZWOPER, Neighborhood Emergency Response Staff coaching, hearth security, and coaching to earn as much as 5 federal certifications. Alaska Discussion board is focusing this coaching for college students in extremely deprived rural and Native Alaska communities. Key coaching companions embody ChemTrack, Cook dinner Inlet Tribal Council, Environmental Administration, Inc., Jacobs Knik Tribal Council, Terrasond, and UIC UMIAQ Environmental.
“The Alaska Discussion board is extraordinarily excited to increase our job coaching alternatives to incorporate emergency and catastrophe response abilities that will have actual impacts in communities in occasions of emergency want,” mentioned Alaska Discussion board Govt Director Kurt Eilo. “It is a substantial new effort to assist construct neighborhood capability to deal with native emergency response wants. We stay up for working with EPA and our companions together with Alaska Division of Homeland Safety and Emergency Administration to make this occur!”
Zender Environmental Well being and Analysis Group plans to coach 68 college students in rural Alaskan and Tribal communities, and place at the least 56 in environmental jobs. The Rural Alaska Neighborhood Environmental Job Coaching or RACEJT program consists of 211 hours of instruction in HAZWOPER, water and soil sampling, Rural Alaska Landfill Operator (RALO), wildfire safety, and spill and emergency response, with as much as 4 state and 12 federal certifications. Key companions embody Alakanuk, Alaska Fee on Postsecondary Schooling, Alaska Division of Environmental Conservation, Alaska Division of Labor and Workforce Growth, Brice Civil Development, Copper River Native Affiliation, Delta Backhaul, Kawerak, Kongiganak, Tanana Chiefs Council, and College of Alaska – Fairbanks Bristol Bay Campus.
“RACEJT modifications lives. And as soon as they’re employed, our graduates are in a position to apply their new abilities and information to figuring out and addressing the distinctive environmental well being challenges their communities face,” mentioned Zender Environmental Well being and Analysis Group Govt Director Lynn Zender. “With this funding, we’re in a position to prepare and place extra graduates in additional rural Alaska communities. We’re so grateful to EPA for believing on this program and much more, in believing in our unimaginable graduates.”
Background
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation will make investments greater than $1.5 billion over 5 years via EPA’s extremely profitable Brownfields Program. The Brownfields Job Coaching Program additionally advances EPA’s Justice40 Initiative, which goals to ship at the least 40 p.c of the advantages of environmental applications to deprived communities. People finishing a job coaching program funded by the EPA typically overcome a wide range of boundaries to employment and plenty of are from traditionally underserved neighborhoods or reside in areas which are overburdened by air pollution.
Graduates of Brownfields Job Coaching applications usually earn a wide range of certifications to study beneficial and sought-after skillsets, guaranteeing employment alternatives are usually not simply non permanent contractual work, however long-term environmental careers. This consists of certifications in lead and asbestos abatement, hazardous waste operations and emergency response, environmental sampling and evaluation, and environmental well being and security coaching.
Brownfields Job Coaching grants enable nonprofits, native governments, and different organizations to recruit, prepare, and place unemployed and under-employed residents of areas affected by the presence of brownfield websites. Job coaching program graduates develop the talents wanted to safe full-time, sustainable employment in numerous facets of hazardous and stable waste administration and inside the bigger environmental subject, together with sustainable cleanup and reuse, and chemical security.
Since 1998, the EPA has awarded 371 Brownfields Job Coaching grants. With these grants, greater than 20,341 people have accomplished trainings and over 15,168 people have been positioned in careers associated to land remediation and environmental well being and security.
For extra info on Brownfields grants, go to: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-job-training-jt-grants.
Be taught extra about Zender Environmental Well being and Analysis Group’s Rural Alaska Neighborhood Environmental Job Coaching Program at: http://www.zendergroup.org/racejt.html.
Be taught extra concerning the Alaska Discussion board’s ETAP coaching program at: http://www.akforum.org/apprenticeship/about-etap/.