The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded $3.8 million in grants to train environmental workers to fill jobs created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, according to a recent news release.
“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build a better America and that means new, good-paying jobs," EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in the release. "The Brownfields Job Training grants announced today will prepare over 1,000 individuals for new environmental jobs like those.”
Nineteen organizations received the job-training grants, according to the release.
The grants focus on the unemployed or underemployed in communities that have been affected by pollution from so-called "brownfield" sites.
The grants are designed to boost workforce training in those communities, helping residents obtain skills to secure full-time, sustainable jobs.
"These green jobs reduce environmental contamination and build more sustainable futures for communities," according to the release.
The Laborers’ Local 17 Training & Educational Fund is one of the organizations receiving the grants.
It plans to train 122 students in New York’s Capital District and the Mohawk and Hudson Valley regions and place at least 33 of them in environmental jobs.
"The training program includes 712 hours of instruction, including federal Occupational Safety & Health Administration courses, asbestos, lead and hazardous waste trainings, and first aid and CPR classes," EPA said in the release. "Students who complete the training will earn up to three state certifications and nine federal certifications."
