The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a $500,000 grant to the Nye Communities Coalition in Nevada. This funding is aimed at recruiting, training, and placing workers in community revitalization and cleanup projects at contaminated sites known as brownfields. The grant comes under the EPA’s Brownfields Job Training Program and is supported by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The initiative will focus on students from Nye, Lincoln, and Esmeralda Counties, targeting unemployed and underemployed residents, young adults, veterans, and Drug Court graduates. Participants will undergo 173 hours of training for certifications in areas such as asbestos abatement, first aid, disaster site work, lead paint removal, and other life skills. The coalition plans to train 100 students and aims to place at least 80 in environmental jobs.
“Through these EPA Brownfields job training grants, we are advancing skills building and creating job opportunities while helping provide the skilled workforce needed to move cleanups forward,” said EPA Regional Administrator Martha Guzman. “In Nevada, this funding will support communities’ efforts to move contaminated sites to productive reuse.”
Stacy Smith, CEO of Nye Communities Coalition commented: “Over the next few years, underemployed and unemployed residents of Nye, Esmeralda, and Lincoln Counties will have the opportunity to access training that will transform their lives... This training will not only increase wages for community members but also provide employers with a pool of highly skilled individuals.”
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto expressed her support: “I’m glad the Nye Communities Coalition has received this well-deserved grant. This funding will help train Nevadans for good-paying jobs across Nye, Lincoln, and Esmeralda Counties.” Senator Jacky Rosen added: “This federal funding will help train students... with critical skills necessary for essential environmental jobs.”
Key partners involved include BEC Environmental Inc., C&S Waste Solutions, Lincoln County among others.
EPA’s Brownfields Job Training Program supports organizations working on creating a skilled workforce in areas affected by environmental justice issues. It aligns with President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative aiming to deliver benefits to disadvantaged communities.
Since its inception in 1998 through various grants totaling over $113 million from the Brownfield Job Training Programs more than 23 thousand individuals have completed training leading them into careers related land remediation environmental health safety where average starting wage is approximately $23 per hour.
For further details on Brownfields Job Training Grant recipients visit EPA’s Grant Factsheet Tool or explore other types available via their Types Funding webpage.
