v = Brownfields 2017 Job Training Grant Fact Sheet \ The Fortune Society Inc., New York, NY *> r- EPA Brownfields Program EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. In 2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed to help states and communities around the country cleanup and revitalize brownfields sites. Under this law, EPA provides financial assistance to eligible applicants through four competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism. Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training grant funds are provided to nonprofit organizations and other eligible entities to recruit, train, and place residents from solid and hazardous waste-impacted communities, including low-income and minority, unemployed, and underemployed individuals. To date, EPA has funded 274 job training grants totaling over $57 million through the Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training program. As of May 2017, more than 16,300 individuals have completed training, and of those, almost 12,000 have obtained employment in the environmental field, an average starting wage of over $14 an hour. This equates to a cumulative placement rate of approximately 73% since the program was created in 1998. Job Training Grant $200,000.00 EPA has selected The Fortune Society, Inc. for an Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training grant. The Fortune Society, Inc. plans to train 50 students and place at least 42 graduates in environmental jobs. The core training program includes more than 240 hours of instruction in: 40-hour HAZWOPER; innovative treatment technologies; underground storage tank awareness; stormwater management and green infrastructure; lead renovation, repair, and painting; OSHA construction industry health and safety program; OSHA confined space; disaster site worker; asbestos handler; global hazard communication; and several other awareness-level and advanced courses. Participants who complete the training program will earn up to eight state or federally recognized certifications. The Fortune Society, Inc. is targeting ex-offenders in New York City, specifically in: the neighborhoods of South Bronx; Mid-Upper Manhattan; the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Brownsville, Bedford-Stuyvesant, East New York, and Crown Heights; and Jamaica, Queens. Key partners include the New York City Workforce Development Board, New York City Mayor's Office of Environmental Remediation, Newtown Creek Alliance, NYC Brownfield Partnership, Robin Hood Foundation, and several other environmental and community-based organizations. Contacts For further information, including specific grant contacts, additional grant information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields Web site (http://www.epa.gov/brownfields). EPA Region 2 Brownfields Team (212)637-3260 EPA Region 2 Brownfields Web site (https: //www. epa. go v/bro wnfields/brownfie lds-and-land-revitalization-new-jersey-n ew-york-puerto-rico-and-us-virgin) Grant Recipient: The Fortune Society Inc., NY (708)517-7942 The information presented in this fact sheet comes from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. The cooperative agreement for the grant has not yet been negotiated. Therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. United States _ . w__tp Environmental EPA 560-F-17-176 Protection Agency Re™S (51<»T) M»»2017 Washington, DC 20450 Kesponse (Si us ) ------- |