Brownfields Job Training Cooperative Agreements

 

The objective of the Brownfields Job Training Program is to recruit, train, and place unemployed and under-employed residents of solid and hazardous waste-impacted communities with the skills needed to obtain full-time, sustainable employment. This program promotes the facilitation of activities related to assessment, cleanup, or preparation of contaminated sites, including brownfields, for reuse, while simultaneously building a local workforce with the skills needed to perform remediation work that are supportive of environmental protection and environmental health and safety. For FY24, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds will support approximately 24 cooperative agreements (estimated $12 million) that recipients may use to develop training programs to recruit, train, and place unemployed and under-employed residents of solid and hazardous waste-impacted communities with the skills needed to obtain full-time, sustainable employment in various activities related to the assessment, cleanup, remediation, and revitalization of brownfield sites.

Active 66.815 Environmental Protection Agency B - Project Grants Fiscal Year 2016 In FY16, 49 proposals were received and 18 were funded. Grant awards were made at approximately $200,000 each. na
Fiscal Year 2017 In FY17, 54 proposals were received and 14 were funded. Grant awards were made at approximately $200,000 each. Information on program accomplishments can be found at: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-program-accomplishments-and-benefits
Fiscal Year 2023 To date, EPA has funded 400 job training grants totaling approximately $93 million through the Brownfields Job Training Program, previously also known as the Environmental Workforce Job Development Training Program. As of February 2023, approximately 21,000 individuals have completed training, and nearly 16,000 of those graduates obtained employment in the environmental field, earning average starting wages of over $15 per hour. This equates to a cumulative placement rate of approximately 75% since the program was created in 1998. Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), Section 104(k)(7) & 104(k)(5)(E) Applications will be accepted from either eligible governmental entities as defined in CERCLA Section 104(k)(1) or eligible nonprofit organizations as defined in 2 CFR 200. Eligible governmental entities include a general purpose local unit of government; a land clearance authority or other quasi-governmental entity that operates under the supervision and control of, or as an agent of, a general purpose unit of government; a governmental entity created by a state legislature; a regional council or group of general purpose units of local government; a redevelopment agency that is chartered or otherwise sanctioned by a state; a state; an Federally recognized Indian Tribe (other than in Alaska), or an Alaskan Native Regional Corporation and an Alaska Native Village Corporation as those terms are defined in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 and following); and the Metlakatla Indian Community. Intertribal consortia, except consortia comprised of ineligible Alaskan tribes, are eligible to apply as well. Eligible nonprofit organizations include any corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization that is operated mainly for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purpose in the public interest; is not organized primarily for profit; and uses net proceeds to maintain, improve, or expand the operation of the organization. Workforce Investment Boards that meet these criteria may be eligible nonprofit organizations. Public and nonprofit private educational institutions are eligible to apply. However, nonprofit organizations described in Section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code that engage in lobbying activities as defined in Section 3 of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 are not eligible to apply. For- profit or proprietary training organizations or trade schools are not eligible to apply. Limited liability corporation in which all managing members are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations or limited liability corporations whose sole members are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, limited liability partnership in which all general partners are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations or limited liability corporations whose sole members are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, and qualified community development entity as defined in section 45D(c)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 are eligible to apply. Evidence of nonprofit status under Federal, state or tribal law must be provided at the time the proposal is submitted. For certain competitive funding opportunities under this assistance listing, the Agency may limit eligibility to compete to a number or subset of eligible applicants consistent with the Agency's Assistance Agreement Competition Policy. Brownfields Job Training grants will provide environmental job training to unemployed and underemployed residents of Brownfields-impacted neighborhoods to help them take advantage of job opportunities created as a result of the management, assessment, and cleanup of contaminated properties. EPA may require that applicants document their nonprofit status at the time of application. The Agency may also request that applicants demonstrate that they have appropriate background, academic training, experience in fields, and necessary equipment to carry out training projects. Preapplication coordination is required. This is a competitive grant program. Regarding pre-application assistance with respect to competitive funding opportunities under this assistance listing, EPA will generally specify the nature of the pre-application assistance, if any, that will be available to applicants in the competitive announcement. For additional information, contact the individual(s) listed in the competitive announcement. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. Applicants, except in limited circumstances approved by the Agency, must submit all initial applications for funding through Grants.gov. For competitive awards, EPA will review and evaluate applications in accordance with the terms, conditions, and criteria stated in the competitive announcement. Competitions will be conducted in accordance with EPA policies/regulations for competing assistance agreements. Final approval of applications for job training grants and supporting documentation is made by EPA. Award of grant funds are generally made by EPA Regional Award Officials. Specific information regarding deadlines is provided in the competitive announcement. From 60 to 90 days. For Brownfields Job Training grants, the range of approval/disapproval time will be approximately 90 days. Assistance agreement competition-related disputes will be resolved in accordance with the dispute resolution procedures published in 70 FR (Federal Register) 3629, 3630 (January 26, 2005). Copies of these procedures may also be found at: https://www.epa.gov/grants/grant-competition-dispute-resolution-procedures. Disputes relating to matters other than the competitive selection of recipients will be resolved under 2 CFR 1500 Subpart E, as applicable. EPA may incrementally fund grants and cooperative agreements under this program. Approval of subsequent funding increments is dependent on satisfactory project progress, continued relevance of the project to EPA's priorities and availability of funds. Renewals and extensions of funding are not available. The evaluation and selection criteria for competitive awards under this assistance listing will be described in the competitive announcement. Funds awarded under Section 104(k)(7) of CERCLA must be used for training, research, and technical assistance to individuals and organizations, to facilitate the inventory of brownfield properties, site assessments, cleanup of brownfield properties, community involvement, or site preparation. For Brownfields Job Training grants however, individuals are not eligible to apply. (See eligibility requirements). Cooperative agreements are available to support recipients' eligible and allowable direct costs incurred under an approved work plan plus allowable programmatic costs, in accordance with established EPA policies and regulations. Assistance agreement awards under this program may involve or relate to geospatial information. Geospatial information is information that identifies the geographic location and characteristics of natural or constructed features or boundaries on the earth, or applications, tools, and hardware associated with the generation, maintenance, or distribution of such information. This information may be derived from, among other things, GPS, remote sensing, mapping, charting, and surveying technologies, or statistical data. Further information regarding geospatial information may be obtained by viewing the following website: Geospatial Resources at EPA (https://www.epa.gov/geospatial). Performance Reports: Performance monitoring is in accordance with the terms and conditions of the cooperative agreement. Grants and cooperative agreements are subject to inspections and audits by the Comptroller General of the United States, the EPA Office of Inspector General, other EPA staff, or any authorized representative of the Federal government. Reviews by the EPA Project Officer and the Grants Specialist may occur each year. Recipients must keep financial records, including all documents supporting entries on accounting records and to substantiate changes in grants available to personnel authorized to examine EPA recipients grants and cooperative agreements records. Recipients must maintain all records until 3 years from the date of submission of final expenditure reports as required by 2 CFR 200.334. If questions, such as those raised because of audits remain following the 3-year period, recipients must retain records until the matter is completely resolved. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching is voluntary_rating. For Brownfields Job Training grants, EPA does not require that applicants include a match or cost share. However, evidence of leveraged funds is encouraged. Furthermore, a statutory factor in ranking applications under Section 104(k)(7) is the extent to which EPA financial assistance will stimulate the availability of other funds for environmental assessment or remediation, and subsequent reuse of Brownfields sites. Applicants may be encouraged to provide information regarding resources (cash/in-kind services) that they, or a project partner, would commit to efforts receiving EPA financial assistance. EPA may take these commitments into account in ranking applications.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. The performance period for a Brownfields Job Training grant is up to five years. Grants are generally announced nationally and awarded by EPA Regional Offices. The Regional Offices work with applicants to negotiate a workplan and award the cooperative agreement. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: Lump. EPA Regional Offices are listed in Section 7 in the Application Guidelines for Brownfields Job Training Grants. EPA Region 1 William Lariviere, 5 Post Office Square Suite 100, Mail Code OSRR-07-3 Boston, MA 02109-3912 Phone: 617-918-1231, e-mail: lariviere.wiliam@epa.gov EPA Region 2 Schenine Mitchell 290 Broadway, 18th Floor New York, NY 10007 Phone: (212) 637-3283 e-mail: mitchell.schenine@epa.gov EPA Region 3 Nancy Shannon 1600 John F. Kennedy Boulevard (3LD51), Philadelphia PA 19103-2852 Phone: (215) 814-3175 e-mail: shannon.nancy@epa.gov EPA Region 4 Olga Perry 61 Forsyth Street (SNFC, EPA Mail Room) Atlanta, GA 30303 Phone: (404) 562-8534 :perry.olga@epa.gov EPA Region 5 Linda Morgan 77 West Jackson Boulevard (SE-4J) Chicago, IL 60604-3507 Phone: (312) 886-4747 e-mail: morgan.linda@epa.gov EPA Region 6 Emily Jimenez 1201 Elm Street, Suite 500 Dallas, TX 75270 Phone: (214) 665-2176 e-mail: jimenez.emily@epa.gov EPA Region 6 Rita Ware 1201 Elm Street, Suite 500 Dallas, TX 75270 Phone: (214) 665-6409 e-mail: ware.rita@epa.gov EPA Region 7 Alma Moreno Lahm EPA Region 7 Land, Chemical and Redevelopment Division 11201 Renner Boulevard Lenexa, KS 66219 Phone: (913) 551-7380 e-mail: moreno-lahm.alma@epa.gov EPA Region 8 Christine Tilly 1595 Wynkoop Street (EPR-B) Denver, CO 80202-1129 Phone: (303) 312-6743 e-mail: michaudtilly.christine@epa.gov EPA Region 9 Amanda Pease 75 Hawthorne Street (SFD 6-1) San Francisco, CA 94105 Phone: (415) 972-3068 e-mail: pease.amanda@epa.gov EPA Region 9 Noemi Emeric-Ford USEPA Southern California Field Office 600 Wilshire Blvd.; Mail Code: SFD-6-1 Los Angeles, CA 90017 Phone: (213) 244-1821 e-mail: emeric-ford.noemi@epa.gov EPA Region 10 Angel Ip 1200 6th Avenue, Suite 900 (ECL-112) Seattle, WA 98101 Phone: (206) 553-1673 e-mail: ip.angel@epa.gov. Matt Wosje
Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. (Mail Code: 5105T )
Washington, DC 20460 US
Wosje.Matthew@epa.gov
Phone: 202-566-1060 https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-job-training-jt-grants 68-0103-0-1-304 (Cooperative Agreements (Discretionary Grants)) FY 22$3,000,000.00; FY 23 est $12,000,000.00; FY 24 est $12,000,000.00; FY 21$3,000,000.00; FY 20$4,000,000.00; FY 19$0.00; FY 18$3,300,000.00; FY 17$2,700,000.00; FY 16 est $3,000,000.00; - (FY23 includes funding under IIJA)(Cooperative Agreements) FY 22 FY 23 FY 24 - Before FY23, Brownfields Job Training cooperative agreements were funded up to $200,000, but due to the availability of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds, which started in FY23, FY24 funding awards can be up to $500,000. 2 CFR 200 and 1500 (EPA Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards); 40 CFR Part 33 (Participation by Disadvantaged Business Enterprises in United States Environmental Protection Agency Programs). Training grants under CERCLA 104(k)(7) are not among the statutes covered by 40 CFR Part 45. EPA will periodically publish guidance for brownfields grant applications. Fiscal Year 2016 No content available.
Fiscal Year 2017 No content available.
Fiscal Year 2018 EPA awarded cooperative agreements to a variety of eligible entities and nonprofit organizations to provide local residents with the skills needed to gain employment in careers related to the assessment and cleanup of hazardous and solid waste sites, wastewater and stormwater management, Superfund site cleanup, emergency response,and chemical safety. These cooperative agreements included training and instruction in a variety of subjects, including: OSHA health and safety training, HAZWOPER and HAZMAT certification, lead and asbestos abatement, forklift operations, phytoremediation, mold remediation, site assessment, sampling, wastewater management, chemical safety, leaking underground storage tank removal, field investigation, instrumentation, and treatment technologies. Furthermore, these cooperative agreements provided job training programs the funds needed to perform recruitment and community outreach to unemployed residents impacted by contaminated sites.
Fiscal Year 2020 Information on the types of projects funded under this assistance listing can be found at: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-job-training-jt-grants.
Fiscal Year 2023 For examples of the types of projects funded under this assistance listing, please visit the following website: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/brownfields-job-training-jt-grants.