EPA Partnership with City of Springfield, Missouri, Provides Career Training, Job Readiness at Ozark Correctional Center
LENEXA, KAN. (NOV. 20, 2024) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister visited the Ozark Correctional Center near Springfield, Missouri, to congratulate 19 graduates of the Green for Greene program.
Green for Greene is an environmental job training program that has trained 170 students since 2017, including the 19 today. This program is made possible through EPA’s Brownfields Job Training program with funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“Support from EPA’s Brownfields Job Training Grants allows programs like Green for Greene to succeed,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister. “This program is not just a training course. It’s a transformative experience that equips individuals with skills for a brighter future, while directly making a positive impact on both their community and the environment.”
In January 2023, EPA announced that the city of Springfield was selected to receive a $500,000 Brownfields Job Training Grant. This grant funding was used to expand the Green for Greene program, which offers free instruction and certifications to students that enable them to find jobs in environmental fields, such as hazardous waste; lead and mold abatement; lead renovation, repair, and painting; and asbestos abatement.
Green for Greene is tuition-free for accepted students, and the program targets Springfield residents who are unemployed or underemployed, veterans, and individuals with justice system involvement. The Ozark Correctional Center is the only state prison to offer the Green for Greene program.
Background
EPA’s Brownfields Job Training (JT) Grants allow nonprofits, local governments, and other organizations to recruit, train, and place unemployed and underemployed residents of areas affected by the presence of brownfield sites. Through the JT program, graduates develop the skills needed to secure full-time, sustainable employment in various aspects of hazardous and solid waste management and within the larger environmental field, including sustainable cleanup and reuse, and chemical safety. These green jobs reduce environmental contamination and build more sustainable futures for communities.
Graduates of Brownfields JT programs learn valuable, sought-after skills and have the opportunity to earn a variety of certifications, ensuring that employment opportunities result not just in temporary contractual work, but in long-term environmental careers.
Since 1998, EPA has awarded 408 Brownfields Job Training Grants. With these grants, over 23,460 individuals have completed trainings with over 17,450 placed in careers related to land remediation and environmental health and safety.
For more information on the selected Brownfields Job Training Grant recipients, including past grant recipients, please visit the Brownfields Grant Fact Sheet Search page.
Learn more about Brownfields Job Training Grants.
Learn more about the Green for Greene program.
# # #
Learn more about EPA Region 7
View all Region 7 news releases
Visit the Region 7 Media page
Connect with EPA Region 7 on Facebook and Instagram
Follow us on X: @EPARegion7
Green for Greene is an environmental job training program that has trained 170 students since 2017, including the 19 today. This program is made possible through EPA’s Brownfields Job Training program with funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“Support from EPA’s Brownfields Job Training Grants allows programs like Green for Greene to succeed,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister. “This program is not just a training course. It’s a transformative experience that equips individuals with skills for a brighter future, while directly making a positive impact on both their community and the environment.”
In January 2023, EPA announced that the city of Springfield was selected to receive a $500,000 Brownfields Job Training Grant. This grant funding was used to expand the Green for Greene program, which offers free instruction and certifications to students that enable them to find jobs in environmental fields, such as hazardous waste; lead and mold abatement; lead renovation, repair, and painting; and asbestos abatement.
Green for Greene is tuition-free for accepted students, and the program targets Springfield residents who are unemployed or underemployed, veterans, and individuals with justice system involvement. The Ozark Correctional Center is the only state prison to offer the Green for Greene program.
Background
EPA’s Brownfields Job Training (JT) Grants allow nonprofits, local governments, and other organizations to recruit, train, and place unemployed and underemployed residents of areas affected by the presence of brownfield sites. Through the JT program, graduates develop the skills needed to secure full-time, sustainable employment in various aspects of hazardous and solid waste management and within the larger environmental field, including sustainable cleanup and reuse, and chemical safety. These green jobs reduce environmental contamination and build more sustainable futures for communities.
Graduates of Brownfields JT programs learn valuable, sought-after skills and have the opportunity to earn a variety of certifications, ensuring that employment opportunities result not just in temporary contractual work, but in long-term environmental careers.
Since 1998, EPA has awarded 408 Brownfields Job Training Grants. With these grants, over 23,460 individuals have completed trainings with over 17,450 placed in careers related to land remediation and environmental health and safety.
For more information on the selected Brownfields Job Training Grant recipients, including past grant recipients, please visit the Brownfields Grant Fact Sheet Search page.
Learn more about Brownfields Job Training Grants.
Learn more about the Green for Greene program.
# # #
Learn more about EPA Region 7
View all Region 7 news releases
Visit the Region 7 Media page
Connect with EPA Region 7 on Facebook and Instagram
Follow us on X: @EPARegion7
EPA Launches New Initiative to Tackle PFAS, Identify Emerging Contaminants in Water
WASHINGTON – Today, November 20, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched a new, no-cost technical assistance effort focused on reducing exposure to perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and other emerging contaminants in small or disadvantaged communities. This initiative is part of EPA’s Water Technical Assistance (WaterTA) program.
The Tackling Emerging Contaminants initiative will help eligible public drinking-water systems evaluate emerging contaminant issues, conduct initial water quality testing, and identify next steps in 200 small or disadvantaged communities over the next three years. EPA will also share best practices and amplify successes through case studies, fact sheets, webinars, and other resources regarding addressing emerging contaminants, including PFAS.
“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is providing a focused opportunity to help small and disadvantaged communities address PFAS and emerging contaminants to ensure that drinking water is clean and safe for residents,” said EPA Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water Bruno Pigott. “By working hand-in-hand with local partners, the Tackling Emerging Contaminants initiative will help ensure that historically underserved areas have access to safer drinking water that is essential for healthy and vibrant communities.”
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has provided an unprecedented $50 billion to improve water infrastructure across the nation. Of this funding, $5 billion is dedicated to the Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities (EC-SDC) grant program, which supports this latest technical-assistance initiative.
EPA’s free water technical assistance initiatives help communities identify their water challenges, develop plans, build capacity, and develop their application materials to access federal funding. The Tackling Emerging Contaminants initiative builds on EPA’s robust suite of technical assistance programs and includes diagnostic water quality sampling and analysis, source water assessment, preliminary treatment design and evaluations, operational and sampling training, and identifying solutions to address emerging contaminants and PFAS contamination including community engagement and outreach support.
In April 2024, EPA issued the PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation to protect communities from exposure to harmful PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals.” Exposure to PFAS has been linked to adverse health impacts that include some cancers, liver and heart disease, and immune and developmental damage to infants and children.
Communities can learn more about EPA’s new Tackling Emerging Contaminants initiative, on EPA’s WaterTA website.
The Tackling Emerging Contaminants initiative will help eligible public drinking-water systems evaluate emerging contaminant issues, conduct initial water quality testing, and identify next steps in 200 small or disadvantaged communities over the next three years. EPA will also share best practices and amplify successes through case studies, fact sheets, webinars, and other resources regarding addressing emerging contaminants, including PFAS.
“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is providing a focused opportunity to help small and disadvantaged communities address PFAS and emerging contaminants to ensure that drinking water is clean and safe for residents,” said EPA Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Water Bruno Pigott. “By working hand-in-hand with local partners, the Tackling Emerging Contaminants initiative will help ensure that historically underserved areas have access to safer drinking water that is essential for healthy and vibrant communities.”
President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has provided an unprecedented $50 billion to improve water infrastructure across the nation. Of this funding, $5 billion is dedicated to the Emerging Contaminants in Small or Disadvantaged Communities (EC-SDC) grant program, which supports this latest technical-assistance initiative.
EPA’s free water technical assistance initiatives help communities identify their water challenges, develop plans, build capacity, and develop their application materials to access federal funding. The Tackling Emerging Contaminants initiative builds on EPA’s robust suite of technical assistance programs and includes diagnostic water quality sampling and analysis, source water assessment, preliminary treatment design and evaluations, operational and sampling training, and identifying solutions to address emerging contaminants and PFAS contamination including community engagement and outreach support.
In April 2024, EPA issued the PFAS National Primary Drinking Water Regulation to protect communities from exposure to harmful PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals.” Exposure to PFAS has been linked to adverse health impacts that include some cancers, liver and heart disease, and immune and developmental damage to infants and children.
Communities can learn more about EPA’s new Tackling Emerging Contaminants initiative, on EPA’s WaterTA website.
USDA Announces More than $2 Billion to Strengthen Specialty Crops Sector, Expand Crop Storage for Producers Following 2024 Natural Disasters
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USDA Announces Approval of D-SNAP for Virginia Disaster Areas
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