Fourteen students from the Ozark Correctional Center are graduating from the Springfield, Missouri, Green for Greene Program
LENEXA, KAN. (MARCH 10, 2023) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister joined Springfield city leaders at a Green for Greene Program graduation ceremony at the Ozark Correctional Center near Springfield, Missouri. This program is made possible through EPA’s Brownfields Job Training program with funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
The Green for Greene Program has trained 48 students, including the 14 new students today. The Ozark Correctional Center is the only state prison to offer the Green for Greene Program.
“Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we can fund grants that enable programs such as the Green for Greene Program to succeed,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister. “The graduates of this program can take their newly learned skills to improve not just their lives, but also the health and environment of their communities.”
“We are grateful to the EPA for providing the funding for this program and for our partnership with Ozark Correctional Center. It is our goal to provide job readiness and training certifications that allow the justice involved to obtain meaningful employment upon release,” said Carmen May, City of Springfield program supervisor. “We know that one of the biggest barriers after release is finding employment that provides financial security, and we work tirelessly to ensure that happens.”
In January 2023, EPA announced that the city of Springfield was selected to receive a $500,000 Brownfields Job Training grant. This grant funding will be 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 residents of Springfield who are unemployed or underemployed, veterans, and individuals with justice system involvement.
Background
President Biden’s leadership and bipartisan Congressional action have delivered the single largest investment in U.S. brownfields infrastructure ever through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which invests more than $1.5 billion over five years through EPA’s highly successful Brownfields Program. This historic investment enables EPA to fund more communities, states, and tribes, and provides the opportunity for grantees to build and enhance the environmental curriculum in job training programs that support job creation and community revitalization.
The Brownfields Jobs Training Program also advances President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to deliver at least 40% of the benefits of certain government programs to disadvantaged communities. Based on data from the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool, approximately 97% of the communities selected to receive funding as part of EPA’s December 2022 announcement have proposed projects in historically underserved areas.
Individuals completing a job training program funded by EPA often overcome a variety of barriers to employment. Many trainees are from historically underserved neighborhoods or reside in areas that are overburdened by pollution.
Graduates of Brownfields Job Training 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. This includes certifications in:
- Lead and asbestos abatement
- Hazardous waste operations and emergency response
- Mold remediation
- Environmental sampling and analysis
- Other environmental health and safety training
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.
Since 1998, EPA has awarded 371 Brownfields Job Training grants. With these grants, over 20,341 individuals have completed trainings and over 15,168 individuals have been 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.
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