LENEXA, KAN. (JUNE 7, 2024) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister joined county officials to congratulate 10 graduates of the EPA Superfund Job Training Initiative (SuperJTI) program for the Tri-State Mining District. The graduation ceremony was held at the Joplin Elks Lodge #501 on Thursday evening, June 6.
“I am honored to celebrate these graduates of the Superfund Job Training Initiative here in Joplin,” McCollister said. “These graduates are now empowered with the certifications and skills needed to perform environmental remediation at Superfund sites across the country, and here locally in the Tri-State Mining District.”
SuperJTI is a job readiness program that provides training and employment opportunities for people living in communities affected by Superfund sites.
Graduates of the SuperJTI program in the Tri-State Mining District (TSMD) underwent a training program to prepare for environmental contracting jobs in their community. The courses were tailored to the cleanup needs at sites within the TSMD and included 40-hour Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER) training and EPA Lead Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) certification.
Background
The Tri-State Mining District spans 2,500 square miles across Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma and was one of the world’s leading zinc and lead mining areas, producing over 400 million tons of crude ore between 1850 and 1970.
In EPA Region 7, the TSMD contains three Superfund sites on EPA’s National Priorities List: Cherokee County Site in Kansas; and Newton County Mine Tailings and Oronogo-Duenweg Mining Belt sites in Missouri.
EPA Region 7 also works to remediate waterways in the TMSD watershed, which includes the Neosho and Spring rivers.
Learn more about the Tri-State Mining District.
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