U.S. EPA Awards $200,000 to Nye County for job training
18 organizations awarded $3.3 million nationally
SAN FRANCISCO – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is awarding Nye County, Nevada a $200,000 Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training (EWDJT) grant. Nationally, 18 organizations will receive $3.3 million through this program, which is part of EPA’s Brownfields efforts aimed at revitalization. Since 2002, Nye County has received $5.2 million in EPA Brownfields funding to identify, assess, cleanup and plan for the safe redevelopment of potentially contaminated properties, also known as brownfields.
Nye County will utilize this grant to train approximately 68 low-income, under- and un-employed adults in environmental technician skills over the next two years. The EWDJT program offers residents of communities historically affected by pollution and economic disinvestment an opportunity to gain the skills and certifications needed to secure environmental work in their communities. This allows local residents to compete for and secure good jobs.
“Through this program, EPA invests in the people living in communities most impacted by environmental justice concerns,” said U.S. EPA Pacific Southwest Acting Regional Administrator Deborah Jordan. “This training can help provide trainees with marketable skills that will, in turn, boost Nye County’s economy.”
“Nye County is ecstatic to be awarded the Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training grant to prepare many of our residents adversely impacted by the pandemic for employment in environmental fields, as well as a broader array of associated employer needs,” stated Nye County’s Assistant County Manager, Lorina Dellinger. “Job training opportunities are needed in rural Nye County, as our workforce struggles with lost jobs that may be permanent, helping to build stronger communities.”
“EPA’s workforce development grant program demonstrates that creating a healthy, sustainable economy can go hand-in-hand with protecting the environment,” said Greg Lovato, Administrator of the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection. “In Nevada, we are excited to see this year’s grants invested in programs that connect job seekers from Nye County and the Duckwater Shoshone Tribe to environmental job training and education that will prepare them for a 21st century, post-COVID-19 economy. We thank EPA for providing these grants to help expand employment opportunities in the environmental sector centered on protecting natural resources, revitalizing local neighborhoods, fostering healthier communities, and advancing a resilient, environmentally-friendly economy for Nevada.”
Nye County will work with county residents and Duckwater Shoshone Tribal members to provide training opportunities for work in environmental fields, including work related to hazardous materials handling and assessment, cleanup and remediation of contamination. The project service area includes the towns of Amargosa Valley, Beatty, Pahrump, and Tonopah and the Duckwater Shoshone Reservation. Both Nye County and the Duckwater Shoshone Reservation are also members of the EPA-supported Rural Desert Southwest Brownfields Coalition.
Since 1998, the Agency’s EWDJT Program has awarded more than 335 grants. With these grants, 18,541 individuals have been trained and 13,751 have been placed in careers related to land remediation and environmental health and safety, with an average hourly wage of over $14.
To find more information on FY2021 Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training (EWDJT) Grants, visit: https://www.epa.gov/grants/fy2021-environmental-workforce-development-and-job-training-ewdjt-grants
Learn more about Nevada’s Rural Desert Southwest Brownfields Coalition.
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