EPA Selects Two Louisiana Organizations for Brownfields Job Training Grants to Boost State’s Economy and Clean Up Communities
DALLAS, TEXAS (February 10, 2026) — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing the selection of Southern University at Shreveport and Limitless Vistas Inc. of New Orleans to receive a total of $1,000,000 in Brownfields Job Training Grant funding. This funding will help recruit, train, and place workers for community revitalization and cleanup projects at Brownfield sites. EPA's Brownfields Program helps grow local economies and support efforts to assess and clean up contaminated sites and return blighted properties to productive use.
“These grants reflect our dedication to improving quality of life for American families by achieving both the environmental stewardship and economic vitality that help Power the Great American Comeback,” said EPA Assistant Administrator for Land and Emergency Management John W. Busterud. “These grants lift up communities by giving local people the tools they need to shape their own future. They help neighborhoods clean up and transform contaminated sites into places that support jobs, small businesses, and more. Together with our state and local partners, we are building lasting opportunities close to home.”
“With funding from EPA’s Brownfields program, the Southern University and Limitless Vistas job training programs show how we can power the economy and job growth by cleaning up contaminated sites,” said Regional Administrator Scott Mason. “Leveraging this funding is an investment that will create compounding dividends for the students, the community, and the environment.”
EPA has selected Limitless Vistas, Inc. for a $500,000 Brownfields Job Training Grant. Limitless Vistas, Inc. plans to train 160 students and place 60 in environmental jobs. The training program includes 158 hours of instructional training, as detailed in the chart below. Students who complete the training will earn up to three federal certifications. Limitless Vistas, Inc. is targeting unemployed or underemployed individuals aged 18-plus with a focus on veterans, formerly incarcerated individuals, and opportunity youth not currently in school from the Greater New Orleans Area.
EPA has selected Southern University at Shreveport for a $500,000 Brownfields Job Training Grant. The Southern University at Shreveport plans to train 54 students and place 51 in environmental jobs. The training program includes 410 hours of instructional training, as detailed in the chart below. Students who complete the training will earn up to three state and 11 federal certifications. Southern University at Shreveport is targeting ex-offenders, veterans, and unemployed or underemployed individuals who have dropped out of high school, as well as residents of at-risk, polluted neighborhoods who meet established program eligibility criteria. The program will serve individuals living in the Allendale, Ledbetter Heights, Lakeside, Cedar Grove, Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK), and Queensborough neighborhoods of Shreveport, Caddo Parish, Louisiana.
Limitless Vistas, Inc. and the Southern University at Shreveport job training grants will provide opportunities to help train and grow the skilled workforce in communities where Brownfield site assessment, cleanup, and preparation for reuse activities are underway. Participants often overcome various employment barriers and graduate with certifications that enhance their marketability, ensuring long-term environmental careers. Certifications include:
- Lead and asbestos abatement;
Hazardous waste operations and emergency response;
Mold remediation;
Environmental sampling and analysis; and
Other environmental health and safety training.
For more information on the selected Brownfields Job Training Grant recipients, including past grant recipients, please visit EPA’s Grant Factsheet Tool.
Background
EPA’s Brownfields Program began in 1995 and has provided nearly $2.9 billion in grants to assess and clean up contaminated properties and return blighted properties to productive reuse. To date, Brownfields investments have leveraged more than $42 billion for cleanup and redevelopment and have created more than 220,500 American jobs. Since 1998, EPA has awarded 456 grants totaling over $119 million through Brownfield Job Training Programs. With these grants, more than 23,400 individuals have completed training and over 17,400 individuals have been placed in careers related to land remediation and environmental health and safety. Over the last five years, the average starting wage for these individuals is approximately $23 per hour. If your organization is considering applying for or has a question related to Brownfields Job Training Grants, submit a technical assistance request to EPA at https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/forms/brownfields-job-training-program-technical-assistance-inquiry-form.
For more information on this and other types of Brownfields Grants, please visit https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/types-funding.
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