January—March 2024 Newsletter

Supporting Green Jobs in a Community Affected by Pollution

The Cypress Mandela Training Center received a grant of $500,000 in 2023 to train 205 students and place at least 160 in environmental jobs. The Center targeted students in Oakland, California, and the surrounding area, specifically unemployed, underemployed, low-income, and at-risk individuals, minorities, and residents with justice-system involvement. EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Martha Guzman celebrated at a graduation event with program participants who recently completed the jobs training program.

EPA has a history of supporting Cypress Mandela and the organization has trained and mentored thousands of community members who have found careers that allow them to support not just themselves, but their families and communities as well. Within Cypress Mandela’s training program, EPA funds support courses in hazardous waste operations, environmental site assessments, asbestos and mold awareness, underground storage tank leak prevention, and more, equipping graduates with the knowledge they need to work safely as they clean up environmental contaminants, prevent wildfires, and build much needed infrastructure.

• Cypress Mandela Training Center
• About the EPA Job Training Grant for Cypress Mandela
• EPA’s Brownfield Programs

Building Environmental and Climate Justice through Community Engagement

EPA’s Community, Equity and Resiliency Initiative is helping communities nationwide navigate new Inflation Reduction Act investments and other funding opportunities made possible by the Investing in America agenda. The agency is hosting regional roadshow events to provide community leaders with unique opportunities to engage with their peers, develop or leverage community-based partnerships, and learn how to effectively access funding and technical assistance to implement local climate and environmental justice solutions. Regional Administrator Martha Guzman recently joined the roadshow in San Bernardino, California. “EPA is committed to ensuring that the unprecedented investments from President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act reach those most impacted by climate and environmental harms," said Guzman. "We are proud to be hosting here in California the EPA’s second Community, Equity and Resiliency roadshow, which represents the next stage of our work to make sure that communities historically excluded from federal funding opportunities will now have the resources, information, and support they need." This roadshow event was such a success that plans are already being made for future events.

• BNN Breaking: A Beacon of Hope for Environmental Justice (this story is no longer available online)
• EPA’s Community, Equity and Resiliency Initiative
• EPA and the Inflation Reduction Act

Responding to the Wildfires on Maui

EPA personnel have been on Maui since August 2023 working with federal, state, and local government partners on response and recovery efforts. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) tasked EPA with addressing hazardous material removal, water infrastructure technical assistance, and sustainability assistance during the recovery process. The EPA hazardous material removal team completed its work in December 2023. EPA has deployed Water Emergency Team members to provide on-the-ground guidance and technical assistance for stormwater, wastewater, and drinking water for the County of Maui. EPA continues to actively support the County’s Departments of Public Works, Environmental Management, and Water Supply. EPA also received a mission assignment, from FEMA, for a long-term recovery Sustainability Advisor to assist in rebuilding communities and restoring watersheds with the aim of building resilience to future climate change impacts and disasters. The Sustainability Advisor is collaborating with local and state departments and federal agencies to understand local priorities and identify potential funding sources for long-term recovery.

• Hawaii News Now: EPA Assisting Maui in Restoring Water Service
• EPA's Response to the Maui Wildfires