Carper, Coons, Blunt Rochester Announce Federal Grant to Boost Environmental Job Training in Delaware

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Tom Carper, Chris Coons, and Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (all D-Del.) today announced a $500,000 grant by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to boost environmental workforce training in Delaware.

The grant will help recruit, train, and place workers from primarily underserved and disadvantaged communities for revitalization and cleanup projects at brownfield sites. Funding for the grant came from the historic $1.5 billion investment in EPA’s Brownfields Program made under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which Carper, Coons, and Blunt Rochester helped author and pass into law.

“The Brownfields Program has been a vital tool in redeveloping industrial sites throughout the country, including our riverfront in Wilmington, Delaware,” said Senator Tom Carper, Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. ”This revitalization breathes new life into previously degraded areas and has clear benefits for our health and economy. As part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we were able to secure the single-largest investment in the history of the Brownfields Program. I’m so pleased to see these funds come back to Delaware so that we can invest in the future workforce needed to clean up contaminated sites.”

“Hundreds of young men and women in Delaware have already been trained by West End Neighborhood House with the help of previous EPA’s Brownfield Jobs Training grants, and this additional support will help prepare at least another 100 Delawareans for good-paying jobs in competitive fields,” said Senator Coons. “As a member of the Brownfields working group helping to negotiate the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, I know how important grants like these are for restoring environmental justice and creating a brighter future for Wilmington.”

“The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues to bring historic levels of funding to Delaware to upgrade our transportation, broadband, and drinking water infrastructure. It does so in a way that spurs economic growth, creates good-paying jobs, and makes Delaware a healthier and safer place to live,” said Representative Blunt Rochester. “Today’s announcement of grant funding for the EPA’s Brownfields Jobs Training Program, which was made possible through funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will bring support to West End Neighborhood House to recruit and train workers as they embark on community revitalization and cleanup projects at brownfield sites. I was proud to champion this law in Congress, and I want to commend the Biden Administration and the EPA for prioritizing this program that will help us build a stronger environment, improve public health, and create jobs in underserved areas.”

“West End provides programs, services, support and advocacy when and where they are needed to ensure our families become self-sufficient, and our communities thrive,” said Mia Harvey, West End Neighborhood House’s Director of Education and Employment Programming. “Our rewards are measured by the successes of those we serve. Therefore, the EPA Brownfield Job Training funds have allowed us to offer free training to members of our community to increase their earning potential, experience upward mobility, and achieve self-sufficiency and less need for outside help.”

GRANT RECIPIENT:

• $500,000 — West End Neighborhood House, Inc. (WENH)
  • WENH plans to train 128 students and place at least 100 in environmental jobs. WENH is targeting students within the City of Wilmington, specifically underemployed or unemployed individuals, veterans, and residents with justice-system involvement.

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