PathStone Corporation to Receive $500,000 for Professional Training in Puerto Rico

Among 29 grants funded under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act.

PUERTO RICO – PathStone Corporation is one of 29 organizations nationwide that received $14.3 million through the EPA’s Brownfield Vocational Training Program to hire, train and employ workers for community revitalization and abandoned site cleanup projects. The organization will receive a $500,000 job training grant funded through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Act. This funding is three times the amount normally provided by the EPA for vocational training in abandoned fields, providing greater environmental benefits and more economic opportunities in overburdened and underserved areas.

EPA Region 2 Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia spoke about the work during her visit to Juncos, Puerto Rico today. Other participants included Manuel Cidre, Secretary of the Department of Economic Development and Trade; Anais Vega Rodriguez, Secretary of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources; The Honorable Alfredo Alejandro Carrión, Mayor of Juncos, Brenda Soto Colón, Senior Vice President of PathStone, Mr. Alberto Grau, CEO of DANA Puerto Rico, and Magali Mendes of Housing and Urban Development.

figure 1 Representatives from the EPA and the government of Puerto Rico pose with PathStone representatives under a white tent.
figure 2 EPA regional administrator Lisa Garcia visits a vocational training center and stands with other tour members as a representative talks about the facility.

“President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Act complements the EPA Brownfields Program, which transforms degraded sites, protects public health, and creates economic opportunity in more overwhelmed communities than ever before.” EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe said. “The announced investment will not only support the cleanup of some of our country’s most polluted areas, but will also provide a new generation of workers to tackle the serious environmental problems that plague congested areas and help launch sustainable, long-term careers in the communities that need those workers most. places.”

“With this unprecedented amount of funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, we are able to provide people with the tools and skills they need to find long-term employment.” said EPA Region 2 Regional Administrator Lisa F. Garcia. “This funding will provide underserved and unemployed people in Puerto Rico with critical training so they can reimagine and revitalize their neighborhoods and bring environmental justice to their communities that has been so often overlooked.”

PathStone Corporation, a Rochester, New York-based organization, will use the funds to train up to 120 students in Puerto Rico and employ at least 80 people in environmental jobs. The program is designed for students from the rural municipalities of Caguas, Guaynabo, Humacao, Juncos and Las Piedras, as well as the city of San Juan. The training program includes 334 hours of classes for 40 Hour Hazardous Waste Management and Emergency Response Training (HAZWOPER), Pesticide Safety Worker Protection Standard, AED and CPR training, and many more. Students who graduate will receive up to nine state and one federal certificates. This is PathStone Corporation’s fifth EPA Brownfields Job Program grant, totaling more than $1.2 million.

“The mission of family building and self-sufficiency can only be achieved by giving people the opportunity to change their lives.said Brenda Lee Soto Colon, senior vice president of direct services at PathStone Corporation. “The opportunity to continue our partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency to provide training and employment opportunities in the environmental industry is key to the change we want to see in the lives of those we serve. Our goal is to help participants improve their education and employability skills. We are grateful for this new opportunity.”

President Biden’s leadership and action by a bipartisan Congress has delivered the largest investment in old-field infrastructure in the US ever through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, which invests more than $1.5 billion over five years in a highly successful U.S. Environmental Protection Agency program. This historic investment allows the EPA to fund more communities, states, and tribes, and provides grant recipients with the opportunity to create and improve the environmental curriculum in vocational training programs that support job creation and community regeneration.

The Brownfields Career Program also promotes President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to provide at least 40 percent of the benefits of certain government programs to low-income communities. Approximately 97 percent of the communities selected to receive funding through today’s announcement have proposed projects in historically underserved areas, according to the Climate and Economic Equity Test Tool.

Individuals who complete an EPA-funded vocational training program often overcome various barriers to employment. Many trainees hail from areas that have historically been poorly served or live in areas overburdened with pollution.

Graduates of Brownfields vocational training programs acquire valuable, in-demand skills and have the opportunity to earn a variety of certifications, ensuring that employment opportunities lead not only to temporary contract work, but to long-term careers in the environmental field. This includes certificates for:

  • Lead and asbestos control
  • Hazardous waste management and emergency response,
  • mold removal,
  • Sampling and environmental analysis, and
  • Other Environmental and Safety Trainings

Background:

Abandonment Job Training (JT) grants allow non-profits, local governments, and other organizations to hire, train, and hire unemployed and underemployed residents of areas affected by abandoned sites. Through the JT program, graduates develop the skills necessary for permanent and sustainable employment in various aspects of hazardous and solid waste management, as well as in the broader field of environmental protection, including sustainable cleaning and reuse, and chemical safety. These green jobs reduce pollution and create a more sustainable future for communities.

Since 1998, EPA has provided 371 brownfield training grants. Through these grants, more than 20,341 people have been trained and more than 15,168 people have been placed in jobs related to land reclamation, environmental protection and safety.

For more information about selected Brownfields Job Training Grant recipients, including past recipients, please visit Search Fact Sheets for Brownfields Grants

For more information about this and other types of Brownfields grants, visit the website. Brownfields Vocational Training Grants Web Page.

Follow EPA Region 2 at Twitter and visit our facebook page. For more information on Region 2 EPA visit our Web site.

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