E.P.A. Provides $200,000 Grant to Fortune Society for Green Jobs Training

(New York, N.Y.) The E.P.A. has awarded the Fortune Society of New York a $200,000 grant to support the organization's plan to recruit, train and place formerly incarcerated people in green jobs assessing and cleaning up brownfields and other contaminated sites. Brownfields are properties at which moderate contamination can interfere with redevelopment. The grant was awarded through the EPA's Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training program.

"The EPA's green jobs plan is helping change people's lives for the better," said Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. "In addition to training people for in-demand green jobs, this grant will help create cleaner, healthier communities. The training that the Fortune Society is providing will lead to living wage jobs and a cleaner environment."

The Fortune Society, which is a previous recipient of an E.P.A. Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training grant, will train 45 formerly incarcerated people, place at least 33 graduates in environmental jobs, and track graduates for one year. The training plan will consist of 3 280-hour, eight-week training cycles, and will include courses in leaking underground storage tank prevention, innovative treatment technology, and EPA's lead renovation, repair, and painting rule. The Fortune Society will work with private companies and local government agencies to place graduates in environmental jobs.

The Fortune Society is a nonprofit social service and advocacy organization, founded in 1967, whose mission is to support successful reentry from prison and promote alternatives to incarceration. Fortune serves approximately 3,000 men and women annually via 3 primary New York City-area locations: a service center in Long Island City, and both the Fortune Academy (a.k.a. "the Castle") and Castle Gardens in West Harlem. The organization's plan models are frequently recognized, both nationally and internationally, for their quality and innovation.

The Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed in 2002, establishing a Brownfields Plan that provides backing for brownfields assessments, cleanups, revolving loans and green job training. The Plan encourages redevelopment of America's estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites and promotes job creation.

Additional information on E.P.A. Region two Brownfields activities is accessible at http://www.epa.gov/region02/brownfields/

Follow E.P.A. Region two on Twitter at http://twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/eparegion2

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