Rep. Cleaver Applauds the EPA’s Selection of Heartland Conservation Alliance for Workforce Development Funding Provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law 

(Kansas City, MO) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the selection of 19 organizations to receive a total of $3.8 million in Brownfields Job Training Grants to boost workforce training in underserved, overburdened communities. Among the organizations selected to receive grant funding is the Heartland Conservation Alliance, located in the Fifth Congressional District of Missouri. The grants announced today award $200,000 to each grantee and will prepare over 1,000 individuals for new environmental jobs.

"The transformational Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is, once again, highlighting the tremendous opportunity it creates for communities throughout this nation to build back better," said Congressman Cleaver. "I applaud the Biden-Harris Administration's demonstrated commitment to advancing economic opportunities and delivering environmental justice to underserved communities throughout Missouri and the entire country. The selection of the Heartland Conservation Alliance as stewards of this funding is a testament to the impactful work the organization carries out to protect and preserve public spaces throughout our metropolitan area for generations to come. I'm proud to have supported the legislation that made this funding possible, and I will continue working on a bipartisan basis to ensure organizations like the Heartland Conservation Alliance have the resources they need to continue their important work."

The Environmental Protection Agency's Brownfields Job Training Grants provide funding to organizations that are working to create a skilled workforce in communities where assessment, cleanup, and preparation of brownfield sites for reuse activities are taking place. Rather than filling local jobs with contractors from distant cities, the selected organizations provide training and offer residents of communities historically affected by environmental pollution, economic divestment, and brownfields an opportunity to gain the skills and certifications needed to secure local environmental work in their communities. Individuals typically graduate with a variety of certifications that improve their marketability and help ensure that employment opportunities are not temporary, but long-term careers.

The Heartland Conservation Alliance plans to train 54 students and place at least 27 in environmental jobs. The training program includes over 180 hours of instruction in 40-hour Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Power (HAZWOPER), Build Trybe EcoServices Job Training, and OSHA Safety Training. Students who complete the training will earn up to two federal certifications. Heartland Conservation Alliance is targeting at-risk students aging out of foster care across Kansas City, Missouri

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee; Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development, and Insurance; member of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress; member of the Committee on Homeland Security; and a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. A high-resolution photo of Congressman Cleaver is available here.