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Sitting Bull College receives $300K to grow green jobs

Release Date: 07/12/2011
Contact Information: Contact Information: EPA – Daniel Heffernan 303-312-7074; Lisa McClain-Vanderpool 303-312-6077; Sitting Bull College – Dr. Koreen Ressler 701-854-8001.

Sitting Bull College receives $300K to grow green jobs
EPA Brownfields job training grant to create opportunities on Standing Rock Sioux Reservation

(Denver, Colorado — July 12, 2011) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today awarded Sitting Bull College in Fort Yates, North Dakota a $300,000 Workforce Development and Job Training Grant to promote green jobs on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. The funds will be used to develop a training program that will teach students environmental cleanup skills and assist with job placement. Today’s award is among 21 similar grants totaling $6.2 million that EPA is providing throughout the country.

“Workforce development is a critical step towards building a healthier environment and stronger local economies,” said EPA’s regional administrator in Denver, Jim Martin. “This grant will provide opportunities for Tribal residents to receive valuable training and secure environmental jobs in the region.”

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe will use the funds to train as many as 20 students. The training program will include specific instruction on topics such as solid and hazardous waste management, emergency response, and environmental cleanup and treatment technologies. The Tribe expects to place 75% of program participants in jobs with local environmental contractors once training is completed.

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, which lies in both North and South Dakota, has established a Brownfields program that has completed several environmental assessment and cleanup projects. The reservation is the 6^th largest in the country, and has a population of 7,627. The region historically has higher unemployment and lower household incomes than other places in the country.

Since 1998, EPA has awarded more than $35 million under the Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training Program. As of May 2011, more than 6,683 individuals have been trained through the program, and more than 4,400 have been placed in full-time employment in the environmental field with an average starting hourly wage of $14.65. The development of this green workforce will allow the trainees to develop skills that will make them competitive in the construction and redevelopment fields.

More information on EPA’s brownfields program: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/

More information on brownfields success stories: https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/success/index.htm