mathy speech
DESCRIPTION
Talking points/speech for Civic Works GraduationTRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: Mathy Speech](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022020221/568c3a421a28ab0235a57f3b/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
CIVIC WORKS GRADUATION CEREMONY
FEBRUARY 27, 2012; 6:30 PM
BALTIMORE CENTER FOR GREEN CAREERS
Thank you for that introduction
I want to thank Civic Works and the Center for Green Careers - thank you
for having me. I enjoy when I get the opportunity to get out of Washington,
particularly when it means I get to visit the great city of Baltimore
We’re here today to celebrate the first job training class graduation of 2012.
Graduating - that is a great accomplishment - congratulations to all of the
graduates and their families
I look forward to you entering the job market and through your hard work -
helping to protect our neighborhoods and communities by cleaning up health
and environmental hazards
You will not only be helping local neighborhoods and communities, you will
be helping our national economy
There are some who say that we have to choose between a strong economy
and a healthy environment
In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. History teaches us that
we can have both
I hope many of you had the opportunity to hear or read the President’s State
of the Union Address - he made clear that we need to do more to create jobs
and help economic growth to build an economy built to last
One way to build an economy built to last is to educate and train our
students and workers so that we have a modern workforce ready to perform
the jobs of today and tomorrow
1
![Page 2: Mathy Speech](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022020221/568c3a421a28ab0235a57f3b/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
We need a workforce prepared to do those jobs - and that’s why we’re here
today
I would like to take a few moments to discuss how the U.S. EPA’s
Brownfields program supports job training and encourages cleanup and
redevelopment in communities and neighborhoods around the country
EPA’s Brownfields Program exists to support local communities and cities
like Baltimore
We know the damage that abandoned, blighted properties can do to a
community
A contaminated property – or even a property that is thought to be
contaminated – can make redevelopment next to impossible
No development means no jobs, no jobs means no opportunity, and without
opportunities, communities – even those with deep historic roots – can
eventually wither and die
The Brownfields Program turns that cycle on its head
EPA’s Brownfields Program has helped change the way contaminated
property is perceived, addressed, and managed
The Brownfields Program was built from the bottom-up, with the
communities’ concerns as its focus
In 2011, the EPA Brownfields Program leveraged 6,447 jobs and $2.14
billion in cleanup and redevelopment funds
The Brownfields Program accomplishments to date include more than
18,000 properties assessed, over 700 properties cleaned up and more than
33,000 acres of brownfields properties made ready for reuse
In 1995, the National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC)
and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency co-sponsored a series of
2
![Page 3: Mathy Speech](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022020221/568c3a421a28ab0235a57f3b/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
public hearings entitled, Public Dialogues on Urban Revitalization and
Brownfields: Envisioning Healthy and Sustainable Communities
As a result of these dialogues, recommendations were raised to EPA
Among these recommendations were key issues including Job Creation,
Training, and Career Development. In 2002, the Small Business Liability
Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed by Congress, which
provided statutory authority for the Job Training Program
Through the Brownfields Law, there was continued funding for job training,
and also funding to support assessment, cleanup, and revolving loan fund
grants
To this day, EPA’s Job Training Program has sought to ensure that the
economic benefits derived from brownfields redevelopment remain with
local residents
Rather than seeing redevelopment jobs outsourced, the Job Training
Program was developed to help residents take advantage of jobs created by
the assessment and cleanup of brownfield sites in their communities
It is important to note that graduates of the program are highly respected in
their communities and many were active in the response and cleanup at the
World Trade Center site in New York, following Hurricane Katrina, and the
BP Oil Spill on the Gulf Coast, to list a few
In 2011 the Brownfields Program expanded the job training grant program
to collaborate with other offices within my Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response (OSWER)
Through this collaboration, the Brownfields Program decided to rename the
program the Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training
Program, because the focus was no longer only on brownfields, but also
included supporting training in other environmental media
3
![Page 4: Mathy Speech](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022020221/568c3a421a28ab0235a57f3b/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
The expanded program is an effort to provide communities with the
flexibility to broaden their training curriculums to other areas, such as
electronics recycling, or training in underground storage tank removal and
leak prevention, and to meet the varying local labor market demands
throughout the country
Additionally, with the expansion of the program, graduates like yourselves,
will now have more comprehensive training in a diverse array of skills
which will help equip you for long-term employment
In many instances, brownfields assessment and cleanup projects can be
short-term in nature, but by providing graduates, with a diversity of
certifications in the environmental field – it increases the likelihood that you
will sustain employment
This year is an exciting year, because in a sense, all of those who were
awarded new grants in 2011 are serving as role models for this expanded
program
As of January 2012, approximately 10,275 individuals had completed
training and approximately 7,155 obtained employment in the environmental
field, with an average starting hourly wage of $14.12
These numbers indicate a cumulative placement rate of approximately 70%
since the program was created in 1998
Again, I want to congratulate all of you on the hard work you have invested
into completing this training program and recognize Civic Works for the
excellent work it has done through the years as a five time grant recipient
No matter what your background, or what challenges you have overcome,
you now have the opportunity, to not only create a living for yourself and
family with a livable wage, but you also have an opportunity to help make
your community a better place by helping to rebuild, clean up, and revitalize
4
![Page 5: Mathy Speech](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022020221/568c3a421a28ab0235a57f3b/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
Finding a job may be difficult right now, but remember that you all have
something to offer employers, and remember to believe in yourselves
The environmental field is a growing field and all of you have cutting edge
training and experience which will help you in the years to come
Thank you, good luck, and once again congratulations
5