953A0039

**Description:** This agreement provides funding under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) to the Pittsburgh Conservation Corps.

Specifically, the project will support a Pittsburgh-Philadelphia partnership between Landforce (Pittsburgh Conservation Corps, d/b/a Landforce) and PowerCorpsPHL, and their sub-awardees.

Leveraging a Pittsburgh / Philadelphia workforce development partnerships to multiply the impact of decarbonization, pollution remediation, and circular economy through woody biomass utilization.

The partnership will create and expand two woody biomass workforce development campuses, strengthen the urban lumber and biochar market, and deploy soil-remediating biochar in both cities.

Landforce is an environmental employment social enterprise nonprofit organization focused on recruiting and training people who have been systematically excluded from career opportunities.

Once trained, participants work on land stewardship crews that repair the environment while working on transitioning to employment beyond Landforce.

This grant will work to transform urban wood reuse, which refers to the milling of trees that have naturally fallen or have been removed due to disease or other human-related reasons and can be turned into lumber for resale.

**Activities:** The activities include creating a full-campus models for woody biomass reutilization; the project will create a first of its kind circular economy model.

This unique partnership centers workforce development opportunities for disadvantaged residents and increases neighborhood access to materials that increase soil health and mitigate pollution.

This project will build climate resilience through its circular economy model, strengthen disadvantaged communities through workforce development/credential development, and maximize the benefits created through synergistic partnerships.

Critical infrastructure development will enable these operations to intensely strengthen communities.

**Subrecipient:** Statutory partner subaward: PowerCorpsPHL and Thomas Jefferson University will service both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh communities.

They will create and run the credential program and processing training laboratory-scale equipment as industry-needs and workforce assessment is completed over the first two years.

The Philadelphia Parks and Rec Organic Recycling Center will work on delivery and processing equipment, 3 FTEs.

Farm Philly will also work on delivery and processing for project area residents and 4 staff positions.

Allegheny County Conservation District will complete community engagement and soil analysis through the life of the grant.

Penn State will provide faculty and student research projects related to annual report completion.

**Outcomes:** The anticipated deliverables include 147,000 board feet (BF) of lumber produced, 915 metric tons (MT) of wood removed from the waste stream, 56 MTs of biochar produced, 5.8 acres of soil treated with biochar, 25 trainees entering intensive training and skills development, 16 receiving certifications from Thomas Jefferson University and moving into full-time jobs, 44 community engagement sessions held, 300 trees planted, and 427 MT of CO2E sequestered.

The expected outcomes include woody biomass diverted from the landfill, carbon sequestered and greenhouse gases reduced, improved air quality, reduced heat islands, leading to increased resilience to extreme weather and climate conditions, soils contaminated with lead restored, increased efficacy of compost by adding biochar, carbon sequestered in built environment by utilizing products made in this process, improved stormwater management and improved plant health to mitigate impacts of flooding, improved soil health by increasing resident and city compost use, products created for sale from the waste stream, increased wages, benefits, job quality and job security for participants in workforce training programs, increase in skilled green jobs workforce, increased knowledge and education about environmental sustainability.

Pittsburgh Conservation Corps

2 - TAKE DECISIVE ACTION TO ADVANCE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS 2.1 - PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS AT THE FEDERAL, TRIBAL, STATE, AND LOCAL LEVELS 2 - TAKE DECISIVE ACTION TO ADVANCE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS 2.1 - PROMOTE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS AT THE FEDERAL, TRIBAL, STATE, AND LOCAL LEVELS

66.616 - Environmental and Climate Justice Block Grant Program

EPA Region 3: Philadelphia [EPA - RO]

Pennsylvania United States

State-Wide

Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grants Program (EPA-R-OEJECR-OCS-23-04)

Termination This project grant was reported on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) partial or complete termation list as of its last report October 2025. See All
Amendment Since initial award the End Date has been shortened from 10/31/27 to 05/01/25.