United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-00-278
December 2000
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
Brownfields Job Training
and Development
Demonstration Pilot
Spirit Lake Nation, ND
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5105)
Quick Reference Fact Sheet
EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower states, communities, and other
stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and
sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield is a site, or portion thereof, that has actual or perceived contamination and
an active potential for redevelopment or reuse. EPA is funding: assessment demonstration pilot programs (each funded
up to $200,000 over two years), to assess brownfields sites and to test cleanup and redevelopment models; job training
pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to provide training for residents of communities affected
by brownfields to facilitate cleanup of brownfields sites and prepare trainees for future employment in the environmental
field; and, cleanup revolving loan fund programs (each funded up to $1,000,000 over five years) to capitalize loan funds
to make loans for the environmental cleanup of brownfields. These pilot programs are intended to provide EPA, states,
tribes, municipalities, and communities with useful information and strategies as they continue to seek new methods
to promote a unified approach to site assessment, environmental cleanup, and redevelopment.
BACKGROUND
EPA has selected the Spirit Lake Nation for a
Brownfields Job Training and Development
Demonstration Pilot. The Spirit Lake Nation also is
the recipient of a Brownfields Assessment Pilot. The
Spirit Lake Nation (5,300 enrolled members; 1,500
non-native residents) includes 383 square miles of
land and is located in the northeastern portion of the
state. There are five Indian bands within the Nation,
most of whom reside in four community districts and
five townships. The unemployment rate among Tribal
members is 75%.
Through the Brownfields Assessment Pilot grant, the
Tribe is conducting assessments of abandoned buildings
and two landfills located in two community districts.
There are Tribal concerns of perceived threats to
human health and safety and to the environment from
asbestos, lead-based paint, and other unknown hazards.
The Job Training Pilot will empower the Tribe with
skills to cleanup these sites and provide much needed
jobs for Tribal members.
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Spirit Lake Nation,
North Dakota
Date of Announcement:
December2000
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot will train 40
Tribal residents and place
at least 20 into internships,
apprenticeships, or entry-level
employment within their
selected environmental career
track. Studentswill be recruited
from among the 5,300 enrolled
Tribal members, who are
suffering from a 75%
unemployment rate.
Contacts:
Candeska Cikana Community
College; Spirit Lake Nation
(701)766-1289/4803
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 8
(303)312-6312
Visit the EPA Region 8 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/region08/land_waste/bfhome/
bfhome.html
Forfurther information, including specific Pilot contacts,
additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and
publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
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TRAINING OBJECTIVES
The Spirit Lake Nation plans to train 40 Tribal residents,
achieve a 50% placement rate, and support career
placement of graduates for one year after the training
is completed. Participants will be recruited from four
Tribal district communities. The Pilottraining program
will consist of courses in sampling and monitoring,
personal protective equipment, decontamination and
work-site safety, hazardous materials management,
environmental regulations, equipment operation and
maintenance, emergency response actions and
procedures, and site control and mitigation, including
training in the use of innovative assessment and
remediation technologie s.
The training efforts of the Spirit Lake Nation will be
supported by organizations such as the Candeska
Cikana Community College, U.S. Bureau of Indian
Affairs, Sioux Manufacturing Corporation, Spirit Lake
Basin Alliance, Dakota Tribal Industries, Spirit Lake
Tribe Jobs Training Partnership Act Program, and
Spirit Lake Casino Resort. The Brownfields
Sustainability Advisory Committee, a consortium of
business leaders, Tribal elders, industry managers,
economic planners, Tribal officials, and residents, will
provide technical and program support.
ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Conducting outreach to recruit Tribal participants
who demonstrate current or recent employment at
less than living wages.
• Conducting brownfieldstechniciantraining,including
courses in the use of innovative assessment and
cleanup technologies; and
• Supporting career placement of students for one
year after the job training is completed.
The cooperative agreement for this Pilot has not yet been negotiated;
therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.
Brownfields Job Training and Development Demonstration Pilot
December2000
Spirit Lake Nation, North Dakota
EPA500-F-00-278
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