United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-00-275
December 2000
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
Brownfields Job Training
and Development
Demonstration Pilot
The Office of Applied innovations, Riverdaie, IL
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 Office of Applied Innovations,
Chicago, for a Brownfields Job Training and
Development Demonstration Pilot. The Office of
Applied Innovations' assessment pilot partner is the
Village of Riverdaie. Riverdaie (population 14,000) is
located just south of Chicago. More than three-
quarters of Riverdaie residents are minorities, primarily
African Americans. The unemployment rate among
Village residents is 20%.
The Job Training Pilot will focus on the Village of
Riverdaie, which is in the process of investigating and
prioritizing more than 200 brownfields sites.
Brownfields redevelopment and economic renewal
activities are expected to create job opportunities in
Riverdaie and surrounding communities. The potential
for redevelopment is strong due in large part to an
excellent existing transportation infrastructure. Local
environmental contractors have expressed interest in
hiring local residents trained as environmental
technicians to participate in new redevelopment
opportunities.
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Riverdaie, Illinois
Date of Announcement:
December 2000
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot will train 90
students as environmental
technicians. Students will be
recruited from the Village of
Riverdaie and surrounding
communities, which are home
to hundreds of brownfields and
which are taking advantage of
the excellent transportation
infrastructure to stimulate
brownfields redevelopment
activities.
Contacts:
The Office of Applied Innovations
(312)362-6022
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 5
(312)353-2000
Visit the E PA Region 5 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/
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 Office of Applied Innovations plans to train 90
students, achieve a 70% placement rate, and support
career placement of graduates for one year after the
training is completed. Students will be recruited from
among residents of Riverdale and surrounding
communities. The 480-hour Pilottraining program will
consistof HAZWOPERtraining, underground storage
tank removal, lead and asbestos abatement, confined
space entry, and training in the use of innovative
assessment technologies, such as indirect heat
volatilization/rotary kiln treatment, steam injection
system, and thermal desorption.
The training efforts of the Office of Applied Innovations
will be supported by organizations such as the Village
of Riverdale, WPI-Virginia Polytechnic Institute, the
Riverdale Community Resource Center, African
American Contractors Association, Heritage
Community Bank, and two private environmental
consulting companies. A project advisory council will
meet quarterly to provide technical assistance and
evaluate all aspects of the program. A career week
will be conducted at the end of the training program to
enhance placement opportunities.
ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Conducting outreach to recruit residents of Riverdale
and surrounding communities;
• Conducting training for entry-level positions as
brownfields technicians, 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
The Office of Applied Innovations, Riverdale, Illinois
EPA500-F-00-275
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