ŁEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D.C. 20460 Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105) EPA 500-F-01-362 December 2001 www.epa.gov/brownfields/ Brownfields Job Training and Development Demonstration Pilot Montana Tech of the University of Montana, Butte, Montana 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 $250,000 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 Montana Tech of the University of Montana for a Brownfields Job Training and Development Demonstration Pilot. Montana Tech's assessment pilot partner is the Crow Nation Brownfields AssessmentPilot. The Job Training Pilot will focus onresidents of the Crow Indian Reservation. Unemployment among the 7,900 tribal members living on the reservation has ranged from 60% to 85 % over the last 10 years. The community was severely impacted from closure and abandonment of the Big Horn Carpet Mill in 1974, which left behind known contamination and a public health threat. A Phase II assessment of the site is scheduled to begin soon. Many illegal or uncontrolled disposal sites are located on the Reservation. The Crow Indians have a natural resources-based economy, and major employers on the Reservation are linked to the environment and environmental preservation. With proper environmental training for Tribal members, these resources can be preserved for future generations while providing additional job opportunities for impoverished residents of the Reservation. PILOT SNAPSHOT Crowlndian Reservation, Montana Contacts: Montana Tech (406)496-2169 Date of Announcement: December 2001 Amount: $200,000 Profile: The Pilot will train 60 students as environmental technicians. Students will be recruited from unemployed and underemployed residents of the Crow Indian Reservation, which has suffered from unemployment rates ranging from 60% to 85% over the last decade. Regional Brownfields Team U.S. EPA - Region 8 (303)312-6626 Visit the E PA Region 8 Brownfields web site at: http://www.epa.gov/region08/ 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/ ------- TRAINING OBJECTIVES Montana Tech plans to train 60 students, achieve an 80% placement rate, and support career placement of graduates for one year after the training is completed. Students will be recruited from unemployed and underemployed residents of the Crow Indian Reservation. Three two-year certification tracks will be provided simultaneously: 1) hazardous waste specialist certification track; 2) remediation specialist certification track; and 3) ecosystem management and policy certification track. All tracks include 40- hour initial and 8-hour refresher HAZWOPER, health and safety courses, and training in the use of innovative assessment and cleanup technologies. The training efforts of Montana Tech will be supported by organizations such as Little Big Horn College, Crow Tribal Government, Pentacore Resources, Montana Department of Environmental Quality, and the U.S. Forest Service. Montana Tech plans to build train-the-trainer capabilities to ensure that the environmental technician training program will continue after the Job Training Pilot is completed. ACTIVITIES Activities planned as part of this Pilot include: • Conducting outreach to recruit unemployed and underemployed residents of the Crow Indian Reservation; • 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. BrownfieldsJob Training and Development Demonstration Pilot December2001 Montana Tech of the University of Montana, Butte, Montana EPA500-F-01-362 ------- |