HI CD Brownfields 2003 Grant Fact Sheet New Jersey Youth Corps, Phillipsburg and Newark, NJ EPA Brownfields Program EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, commu- nities, and other stakeholders in economic development to work together to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. Abrownfield site is real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or con- taminant. On January 11, 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act. Under the Brownfields Law, EPA provides financial assistance to eligible applicants through four competitive grant programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants. The job training grants provide training for residents of communities affected by brownfields to prepare them for employment in the assessment and cleanup of brownfields sites. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism. Community Description The New Jersey Youth Corps was selected to receive a job training grant. With this grant, the New Jersey Youth Corps is targeting young adults residing in Phillipsburg and Newark. The decline of manufacturing in Phillipsburg has contributed to urban decline. The job training program in Phillipsburg will focus on youth in die town's Urban Enterprise Zone, which includes an area with numerous brownfields and known contaminated sites. Newark is New Jersey's largest city, with a population 273,546. Residents are 53% African Ameri- can and 29% Hispanic. Fifty percent of Newark's students drop out of school by the ninth grade, and Newark's unemployment rate is twice the national and Job Training Grant New! 2003J $200,000 EPA has selected the New Jersey Youth Corps for a brownfields job training grant. The New Jersey Youth Corps plans to train 50 students, achieve an 80% placement rate, and track graduates for two to five years. The training program will include hazardous materials handing and phytoremediation. Phytoremediation certifi- cation has been identified by employers as a high-priority need. Students will be unemployed or underemployed youth from Phillipsburg and Newark. The New Jersey Youth Corps has been placing graduates in appropriate jobs for 20 years. Contacts For further information, including specific grant contacts, additional grant information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site at: www.epa.gov/ brownfields. EPA Region 2 Brownfields Team 212-637-4314 http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/ brownfields/ Grant Recipient: New Jersey Youth Corps 609-588-3177 Prior to receipt of these funds in fiscal year 2003, the New Jersey Youth Corps also received funding for job training grants. state averages. Both cities have a long industrial history that has created numerous abandoned or underused brownfields. Surveys of environmental employers in the area make it clear that more trained workers are needed to address local community environmental problems. The grant will train local residents in Phillipsburg and Newark for empolyment in the cities' efforts to address their numerous brownfield sites. Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 500-F-03-029 May 2003 www.epa.gov/brownfields ------- |