SEPA
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5101)
EPA 500-F-99-100
May 1999
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
Brownfields Job Training
and Development
Demonstration Pilot
Houston Community College, TX
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5101)
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 $500,000 over five years) to capitalize loan funds
to make loans forthe 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 Houston Community College for a
Brownfields Job Training and Development
Demonstration Pilot. The community college's
Brownfields Assessment Pilot partner is the City of
Houston. The Job Training Pilot will target the East
End and Palm Center communities located within
Houston's federal Enhanced Enterprise Community
(population 102,000). The East End area is comprised
almost entirely of Hispanic residents. The annual
income per person in this area is $5,945, and 71
percent of the adult residents do not have a high
school diploma. The Palm Center area is comprised
almost entirely of African-Americans. The annual
income per person in this area is $7,596, and 44
percent of the adult residents do not have a high
school diploma.
The City of Houston is home to hundreds of inner-city
brownfields. Over 490 acres of brownfields have
been entered into the city's Brownfields
Redevelopment Program. The Milby Bus Bar, awell-
known brownfield in the East End, has already been
cleaned up and made ready for redevelopment at a
cost of $7 million. The extreme distress of the East
PILOT SNAPSHOT
Houston Community
College, Texas
Date of Announcement:
May 1999
Amount: $200,000
Profile: The Pilot will train 100
participants as environmental
technicians. Students will be recruited
fromthe Hispanic community of East
End and the African-American
community of Palm Center, both of
which are located in Houston's Federal
Enhanced Enterprise Community.
Contacts:
Houston Community College
(713)718-7228
Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA-Region 6
(214)665-6736
Visit the EPA Region 6 Brownfields web site at:
http://www.epa.gov/earth1r6/6sf/bfpages/sfbfhome.htm
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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End and Palm Center communities and the city's
cleanup and redevelopment activities in these two
communities indicate a need for environmental
training.
TRAINING OBJECTIVES
Houston Community College plans to train 100
students, achieve a 75 percent placement rate, and
track graduates for one year after completion of the
training. Participants will be recruited from
disadvantaged Latino and African-American
communities inHouston's federal Enhanced Enterprise
Community. The Pilottraining program will consist of
a comprehensive 210-hour environmental technician
training program, including training in the use of
innovative assessment and cleanup technologies.
Graduates will receive an environmental technician
certification, and internships from local environmental
companies are available.
The training efforts of Houston Community College
will be supported by organizations such as the East
End Chamber of Commerce, League of United Latin
American Citizens, Gulf Coast Workforce
Development Board, Environmental Educational
Services, Inc., and Onsite Environmental Staffing.
The broad-based Land Redevelopment Committee
will serve as an advisory body for the Pilot.
ACTIVITIES
Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:
• Conducting outreach to recruit disadvantaged
residents of the East End and Palm Center
communities;
• Conducting environmental technician training,
including courses in the use of innovative assessment
and cleanup technologies; and
• Supporting career placement of graduates 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 factsheetare subjectto change.
Brownfields Job Training and Development Demonstration Pilot Houston Community College, Texas
May 1999 EPA500-F-99-100
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