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                            C3
 Brownfields  2004
 Grant Fact Sheet
     King County,  WA
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 contaminant. 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 commu-
nities affected by brownfields to prepare them for
employment in the assessment and cleanup of
brownfield sites. Additionally, funding support is
provided to state and tribal response programs through
a separate mechanism.

Community Description

The King County Jobs Initiative (KCJI) was selected
to receive a job training grant. King County continues
to struggle with the worst recession in 30 years. The
County has lost over 60,000 jobs since 2001. A recent
U.S. Census survey found as many as  9% of King
County residents are unemployed. The City of Seattle
has a federally designated Enterprise Community that
includes the largest concentration of low-income
residents in the county. Over 700 brownfields have
been identified by the state in King County, primarily in
   Job Training Grants
   $150,000
   EPA has selected the King County Jobs Initiative for
   a job training grant. King County plans to train a
   minimum of 76 county residents, achieve a 66%
   placement rate, and track students for one year from
   the date of placement. The training program will
   offer a total of 464 hours of training. One hundred
   sixty of the hours will be dedicated to basic courses
   such as hazardous waste and safety training, lead
   and asbestos abatement training and certification,
   and industrial hygiene. The remaining 304 hours of
   advanced course work will consist of training in
   areas such as environmental assessment, innovative
   treatment technologies, and construction. Students
   will be recruited from the low-income, disadvantaged
   residents of King County. The KCJFs partnerships
   with environmental cleanup employers and trade
   unions are expected to generate apprenticeships and
   jobs for program graduates.
   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 10 Brownfields Team
   206-553-2100
   http://www.epa.gov/rlOearth, click on "Superfund",
   scroll down and click on "Brownfields"
   Grant Recipient: King County Jobs Initiative, OR
   206-296-3432
the county's three manufacturing and industrial cen-
ters. After several years of little construction, several
large office complexes are being developed in the
county and residential and commercial construction is
increasing. Many of these projects will require workers
with environmental technician training. Environmental
companies and labor unions are actively seeking to hire
local residents with environmental training.
                                                   Solid Waste and
                                                   Emergency Response
                                                   (5105T)
                         EPA 500-F-04-008
                         March 2004
                         www.epa.gov/brownfields

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