ill 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 ------- |