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Brownfields 2004
Grant Fact Sheet
Lewiston, ME
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 City of Lewiston was selected to receive a job
training grant. Lewiston (population 35,390) is an urban
service center surrounded by rural communities. The
city will focus this grant on its federally designated
Enterprise Community (EC). The EC is a residentially
dense community with a 42% poverty rate and over
8% unemployment. Poverty and unemployment rates
are three to four times higher than those of the city,
county, or state. An influx of 1,000 immigrants from
Somali has increased employment needs, but the city
lost 400 jobs last year, mostly in the manufacturing
sector. Two of the city's largest brownfields sites
within the heart of downtown will be ready for cleanup
Job Training Grant
$200,000
EPA has selected the City of Lewiston for a job
training grant. The city plans to train 75-85
students, achieve an 85% placement rate, and
track students for one year. The program will be
offered on both a slow track and fast track to
make it available to as many participants as
possible. The slow track will offer evening classes
for participants who are employed or underem-
ployed. The fast track will offer full-time instruc-
tion that can be completed in 42 days. The core
171-hour program will include hazardous waste
heath and safety, lead and asbestos abatement,
and construction, followed by courses in either
hazardous waste transport (78 hours) or
brownfields redevelopment (82 hours). Students
will be recruited from Androscoggin County, with
a focus on Lewiston's Enterprise Community. The
city will work with the Central/Western Maine
Workforce Investment Board Career Center,
abatement contractors, and the Maine Depart-
ment of Environmental Protection to place
graduates in environmental jobs.
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 1 Brownfields Team
617-918-1305
http://www.epa.gov/region01/brownfields/
Grant Recipient: City of Lewiston, ME
207-784-2951x315
this year, and environmental contractors in the area
report a need for trained environmental technicians.
The employment outlook for sustainable brownfieIds-
related jobs is very promising.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA 500-F-04-009
March 2004
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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