8
                            HI
                            C3
 Brownfields  2004
 Grant  Fact  Sheet
          Selawik, AK
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 Selawik was selected to receive a job
training grant. Selawik is an Inuit community (popula-
tion 778) where almost 71% of the population is
seasonally unemployed. Approximately 34% of the
population lives in poverty. The community relies on
seasonal subsistence hunting and fishing, which have
been severely impacted by ocal brownfields. In addition,
the health and liability risks presented by brownfields
are preventing the development of a sustainable
ecotourism  industry. The city has a number of cleanup
                                    Job Training Grant
                                    $40,000

                                    EPA has selected the City of Selawik for a job
                                    training grant. Selawik plans to train at least eight
                                    local residents, achieve a 100% placement rate,
                                    and track students for at least eighteen months.
                                    The training program will consist of 40 hours of
                                    HAZWOPER certification training plus guidance
                                    on job opportunities and assistance with job
                                    applications. Students will be recruited from the
                                    City of Selawik and the Native Village of Selawik,
                                    which is co-located with the city and serves the
                                    same population. A number of local projects
                                    planned for the next few years will provide job
                                    opportunities for individuals trained under this grant.
                                    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
                                    www.epa.gov/rlOearth, click on "Superfund",
                                    scroll down and click on "Brownfields"

                                    Grant Recipient: City of Selawik, AK
                                    907-484-2006
                                  and construction projects slated over the next several
                                  years that will require people with environmental
                                  training. The city is scheduled to hire waste and
                                  emergency response employees to manage its hazard-
                                  ous waste program. Since Selawik can only be ac-
                                  cessed by plane, it would be much more cost-effective
                                  to hire from the local community.
                                                  Solid Waste and
                                                  Emergency Response
                                                  (5105T)
                                                          EPA500-F-04-016
                                                          March 2004
                                                          www.epa.gov/brownfields

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