SB,
                           HI
                           C3
 Brownfields  2004

 Grant  Fact Sheet

  University of Hawaii,

         Honolulu,  HI


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 University of Hawaii was selected to receive a job
training grant. Dozens of potentially contaminated
properties have been identified in Hawaii. Three of the
state's 25 highest-priority brownfields are in the Kalihi
area of Honolulu, which has the highest concentration
of public and HUD-assisted housing in the state. Kalihi
is an area where many new immigrants from the
Pacific Islands and Asia first locate. Twenty percent of
Kalihi households have an annual income of less than
$ 15,000. A significant drop in tourism following 9-11
has increased job losses in an already stagnant, ser-
                                                                          0
                                 Job Training Grant
                                 $196,877

                                 EPA has selected the University of Hawaii for a
                                 job training grant. The university plans to train 60
                                 students, achieve a 75% placement rate, and
                                 track students for one year. The training will be
                                 conducted by Honolulu Community College, part
                                 of the state university system, and will include 240
                                 hours of class instruction on the handling of
                                 hazardous materials, environmental health and
                                 safety, and hazards present at hazardous waste
                                 sites. This course work will be followed by 120
                                 hours of on-the-job training under the supervision
                                 of mentors from potential employers. Students will
                                 be recruited from among the unemployed and
                                 underemployed residents of Kalihi and adjacent
                                 communities. The college's long-term partnerships
                                 with environmental, construction, and other
                                 industries will facilitate the placement of gradu-
                                 ates 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 9 Brownfields Team
                                 415-972-3143
                                 http://www.epa.gov/region09/waste/brown/
                                 index.html

                                 Grant Recipient: University of Hawaii
                                 808-845-9434
                               vice-oriented economy. All of the state's 25 highest-
                               priority brownfields sites are undergoing some level of
                               environmental site assessment and cleanup planning. A
                               report by the state legislature in 2001 pointed to a
                               significant need for trained laboratory and field techni-
                               cians and other support staff in order to provide jobs to
                               local residents in support of state and federal
                               brownfields redevelopment projects.
                                                 Solid Waste and
                                                 Emergency Response
                                                 (5105T)
                                                       EPA500-F-04-017
                                                       March 2004
                                                       www.epa.gov/brownfields

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