I 5 V ^ 4 in o Brownfields 2005 Grant Fact Sheet C/V/c l/l/or/cs, Baltimore, MD 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 brownfields job training grants provide residents of communities impacted by brownfields with the skills and training needed to effectively gain employment in assessment and cleanup activities associated with brownfield redevelopment and environmental remediation. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism. Community Description Civic Works was selected to receive a job training grant. Civic Works is located within the City of Balti- more, a federally designated Empowerment Zone/ Enterprise Community. The city's poverty rate is 23 percent, and the unemployment rate is 7.5 percent. Job Training Grant $200,000 EPA has selected Civic Works for a job training grant. Civic Works plans to train 40 students, place 30 graduates in environmental technician jobs, and track students for one year. The 205- hour training program will include instruction in HAZWOPER, sampling, lead and asbestos abatement, Chesapeake Bay water quality management, and an introduction to brownfields. Civic Works will be the primary trainer, with assistance from the Baltimore County Community College. Students will be recruited primarily from among the unemployed or underemployed resi- dents of Baltimore, and if space is available, from the entire Baltimore metropolitan area. Students will be placed in environmental technician jobs through Civic Works' existing relationships with environmental employers. 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 3 Brownfields Team 215-814-3246 http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bfs/index.htm Grant Recipient: Civic Works, MD 410-366-8533 The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change. Minorities comprise 68 percent of the city's residents. An extreme decline in the city's manufacturing sector has resulted in a loss of half of the city's manufacturing jobs in the last 20 years and a high concentration of brownfields within the city. Many of Baltimore's brownfields are on its industrial waterfront. Redevelop- ment of these sites requires a heightened sensitivity to Solid Waste and Emergency Response (5105T) EPA 560-F-05-254 May 2005 www.epa.gov/brownfields ------- water-quality impacts to the Chesapeake Bay. There are 61 brownfields in the city that are larger than three acres. One third of these larger brownfields are undergoing redevelopment activity. The high number of brownfields-related projects will create demand for an estimated 60 entry-level environmental positions a year. ------- |