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Brownfields 2009
Grant Fact Sheet
OAI, Inc., Chicago, IL
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 this
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. Addi-
tionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal
response programs through a separate mechanism.
Community Description
OAI, Inc., was selected to receive a job training grant.
OAI is a nonprofit organization whose primary mission
is to provide education, workforce training, and em-
ployment opportunities to disadvantaged communities.
Located in Chicago (population 2.9 million), OAI will
Job Training Grant
$200,000
EPA has selected OAI, Inc., for a job training grant.
OAI plans to train a minimum of 60 students,
graduate 45, place at least 40 in environmental jobs,
and track graduates for one year beyond the end of
the training cycle. OAI will recruit participants from
the target EZ and RC. The training program will
consist of two nine-month cycles totaling 210 hours
of training, including 40-hour HAZWOPER, OSHA
lead abatement, construction safety, asbestos
worker training, mold awareness, defensive driving,
and forklift operator. Based on requests from
potential employers, other courses that will be
offered to specific trainees using leveraged re-
sources include horticulture, computer refurbishing
and recycling, and weatherization. Twelve certifica-
tions will be offered. The environmental health and
safety training will be provided by OAI staff, while
horticulture training will be conducted by the City of
Chicago's Greencorps staff and guest trainers. OAI
will work with construction trade unions, former
graduates, green businesses, and brownfields
remediation and redevelopment contractors 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.
Linda Morgan, EPA Region 5
312-886-4747
http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields/
Grant Recipient: OAI, Inc., IL
312-528-3500
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
in this fact sheet are subject to change.
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA 560-F-09-009
January 2009
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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target disadvantaged residents living near the city's
more than 1,000 brownfield sites. Many of these
brownfields are located in the city's federally desig-
nated Empowerment Zone (EZ) and Renewal Commu-
nity (RC). The combined population of the EZ and RC
is more than 200,000. Seventy-two percent of this
population is African-American and 24 percent is
Hispanic. The city estimates that the poverty rate in
the EZ is at least 50 percent. Residents of these
communities face the residual effects of over 100
years of industrial activity and illegal dumping. Labor
market analysis in the environmental sector indicates
growth in demand through the year 2010. OAI's own
survey of local labor unions and environmental employ-
ers reflects this growth in the projected demand for
trained environmental technicians.
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