Brownfields 2009 Job Training Grant
Fact Sheet
North Star Center for Human Development,
Hartford, CT
RECOYERUOV
EPA Brownfields Program
EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states,
communities, and other stakeholders to work together to
prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse
brownfields. A brownfield 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
February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed
into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The Recovery Act is an unprecedented effort to
jumpstart our economy, and create or save millions of
jobs. This law provided stimulus funds to the
Brownfields Program to award grants to train
unemployed or underemployed individuals to evaluate
and clean up former industrial and commercial sites.
Under this law, EPA will provide financial assistance to
eligible applicants through four competitive grant
programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund
grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants.
Community Description
The North Star Center for Human Development (North
Star) was selected to receive a job training grant. North
Star serves the City of Hartford. The target areas for
this grant will be the disadvantaged communities of
Blue Hills, Clay Arsenal, Northeast, and Upper Albany
(combined population 34,172). Hartford, with a poverty
rate of 30.6 percent, is the poorest large city in
Connecticut. Nearly 70 percent of residents are
minorities. There are 28 known brownfield sites
throughout the city, and the city also is home to one of
the state's largest sewage sludge incinerators. North
Star's job training program will recruit and train
residents from the target communities, which have been
negatively impacted by brownfields and environmental
contamination. Labor market data confirm that an
environmental technician training program will help the
economy of the community. The state also is ramping
up its efforts to create new employment opportunities in
the environmental health, renewable energy, and green
industries, indicating demand for program graduates.
Job Training Grant
$500,000
EPA has selected the North Star Center for Human
Development for a job training grant. North Star
plans to train at least 140 students, place at least 91
graduates in full-time environmental and/or green
jobs, and track graduates for two years. The training
program will consist of an eight-week, 324-hour
course entitled "the Green Environment Certificate
Program." Graduates will receive certifications in
HAZWOPER and asbestos and lead abatement.
Other courses will include an introduction to
environmental science, green initiatives, and
renewable energy. North Star will work with an
Employer Advisory Board consisting of several
environmental health and safety employers and with
the Connecticut Department 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
(http: //www. epa.gov/brownfields).
EPA Region 1 Brownfields Team
(617)918-1424
EPA Region 1 Brownfields Web site
(http: //www. epa.gov/region 1 /brownfields)
Grant Recipient: North Star Center for Human
Development, CT
(860) 246-3526
The information presented in this fact sheet comes
from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the
accuracy of this information. The cooperative
agreement for the grant has not yet been negotiated.
Therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are
subject to change.
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA 560-F-09-481
Aug 09
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