United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, D.C. 20460
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response(5101]
EPA 500-F-00-201
June 2000
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
Brownfields —
Workforce Development
Outreach and Special Projects Staff (5105)
Quick Reference Fact Sheet
EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower states, communities, and other
stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up,
and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield is a site, or portion thereof, that has actual or perceived
contamination and an active potential for redevelopment or reuse. EPA is funding: assessment demonstration pilot
programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to assess brownfields sites and to test cleanup and
redevelopment models; job training pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to provide training
for residents of communities affected by brownfields to facilitate cleanup of brownfields sites and prepare trainees
for future employment in the environmental field; and, cleanup revolving loan fund programs (each funded up to
$500,000 over five years) to capitalize loan funds to make loans for the environmental cleanup of brownfields. These
pilot programs are intended to provide EPA, states, tribes, municipalities, and communities with useful information
and strategies as they continue to seek new methods to promote a unified approach to site assessment,
environmental cleanup, and redevelopment.
Overview
EPA, in partnership with other Federal Agencies and
local environmental employment and training programs,
continues to develop long-term plans for fostering
workforce development in brownfields communities.
EPA believes that workforce development and job
training are the critical links between environmental
cleanup and safe and sustainable community
redevelopment. These efforts help to guarantee that
brownfields cleanup and redevelopment have the
trained workforce needed to revitalize contaminated
properties, and that local community members have
an opportunity to compete in the economic mainstream.
Job Training and Development Demonstration
Pilots
In 1998, EPA launched a new element of its
Brownfields Initiative to help local communities take
advantage of jobs created by the assessment and
cleanup of brownfields, and to facilitate the cleanup of
these sites: the Brownfields Job Training and
Development Demonstration Pilot program. The Job
Training Pilots, each located within or near a
Brownfields Assessment Demonstration Pilot, are
designed to train residents in communities impacted
by brownfields. These skills can then be used for
future employmentintheenvironmentalfield, including
cleanups employing an alternative or innovative
technology. The Pilots monitor the progress of
trainees for at least one year as they seek employment
in the environmental field.
Each Job Training Pilot is awarded up to $200,000
over a two-year period. Colleges, universities,
community j ob training organizations, nonprofit training
centers, States, counties, municipalities, Federally
recognized Indian Tribes, and U.S. Territories are all
eligible for the job training grants. Since fiscal year
1998, EPA has awarded a total of 37 Job Training
Pilots across the nation.
Workforce Development and Job Training
Partnerships
EPA is committed to building partnerships with States
and cities, and among Federal agencies to meet
workforce development and job training objectives.
EPA recognizes the need to promote environmental
workforce training programs in brownfields
communities throughout the country. In particular,
efforts are focused on the creation of j ob opportunities
in brownfields neighborhoods.
-------
National Institute of Environmental Health
Sciences
EPA is working with the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) to leverage
job training opportunities for residents of Brownfields
Pilots communities. EPA and NIEHS are working to
ensure that Minority Worker Training Program grants,
established to facilitate the development of minority
youth worker training programs, tie closely to ongoing
activities in Brownfields Pilot cities.
Department of Labor
EPA and the Department of Labor (DOL) signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to establish
policies and procedures in support of the Brownfields
Initiative. DOL's Employment and Training
Administration (ETA) and EPA are supporting the
Brownfields Pilots through their respective national
and regional office staffs. This EPA/DOL effort
focuses on job training and employment opportunities
related to the Brownfields Initiative for local youths
and adults.
Department of Veterans Affairs
EPA and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
are working on an MOU to establish policies and
procedures to work together in support of brownfields
efforts. It is envisioned that several national programs
administered by the VA, such as the Compensated
Work Therapy (CWT) programs and the Vocational
Rehabilitation and Counseling (VR&C) service, will
coordinate with EPA's Brownfields Initiative to
provide trained veterans to work in brownfields
projects.
Job Development, Education, and Training
Initiatives
EPA is funding and participating in job training and
education efforts linked to the Brownfields Initiative.
HMTRI
EPA is working with the Hazardous Materials Training
and Research Institute (HMTRI), based in the Eastern
Iowa Community College District, to expand
environmental training and curriculum development
at community colleges locatednear Brownfields Pilots.
HMTRI hosts workshops to assist community colleges
and other job training organizations from brownfields
communities in developing environmental job training
programs. HMTRI also provides follow-up technical
assistance to help tailor programs to specific community
labor market needs. To find out more information
about HMTRI, call (319) 441-4082 or refer to
HMTRFs homepage:
http://www.hmtri.org/
HMTRI also maintains the "Brownfields—Leading
to Environmental Solutions through Training"
homepage. BLEST provides additional information
on educational and job training opportunities, as well
as job development activities associated with EPA
Brownfields Pilots.
http://ateec.kirkwood.cc.ia.us/blest/
EPA and its partners are continuing their efforts to
develop training and apprenticeship programs to ensure
that the short- and long-term economic benefits of
brownfields cleanup and redevelopment are shared
by local communities.
Contacts
Myra Blakely
U.S. EPA
(202) 260-4527
blakely. my ra@epa. gov
Alternatively, please use the Internet World Wide
Web to access the EPA Brownfields Homepage:
http ://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
Brownfields Fact Sheet
June 2000
Brownfields—Workforce Development
EPA 500-F-00-201
------- |