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Brownfields 2008
Grant Fact Sheet
Anniston, AL
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. 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 con-
taminant. 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. Additionally, funding support
is provided to state and tribal response programs through
a separate mechanism.
Community Description
The City of Anniston was selected to receive a job
training grant. Anniston (population 26,276) has experi-
enced environmental problems stemming from its once
dominant industrial and military-based economy. In
1929, Anniston was home to 117 iron foundries and
Job Training Grant
$200,000
EPA has selected the City of Anniston for a job
training grant. The city plans to recruit 66 students,
graduate 60 trainees, and place at least 48 in
environmental jobs. Graduates will be tracked for
one year. The city plans to provide three 230-hour
training cycles over a two-year period. Each eight-
week cycle will include a core curriculum consist-
ing of an overview of brownfields and environ-
mental training, and coursework in HAZWOPER,
OSHA general industry outreach, mold and
asbestos awareness, and confined space entry.
Specialized training will be offered in environmental
sampling; lead, asbestos, and mold abatement; and
heavy equipment operation. Environmental training
will be conducted by HGS Engineering, Inc., and
the Union Foundry Health and Safety Department.
Additional recruitment and training services will be
provided by Gadsden State Community College and
Community Against Pollution. Students will be
recruited from the residents of Anniston who have
been negatively impacted by the presence of
brownfields in their community. The city will work
with its other cooperative partners to place gradu-
ates in environmental jobs. Anniston also will
establish local workforce provisions requiring
contractors to hire program graduates for future
brownfields projects.
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.
Kathleen Curry, EPA Region 4
404-562-8660
http://www.epa.gov/region4/waste/bf/index.htm
Grant Recipient: Anniston, AL
256-236-3422
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA 560-F-08-229
March 2008
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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other major manufacturing facilities. With the steady
decline and closing of many of these industrial employ-
ers, Anniston was left with potentially contaminated
properties and high unemployment rates. In addition.
the closing of Fort McClellan resulted in a loss of over
4,000 local jobs. The majority of the city's oldest
foundries and heavy manufacturing facilities were in
the targeted West Anniston neighborhood. Between
1980 and 2000, West Anniston's population decreased
by 46 percent. The poverty and unemployment rates in
the neighborhood are 38 and 17 percent, respectively,
and 92 percent of area residents are African-Ameri-
can. Residents of this community will be recruited and
trained to address the demands for environmental
cleanup in Anniston. The city has begun the process of
marketing program graduates to the community by
including employers in the training program planning
process.
The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
in this fact sheet are subject to change.
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