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Brownfields 2008
Grant Fact Sheet
Absentee Shawnee
Tribe of Indians of
Oklahoma
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 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 Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma
(AST) was selected to receive a job training grant.
This grant targets underemployed and unemployed
tribal members (tribal population 3,057) and non-tribal
residents living within commuting distance of the AST's
Job Training Grant
$200,000
EPA has selected the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of
Indians of Oklahoma (AST) for a job training
grant. The AST plans to train at least 75 students
and anticipates placing 53 in environmental jobs.
The tribe plans to provide a four-module, eight-
week training course entitled "Remediation
Worker Certification." Coursework will include
HAZWOPER; confined space entry and rescue;
asbestos and lead abatement; clandestine drug
laboratory awareness and cleanup; air, soil, and
water quality sampling; and courses on environ-
mental equipment and safety. East Central
University and Gordon Cooper Vo-Tech will
partner with tribal staff to provide the environ-
mental and safety training. Recruitment will focus
on unemployed or underemployed Native Ameri-
cans and non-tribal residents living within com-
muting distance of the tribe's brownfields assess-
ment project in Tecumseh, Oklahoma. Primary
partners in facilitating this project and placing
graduates in environmental jobs include the AST
Workforce Investment Program, Pottawatomie
County Workforce Investment Center, Love Link,
Inc., and several environmental consulting and
engineering firms.
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.
Dorothy Crawford, EPA Region 6
214-665-2771
www.epa.gov/region6/brownfields
Grant Recipient: Grant Recipient: Absentee
Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma
405-273-9966
Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA 560-F-08-233
March 2008
www.epa.gov/brownfields
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brownfields assessment site in Tecumseh, Oklahoma.
This includes residents of Pottawatomie County and
another six surrounding counties in central and south
central Oklahoma that have a combined population of
more than 1.1 million. Approximately eight percent of
Oklahoma residents are Native American, as com-
pared to the national average of one percent. They are
among the state's most socio-economically disadvan-
taged populations. The poverty rates in the targeted
counties range as high as 15.3 percent. When busi-
nesses left the area, the tribal community was left with
environmental problems and limited resources with
which to address them. The tribe plans to hire gradu-
ates of the program to work on its brownfields assess-
ment and cleanup projects, as well as to conduct
outreach to potential area employers. Contacts in the
state and industry indicate that there is a shortage of
qualified workers in the environmental field.
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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