I
                          UJ
 Brownfields  2006

 Grant Fact Sheet

 Center for Integrated

 Waste  Management,

   SUNY-Buffalo, NY



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 the
Brownfields 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 Center for Integrated Waste Management,  State
University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY-Buffalo)
was selected to receive a job training grant.  The
training will target residents of Buffalo, Lackawanna,
Job Training Grant
$141,7640
EPA has selected the Center for Integrated
Waste Management, State University of New
York at Buffalo (SUNY-Buffalo) for a job training
grant. SUNY-Buffalo plans to train 70 individuals,
place a minimum of 63 graduates in environmental
jobs, and track students for at least one year. The
training program will include 300 hours of in-class
and on-site instruction in a variety of skill areas
needed for employment in the environmental field.
Hazardous waste site worker, asbestos handler,
and OSHA safety construction certifications will
be offered. SUNY-Buffalo will conduct the
training. The program will enroll disadvantaged
individuals from brownfields-impacted areas in the
target communities. The applicant and its partners
will provide job readiness and job placement
assistance to the graduates.  Two Workforce
Investment Boards have committed to financially
supporting companies that provide work experi-
ence or internships to the graduates.
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.
EPA Region 2 Brownfields Team
212-637-4314
http://www.epa.gov/region02/brownfields/
Grant Recipient: Center for Integrated Waste
Management, SUNY-Buffalo, NY
716-645-3446
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-05-265
                     December 2005
                     www.epa.gov/brownfields

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Niagara Falls, and Niagara County (combined popula-
tion 531,539). Parts of each of these communities are
located within federal Empowerment Zone/Enterprise
Communities or Renewal Communities. This area of
western New York  State once benefitted from a
vibrant economy based on heavy industry, including iron
and steel production, chemical manufacturing, and
materials processing. Following a gradual restructuring
of its industrial base, this region has been unable to
replace the number or quality of jobs lost from the
closure or divestiture of many industries. As a result,
the area has experienced a substantial out-migration.
The unemployment rate in Niagara County is consis-
tently higher than national and state  averages. In
Buffalo, the third poorest city in the country, nearly 27
percent of residents live in poverty. The median
household income in Lackawanna is 32 percent lower
than the state-wide  median, and a third of the popula-
tion lives in poverty. Niagara County has more than 700
brownfields and numerous other sites contaminated
with hazardous substances. Increasing redevelopment
of contaminated sites is driving the demand for environ-
mental technician jobs.

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