I
                          UJ
 Brownfields  2006

 Grant Fact  Sheet

 Goodwill Industries of

     the Conemaugh

       Valley,  Inc.,  PA



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
Goodwill Industries of the Conemaugh Valley, Inc. was
selected to receive a job training grant. The target
community of Johnstown (population 23,906) has
several brownfields, including the Lower Cambria Iron
Job Training Grant
$200,0000
EPA has selected Goodwill Industries of the
Conemaugh Valley, Inc. for a job training grant.
Goodwill Industries will train 40 residents, place a
minimum of 34 graduates in environmental
occupations or secondary education, and track
graduates for two years. The instruction, which
includes hands-on experience, consists of four 15-
week training cycles, each with 240 contact
hours. The Pennsylvania Highlands Community
College (PHCC) will deliver the training at the
college and at the Greater Johnstown Career and
Technology Center. Course instruction includes
hazardous materials management, environmental
geology, sampling, monitoring, HAZWOPER, and
mobile equipment handling and safety. Graduates
will receive HAZWOPER certification and
automatically qualify for admission into PHCC
with 13 hours of technical core credits. Goodwill
Industries will recruit Johnstown area residents
most affected by harmful environmental condi-
tions, and if necessary, reach out to the remainder
of Cambria County (population 149,543). Goodwill
Industries employs job development staff who
meet with environmental employers and hold
environmental career fairs.
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 3 Brownfields Team
215-814-3246
http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bfs/index.htm
Grant Recipient: Goodwill Industries of the
Conemaugh Valley, Inc., PA
814-536-3536, ext. 230
                                                Solid Waste and
                                                Emergency Response
                                                (5105T)
                     EPA 560-F-05-270
                     December 2005
                     www.epa.gov/brownfields

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Works and other former industrial facilities, that
negatively impact the city's depressed economy and
quality of life. EPA awarded brownfields assessment
and cleanup grants to Johnstown in 2004, thereby
increasing the demand for environmental technicians.
This demand is likely to increase further due to the
large number of mining and mine drainage sites that
also  require assessment and cleanup. Johnstown's
poverty rate for families is 142 percent greater than the
state average and 105 percent greater than the national
average. The unemployment rate is about 66 percent
higher than that of the state and nation. Twenty percent
of Johnstown residents between the ages of 19 and 21
are not working or enrolled in school, compared to 14
percent for the state. Environmental employers report
that they have been unable to find skilled environmental
workers in the local area.
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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