I
                           UJ
 Brownfields  2007

 Grant  Fact  Sheet

              Oregon

  Tradeswomen, Inc.,

        Portland,  OR



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
Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. (OTI), was selected to
receive a job training grant. The grant will focus on
communities within the greater Portland (population
538,345) and Multnomah County (population 671,121)
  Job Training Grant
   $198,332
   EPA has selected Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc., for
   a job training grant. OTI plans to train 140
   students in 12 training cycles, place at least 91 in
   environmental jobs, and track graduates for two
   years. Participants will complete 140 hours of
   course work, including OS HA safety, hazardous
   waste worker, and confined space entry training.
   Participants also will complete OTI's Oregon
   State Apprenticeship and Training Council's
   approved pre-apprenticeship program. Through a
   partnership with the community group Organizing
   People Activating Leaders (OPAL),  OTI will
   recruit low-income, minority, unemployed, or
   underemployed students, with a focus on women,
   from disadvantaged communities within the
   greater Portland and Multnomah County areas.
   OTI will work with the Northwestern Environ-
   mental Business Council to place graduates in
   environmental jobs.
   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 10 Brownfields Team
  206-553-6378
  http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/CLEANUP.NSF/
  sites/bf
  Grant Recipient: Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc., OR
  503-335-8200
  The cooperative agreement for this grant has not
  yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described
  in this fact sheet are subject to change.
areas that have been negatively impacted by
brownfields. Many of Portland's vital commercial
                                                Solid Waste and
                                                Emergency Response
                                                (5105T)
                        EPA 560-F-06-264
                        November 2006
                        www.epa.gov/brownfields

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corridors are littered with potentially contaminated.
abandoned, or underused properties that stifle the local
economy and contribute to the county's higher than
average unemployment and poverty rates of 6 percent
and 18 percent, respectively. Portland-area brownfields
are particularly burdensome because their presence in
densely populated inner city neighborhoods leads to a
culture of disinvestment and contributes to urban blight.
Several high-profile brownfield redevelopment projects
are currently underway in downtown Portland, includ-
ing the redevelopment of the North Macadam district
and River Place. These large redevelopment projects,
along with numerous smaller-scale projects in outlying
areas of the city, have greatly increased the demand
for trained environmental workers.

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