Brownfields 2010 Job Training Grant Fact Sheet
Heritage Community Initiatives, Allegheny County, PA
EPA Brownfields Program
EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states.
communities, and other stakeholders 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 contaminant. In
2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and
Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed to help
states and communities around the country cleanup and
revitalize brownfields sites. 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. Additionally, funding support is
provided to state and tribal response programs through
a separate mechanism.
Community Description
Heritage Community Initiatives was selected to receive
a job training grant. Located in southwestern
Pennsylvania, Heritage is a nonprofit organization that
supports the workforce development and educational
needs of communities throughout the Upper
Monongahela and Turtle Creek Valley regions of
Allegheny County. This job training grant will target 12
communities (population 82,713) located outside of
Pittsburgh that include some of the most impoverished
neighborhoods in the county. During the last few
decades, the area has experienced severe economic
distress resulting from massive layoffs and
manufacturing plant closings. The poverty rate in these
communities is as high as 45 percent, and as many as
69 percent of residents are African-American.
Brownfields located within or adjacent to the target
communities encompass nearly 1,600 acres. Significant
growth is expected in the Pittsburgh region for
environmental, deconstruction, and urban
eco-restoration technicians. A labor market analysis
indicates a rapidly evolving green jobs market, and
local business leaders also have confirmed their need
for skilled environmental workers.
Job Training Grant
$200,000
EPA has selected Heritage Community Initiatives
for a job training grant. Heritage plans to train 38
students, place 32 graduates in environmental jobs,
and track graduates for one year. The training
program will consist of two 10-week, 300-hour
training cycles. Graduates will receive certifications
in 40-hour HAZWOPER, construction safety, and
asbestos removal. Other courses will include
deconstruction, urban eco-restoration, and green
building design. Primary trainers include the
Steinbrenner Institute/Western Pennsylvania
Brownfields Center at Carnegie Mellon University
and Heritage's MOVE IT program. Students will be
recruited from low-income, unemployed, and
underemployed residents of brownfield-impacted
target neighborhoods in Allegheny County, with an
emphasis on women and minorities. To place
graduates in environmental jobs, Heritage will work
with its extensive network of community members,
businesses, and business development organizations,
including the Three Rivers Workforce Investment
Board and the Enterprise Zone Corporation of
Braddock.
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
(http://www.epa.gov/brownfields).
EPA Region 3 Brownfields Team
(215)814-3129
EPA Region 3 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bf-lr)
Grant Recipient: Heritage Community Initiatives,PA
(412) 351-0535 ext 102
The information presented in this fact sheet comes
from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the
accuracy of this information. The cooperative
agreement for the grant has not yet been negotiated.
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA 560-F-10-248
Apr 10
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Therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are
subject to change.
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA 560-F-10-248
Apr 10
------- |