^ Brownfields 2009 Job Training Grant Fact Sheet Civic Works, Baltimore 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. 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. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism. Community Description Civic Works was selected to receive a job training grant. Located in Baltimore, Civic Works is targeting low-income residents of the city's Empowerment Zone and Enterprise Community. Once a thriving industrial center, Baltimore (population 631,366) has lost more than half of its manufacturing jobs in the last 20 years. Nearly 17 percent of Baltimore residents live in poverty, and the city's unemployment rate is close to 11 percent. Approximately 67 percent of city residents are minorities. The city's industrial decline has produced a large inventory of brownfields, with an estimated 1,000 brownfields throughout the city. Many of these brownfields are located along the industrial waterfront that drains into the environmentally sensitive Chesapeake Bay. Based on employer estimates and the projected number of contaminated site cleanups, the city foresees openings for at least 100 entry-level environmental positions each year. Job Training Grant $200,000 EPA has selected Civic Works for a job training grant. Civic Works plans to train 40 students, graduate 36, place at least 30 graduates in entry-level environmental jobs, and track students for one year. The training program will consist of two, 212-hour training cycles that include coursework in HAZWOPER and other health and safety courses, environmental assessment and sampling, brownfields redevelopment, and ecology. Six certifications will be offered. Primary trainers will be selected from among a pool of experienced, certified instructors. Recruitment efforts will focus on low-income, unemployed, or underemployed Baltimore residents. Civic Works will work with Career Developer 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 (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: Civic Works, Baltimore (410) 366-8533 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. 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-09-007 Jan 09 ------- |