Brownfields 2009 Job Training Grant Fact Sheet
Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice, Detroit
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
Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice (DWEJ)
was selected to receive a job training grant. The Detroit
community (population 951,270) is 85 percent
African-American, and poverty and unemployment
rates in the city are the highest in the nation. According
to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality,
Detroit is home to 23 percent of the state's reported
toxic releases. With the decline in the auto and other
manufacturing industries, the city has been left with an
abundance of brownfields. Recent reports indicate that
the demand for skilled environmental workers is
increasing in Michigan. In addition, investments in
renewable energy and energy efficiency are expected to
result in more than 30,000 jobs in Michigan. These
developments represent opportunities for trained
environmental technicians.
Job Training Grant
$200,000
EPA has selected Detroiters Working for
Environmental Justice (DWEJ) for a job training
grant. DWEJ plans to train and graduate 80 students,
place a minimum of 60 graduates in environmental
jobs, and track graduates for two to three years. The
480-hour environmental technician training program
will be offered four times over a two-year period.
Courses will include 1TAZWOPER training and
certification, lead and asbestos abatement, and site
assessment training, as well as green job training
courses in energy audits, geothermal power, and
phytoremediation. Primary trainers include the
United Auto Workers, the Coalition of Black Trade
Unionists, and the Environmental Training Center.
Students will be recruited from among unemployed
former auto workers, returning citizens, and
unemployed residents of metropolitan Detroit.
DWEJ will work with its community partners,
training entities, and potential employers 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 5 Brownfields Team
(312)886-7576
EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfields)
Grant Recipient: Detroiters Working for
Environmental Justice, Detroit
(313)833-3935
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-09-011
Jan 09
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E-ironmental andEmXency EPA 560-F-09-011
Protection Agency ResDonse(51oVn Jan °9
Washington, DC 20450 Kesponse (bl Ob I)
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