Brownfields 2009 Job Training Grant
Fact Sheet
Tacoma, WA
RECOUERY.GOV
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
February 17, 2009, President Barack Obama signed
into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
The Recovery Act is an unprecedented effort to
jumpstart our economy, and create or save millions of
jobs. This law provided stimulus funds to the
Brownfields Program to award grants to train
unemployed or underemployed individuals to evaluate
and clean up former industrial and commercial sites.
Under this law, EPA will provide financial assistance to
eligible applicants through four competitive grant
programs: assessment grants, revolving loan fund
grants, cleanup grants, and job training grants.
Community Description
The City of Tacoma was selected to receive a job
training grant. Tacoma, a federally designed Renewal
Community, will target distressed areas of Pierce
County. The target area has 224,484 residents, of whom
27.8 percent are minorities, and 14.8 percent live in
poverty. Much of the city's waterfront development has
closed or relocated, leaving many vacant and
potentially contaminated sites. The areas hardest hit by
economic challenges contain a significant number of
brownfields. Program graduates will receive
certifications needed for many of the county's
fastest-growing occupations, including construction
worker, environmental technician, and hazardous
materials mover. The city's first-source hiring
agreements, employer commitments to hire trainees,
and diverse partnerships will facilitate graduates taking
advantage of these job opportunities.
Job Training Grant
$500,000
EPA has selected the City of Tacoma for a job
training grant. The city plans to train 200
participants, place 150 graduates in environmental
jobs, and track graduates for a year. The training
program will consist of eight, 98-hour or 212-hour
cycles on four tracks. The fast track will consist of
98 hours of training. Tracks for traditional
remediation, green collar, and weatherization
training will consist of 212 hours. All cycles will
include certifications in HAZWOPER, OSHA
10-hour health and safety, first aid/CPR, and forklift
training. The primary trainer will be Clover Park
Technical College. Recruitment will be managed by
the Metropolitan Development Council and will
focus on disadvantaged residents who bear a greater
share of the environmental and economic burden of
brownfields. The city will work with the Local
Employment and Apprenticeship Training Program,
Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, and other
local 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 10 Brownfields Team
(206)553-7299
EPA Region 10 Brownfields Web site
(http://yosemite.epa.gov/R10/CLEANUP.NSF/
sites/bf)
Grant Recipient: City of Tacoma,WA
(253) 594-7933
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-09-494
Aug 09
-------
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-09-494
Aug 09
------- |