• A \ Brownfields 2009 Job Training Grant
J&Zj Fact Sheet
***««* Florida Community College at Jacksonville
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
Florida Community College at Jacksonville was selected
to receive a job training grant. The target area (population
171,483) is within a federally designated Empowerment
Zone. Approximately 37 percent of residents live below
the poverty level, and the median household income is
less than half the national average. Historical land use has
been commercial and industrial, and the city has the
largest area of identified brownfields in the state, totaling
12,000 acres. The demand for hazardous materials
removal workers is higher in Jacksonville than in the state
and nation, and local companies have indicated they have
a significant need for employees certified in
environmental skills. Local funding and wage subsidy
incentive programs provide employers with strong
motivation to hire trained environmental technicians,
which will help to create a demand for graduates of the
program.
Job Training Grant
$500,000
EPA has selected Florida Community College at
Jacksonville for a job training grant. The college
plans to train 170 participants, place at least 134
graduates in environmental jobs, and track
graduates for at least a year. The training program
will consist of nine, 16-week, 140-hour cycles over
three years. Training will include certifications in
FIAZWOPER, confined space entry, green and
traditional remediation, and asbestos and lead
abatement. All instructors will be licensed in their
areas of expertise. The local WorkSource and
Fresh Ministries, a grassroots organization, will
recruit residents in the two target areas of
Jacksonville. The college will work with more
than 15 local environmental firms to match
graduates with the needs of the firms' clients.
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 4 Brownfields Team
(404) 562-8792
EPA Region 4 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/region4/was te/bf)
Grant Recipient: Florida Community College at
Jacksonville
(904)632-3191
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-09-485
August 2009
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