Brownfields 2009 Job Training Grant
Fact Sheet
St. Louis Community College, MO
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
St. Louis Community College was selected to receive a
job training grant. The target areas for this grant will be
brownfields-impacted communities within the federally
designated St. Louis Regional Empowerment Zone
(combined population 38,000). These communities have
suffered for years from a lack of financial and social
investment. Almost half of residents live below the
poverty level, and the unemployment rate is over 24
percent. The majority of residents are minorities.
Abandoned warehouses, factories, and other commercial
buildings are reminders of the changes in the St. Louis
economy over the last 50 years. A recent labor market
assessment by the State of Missouri indicated that the
need for hazardous materials removal workers will grow
by 37 percent. There are more than 110 brownfields in St.
Louis, and remediation efforts at these sites will require
skilled technical employees.
Job Training Grant
$500,000
EPA has selected St. Louis Community College
for a job training grant. The college plans to train
120 participants, graduate at least 102 students,
place at least 77 graduates in environmental
technician jobs, and track graduates for one year.
The training program will consist of over 200
hours of technical training in hazardous materials
handling and remediation techniques. Graduates
will receive certifications in HAZWOPER, OSHA
10-hour health and safety, mold remediation,
weatherization, ecosystem restoration, and lead
and asbestos abatement. The primary trainers will
be instructors from the college and from the Saint
Louis University Center for Environmental
Education and Training. The college's placement
services will help graduates find jobs with area
employers and work with an advisory group of
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 7 Brownfields Team
(800) 223-0425
EPA Region 7 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/region7/cle anup/brownfields
)
Grant Recipient: St. Louis Community
College,MO
(314)951-9850
The information presented in this fact sheet comes
from the grant proposal; EPA cannot attest to the
accuracy of this information. The cooperative
United States
Environmental
Protection Agency
Washington, DC 20450
Solid Waste
and Emergency
Response (5105T)
EPA 560-F-09-489
August 2009
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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-09-489
August 2009
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