^ Brownfields 2009 Job Training Grant Fact Sheet
™ Chattanooga
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
The City of Chattanooga was selected to receive a job
training grant. Located in southeastern Tennessee,
Chattanooga (population 169,884) is targeting
underemployed and unemployed residents in the central
city community. Once a heavy manufacturing center,
Chattanooga has experienced an economic decline.
Numerous plants closed as global conditions and
manufacturing methods changed, leaving Chattanooga
with 1,200 to 1,500 potential brownfields, including
former foundries and textile mills. The majority of these
sites are located in the central city area, where 62 percent
of residents are minorities and unemployment is nearly 14
percent. The city indicates that the market for
environmental technicians is strong, with several
brownfields cleanup projects underway or planned. The
city also expects cleanup to begin soon at the 3,000-acre
Enterprise South Industrial Park site. The need for
environmental technicians in Tennessee is projected to
grow by 30 percent through 2014.
Job Training Grant
$200,000
EPA has selected the City of Chattanooga for a
job training grant. Chattanooga plans to train 30
students, place 18 or more graduates in
environmental technician jobs, and track students
for one year. The training program will consist of
two, 497-hour training cycles, including a
brownfields redevelopment overview; courses on
environmental assessment, sampling, and analysis;
HAZWOPER and other safety and health training;
lead and asbestos abatement; and heavy equipment
operator training. Seven certifications will be
offered. The primary trainer will be Chattanooga
State Technical Community College. Students will
be recruited mainly from the low-income central
city area. Chattanooga will work with the
Tennessee Career Center and a network of
environmental firms 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 4 Brownfields Team
(404) 562-8792
EPA Region 4 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/region4/was te/bf)
Grant Recipient: Chattanooga
(563) 589-4393
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-09-008
January 2009
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