V® PR0^ Brownfields 2009 Job Training Grant Fact Sheet Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc., Portland 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 Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. (OTI), was selected to receive a job training grant. OTI is a nonprofit organization that serves the Greater Portland and Multnomah County areas (population 671,121) in northwest Oregon. More than 17 percent of county families live below the poverty level. For families with a female head of household and children under the age of five, the poverty rate is 51 percent. According to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, there are 700 contaminated sites within the City of Portland. Many of these sites are located along commercial corridors and threaten adjacent residential neighborhoods. Major thoroughfares, municipal landfills, and sewage treatment plants are located within these neighborhoods. At the same time, the Portland region is experiencing a population growth that is more than twice the national average. Limited developable land within Portland is creating great pressure for brownfields redevelopment. Oregon's economic history indicates that there will continue to be a demand for graduates with certified environmental skills. Job Training Grant $200,000 EPA has selected Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc. (OTI), for a job training grant. OTI plans to train 120 participants, place a minimum of 78 trainees in environmental jobs, and track students for at least two years, including a minimum of one year after the close of the grant. The training program will consist of at least eight six-week, 145-hour cycles that will include 40-hour HAZWOPER certification training, certification of graduation from a state approved pre-apprentice program, and training in specialized knowledge of brownfields problems and solutions. Primary trainers include OTI, the University of Washington, three environmental justice organizations, and the Portland Brownfields Program. Students will be recruited from the low-income, minority, unemployed, or underemployed female population in the area. OTI has developed partnerships with labor unions that operate apprenticeship programs and with potential employers. These partners will work with OTI 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/CL EANUP.NSF/sites/bf) Grant Recipient: Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc., Portland (503) 335-8200 ext 22 The information presented in this fact sheet comes United States c Environmental anri Fmpflpn™ EPA 560-F-09-015 Protection Agency Response (5105D January 2009 Washington, DC 20450 Kesponse (si us ) ------- 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 and Emergency Response (5105T) Solid Waste EPA 560-F-09-015 January 2009 ------- |