0\ Brownfields 2005 Job Training Grant Fact Sheet
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Downriver Community Conference, Wayne and Monroe
Counties, Ml
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 Downriver Community Conference (DCC) was
selected to receive a job training grant. DCC established
and coordinates the activities of the Downriver Area
Brownfields Consortium (DABC), which is a syndicate
created to address the environmental and economic
impacts of abandoned or underused contaminated
properties in Wayne and Monroe Counties in southeast
Michigan. Each of the 10 members of the DABC has been
the recipient of an EPA-funded assessment grant, and five
of the members also have received RLF grants. Poverty in
DABC communities ranges from 2-13 percent, and
unemployment ranges from 2.8-6.4 percent. Two of the
highest-need communities, River Rouge and Ecorse, have
median incomes under $20,000, and between 36 and 43
percent of residents do not have a high school diploma.
The state has identified 305 leaking underground storage
tanks and 57 hazardous waste brownfields in the DABC
area. Wayne County, the location of a number of DABC
members, has approximately 2,000 identified brownfields
sites. A survey of employers, environmental contractors,
and brownfields site owners in the area indicated that
trained environmental technicians are the number one
employer need.
Job Training Grant
$200,000
EPA has selected the Downriver Community
Conference (DCC) for a job training grant. DCC
plans to train 80 students, place 64 in
environmental jobs, and track students for one
year. The primary trainer for this program will be
Wayne County Community College. Students will
earn certification in HAZMAT awareness,
HAZWOPER, confined space entry, asbestos
contact supervisor initial training, lead worker,
mold remediation supervisor, and field sampling
skills development. Incentives to hire include
on-the-job training contracts with employers,
which pay up to 50 percent of new hires' wages
during a specified training period. Students will be
recruited from residents of the 10 member
communities in the Downriver Area Brownfields
Consortium. Placement will be facilitated through
the career development facilitators assigned to
each student, DCC's job placement specialists who
will maintain contact with area employers, and job
fairs.
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 5 Brownfields Team
(312) 886-7576
EPA Region 5 Brownfields Web site
(http://www.epa.gov/R5Brownfiel ds)
Grant Recipient: Downriver Community
Conference,MI
(734) 362-3477
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	c
Environmental	anri Fmpflpn™	EPA 560-F-05-261
Protection Agency	Response (5105T)	May 2005
Washington, DC 20450	Kesponse (si us )

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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	c
Environmental	anri Fmpflpn™	EPA 560-F-05-261
Protection Agency	Response (5105T)	May 2005
Washington, DC 20450	Kesponse (si us )

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