Brownfields 2005 Grant Fact Sheet

Essex County, NJ

EPA BROWNFIELDS PROGRAM

EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders in economic development 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. The brownfields job training grants provide residents of communities impacted by brownfields with the skills and training needed to effectively gain employment in assessment and cleanup activities associated with brownfield redevelopment and environmental remediation. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism.

JOB TRAINING GRANT

$200,000

EPA has selected Essex County for a job training grant. The county plans to train 40 students and place at least 30 graduates in entry-level environmental technician jobs. Graduates will be tracked for one year. The 144-hour training program will be conducted by the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT). Courses will include OSHA health and safety training for hazardous waste workers; introduction to environmental science; site assessment, investigation, and remediation techniques, including protocols for sampling, measurement, and instrumentation; and treatment technologies. Students will be recruited primarily from among Essex County communities impacted by brownfields. The Workforce Investment Board of Essex County and the One Stop Career Center of Essex County will assist with placing graduates in environmental jobs.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

Essex County was selected to receive a job training grant. All communities in the county (population 793,633) will be included in this grant. The county-wide poverty rate is 15.6 percent, and the unemployment rate is 7.3 percent. These are significantly above state averages. Minority populations predominate within entrenched high-poverty areas, including the poor, urban core of Newark and surrounding urban rim communities. The majority of the 700 sites on the county's list of known contaminated sites are located within these areas. The county's population density is the second highest in New Jersey, one of the country's most densely populated states. This density underscores the need to redevelop brownfields. Essex County and several municipalities within the county are spearheading major rehabilitation projects, and private sector interest and activity in local brownfields is strong. The State of New Jersey has estimated that demand for environmental technicians will increase 18 percent by 2010.

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.

EPA Region 2 Brownfields Team
212-637-4314
http://www.epa.gov/region02/superfund/brownfields/

Grant Recipient: Essex County, NJ
973-395-8400

The cooperative agreement for this grant has not yet been negotiated; therefore, activities described in this fact sheet are subject to change.