Brownfields 2005 Grant Fact Sheet

Isles, Inc., Trenton, 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 Isles, Inc., for a job training grant. Isles plans to train at least 50 students, place at least 40 in environmental jobs, and track graduates for one year. The program will offer 285 hours of training, including environmental assessment, field investigation and sampling, contaminated soils management, OSHA safety training for construction and hazardous waste workers, and lead abatement. Primary trainers will be Isles, Inc., and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, School of Public Health. Students will be recruited from among low-income, unemployed, and underemployed minority residents of Trenton. Isles, Inc., will work with city, county, and state brownfields programs and environmental employers to place graduates as environmental technicians.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

Isles, Inc., was selected to receive a job training grant. Isles is located in Trenton, New Jersey (population 85,403), a designated Brownfields Showcase Community. Trenton is one of the nation's poorest cities, despite being located within one of the nation's wealthiest counties. The poverty rate in Trenton is 21 percent and the unemployment rate is above 8 percent. Seventy-five percent of Trenton's residents are minorities. The decline of manufacturing in the city left many properties abandoned and contaminated. The state has identified 110 known contaminated sites and 156 underground storage tanks in Trenton. Lead poisoning is a significant issue, as the city's 2003 rates were approximately three times higher than surrounding communities. Isles has a successful track record of working with the city and engaging residents in brownfields redevelopment and environmental health promotion. Over the last ten years, the city has seen a significant number of brownfields redeveloped; however, this has not led to a high degree of local employment in environmental jobs. Environmental employers in the area have expressed a strong interest in hiring local residents trained as environmental technicians.

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: Isles, Inc., NJ
609-341-4705

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