Brownfields 2008 Grant Fact Sheet

St. Nicholas Neighborhood Preservation Corporation, Brooklyn, NY

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 the St. Nicholas Neighborhood Preservation Corporation (SNNPC) for a job training grant. SNNPC plans to recruit 80 community residents, train at least 67 students, place a minimum of 48 graduates in environmental jobs, and track graduates for two years. The training program will consist of three 12-week, 450-hour cycles, and one 225-hour evening program. One of the cycles will be tailored to a bilingual population. Certifications in HAZWOPER, construction health and safety, asbestos and lead training, and air monitoring for emergency response will be offered. Primary trainers will be Williamsburg Works, SNNPC’s workforce development arm, and Ando International. Students will be recruited from low- and moderate-income, predominantly Hispanic and African-American communities in and around North Brooklyn. SNNPC will work with local, regional, and national employers, as well as labor unions, to place graduates in environmental jobs.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The St. Nicholas Neighborhood Preservation Corporation (SNNPC) was selected to receive a job training grant. SNNPC’s brownfields job training program will target economically disadvantaged individuals living in and around North Brooklyn (population 160,000), where residents are predominantly Hispanic and African-American. The median household income in this community is $16,000, and 75 percent of residents live below the poverty level. The area has historically had a significant amount of land devoted to manufacturing and industrial use. In recent years, many local businesses have moved to other parts of the city or closed down, leaving a high number of brownfields in need of cleanup. A high level of construction and land rehabilitation, greater oversight of the cleanup industry, and new laws affecting housing renovation have all increased the demand for skilled environmental workers, as have the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

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.

Yocasta De Jesus, EPA Region 2
212-637-4340
EPA Region 2 Brownfields web site

Grant Recipient: St. Nicholas Neighborhood Preservation Corporation, NY
718-388-5454

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