Brownfields 2003 Grant Fact Sheet

Oklahoma City, OK

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 job training grants provide training for residents of communities affected by brownfields to prepare them for employment in the assessment and cleanup of brownfield sites. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism.

JOB TRAINING GRANT - $200,000 Award in 2003

EPA has selected the Oklahoma City Office of Workforce Development for a brownfields job training grant. The Office of Workforce Development anticipates training 110 participants, achieving a 70% placement rate, and tracking students for one year. The training program will consist of seven 80-hour training cycles covering hazardous materials handling and methamphetamine lab remediation. Classes will be held at the city's police and fire department training campus. Candidates will be recruited from residents of the city's Empowerment Zone (EZ). Many of the priority brownfields identified when the city initiated an EPA-funded Brownfields Pilot are in or near the EZ. The Office of Workforce Development has years of experience in placing graduates in appropriate jobs.

COMMUNITY DESCRIPTION

The Oklahoma City Office of Workforce Development was selected to receive a job training grant. Oklahoma City (population 506,132) contains a federally designated EZ (population 47,823), from which students will be recruited. Most of the residents of the EZ are minorities and more than 44% of EZ households have an income below $15,000. The two major brownfields challenges facing this community are the presence of clandestine methamphetamine labs and a variety of petroleum-contaminated sites. Environmental companies are expanding their operations in the city, and this grant will be used to train local residents for living wage jobs in this growing business.

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 6 Brownfields Team
214-665-6736
http://www.epa.gov/earth1r6/6sf/bfpages/sfbfhome.htm

Grant Recipient: Oklahoma City Office of Workforce Development
405-297-3826

Prior to receipt of these funds in fiscal year 2003, Oklahoma City also received funding for assessment grants.