Brownfields Job Training and Development
Demonstration Pilot Fact Sheet

EPA's Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative is designed to empower states, communities, and other stakeholders in economic redevelopment to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields. A brownfield is a site, or portion thereof, that has actual or perceived contamination and an active potential for redevelopment or reuse. EPA is funding: assessment demonstration pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to assess brownfields sites and to test cleanup and redevelopment models; job training pilot programs (each funded up to $200,000 over two years), to provide training for residents of communities affected by brownfields to facilitate cleanup of brownfields sites and prepare trainees for future employment in the environmental field; and, cleanup revolving loan fund programs (each funded up to $500,000 over five years) to capitalize loan funds to make loans for the environmental cleanup of brownfields. These pilot programs are intended to provide EPA, states, tribes, municipalities, and communities with useful information and strategies as they continue to seek new methods to promote a unified approach to site assessment, environmental cleanup, and redevelopment.

TRAINING OBJECTIVES

King County and the City of Seattle plan to train a minimum of 50 residents with the EPA grant and ensure a 65 percent rate of job retention after one year. The Pilot will target low-income residents and welfare recipients from distressed neighborhoods in the Duwamish Industrial Corridor. The Pilot training program will consist of a 184-hour environmental technician curriculum, including the use of innovative assessment and cleanup technologies. Twenty of the graduates will be provided with an additional 120-hour advanced environmental assessment curriculum leading to certification.

The training efforts of King County and the City of Seattle will be supported by organizations such as the Environmental Coalition of South Seattle, three local community colleges, the Manufacturing Industrial Council of Seattle, and the King County Labor Council. Local employer support is strong; four environmental firms are committed to give priority consideration to hire graduates.

ACTIVITIES

Activities planned as part of this Pilot include:

• Conducting outreach to recruit low-income residents and welfare recipients living within the Duwamish industrial corridor;
• Conducting environmental technician and advanced environmental assessment training, including courses in the use of innovative assessment and cleanup technologies; and
• Supporting career placement of graduates for one year after the job training is completed.
• Funds leveraged from other sources will provide job readiness, life skills training and long-term follow up job placement.

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

CONTACTS

King County Office of Regional Policy and Planning
(206) 205-7070

Regional Brownfields Team
U.S. EPA - Region 10
(206) 553-6523

Visit the EPA Region 10 Brownfields web site.

For further information, including specific Pilot contacts, additional Pilot information, brownfields news and events, and publications and links, visit the EPA Brownfields web site.