April 21, 2004—A new round of Brownfields Job Training Grantsfrom the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will teach environmental-cleanup job skills to 1,080 individuals living in low-income areas near Brownfields sites in 16 communities. To date, more than 60 percent of people completing Brownfields training programs have obtained employment in the environmental field.
A total of $2.4 million will be awarded to 16 communities in 13 states (Wisconsin, Washington, Illinois, Alabama, Ohio, Alaska, Hawaii, Rhode Island, California, Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Missouri), to provide environmental job training in lead and asbestos abatement, mold remediation, environmental sampling, and related skills.
The number of grants awarded since the job-training program started in 1998 now totals 82; 66 pilots totaling $13.6 million are underway or complete. Since 2003, EPA has provided more than $75 million in all types of brownfields grants to states, local governments, and non-profits to revitalize these contaminated properties. EPA says that every acre of reclaimed brownfields saves 4.5 acres of “greenspace” such as park and recreation areas.
