EPA's Brownfields Program empowers states, communities, and other stakeholders 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. Additionally, funding support is provided to state and tribal response programs through a separate mechanism.
$200,000
EPA has selected the Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma (AST) for a job training grant. The AST plans to train at least 75 students and anticipates placing 53 in environmental jobs. The tribe plans to provide a four-module, eight-week training course entitled "Remediation Worker Certification." Coursework will include HAZWOPER; confined space entry and rescue; asbestos and lead abatement; clandestine drug laboratory awareness and cleanup; air, soil, and water quality sampling; and courses on environmental equipment and safety. East Central University and Gordon Cooper Vo-Tech will partner with tribal staff to provide the environmental and safety training. Recruitment will focus on unemployed or underemployed Native Americans and non-tribal residents living within commuting distance of the tribe's brownfields assessment project in Tecumseh, Oklahoma. Primary partners in facilitating this project and placing graduates in environmental jobs include the AST Workforce Investment Program, Pottawatomie County Workforce Investment Center, Love Link, Inc., and several environmental consulting and engineering firms.