Brownfields to Greenfields

Project Background

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Brownfields Initiative encourages the redevelopment of America's estimated 450,000 to 600,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites. By the end of 2008, EPA awarded:

• 1,255 assessment grants
• 230 revolving loan fund grants
• 426 cleanup grants
• 95 job training grants

A primary constraint restricting equitable access to thousands of potential Brownfields environmental jobs is an untrained local workforce. HMTRI / ATEEC has worked with EPA in this area of the Brownfields Initiative since its inception in 1994. Since that time, HMTRI / ATEEC has:

• Organized and conducted 21 national Brownfields Job Development workshops attended by nearly 750 stakeholders;
• Organized and conducted ten annual forums for Brownfields Job Development and Training grant recipients attended by 550 community stakeholders focusing on improving the effectiveness of job training programs, and sharing training and job development methodologies;
• Built and maintained the Brownfields Toolbox Web site; and
• Provided technical assistance to Brownfields stakeholders throughout the country.

Current Project Activities

Under a new EPA cooperative agreement awarded to HMTRI / ATEEC in January 2009, efforts will continue to directly serve people from Brownfields communities nationwide that have an interest in environmental and green job development and training. Additional sectors served through this project include representatives from academic institutions and/or training providers, community-based organizations, state and local government agencies, workforce development, business and industry, organized labor, and tribal communities.

The project goal and objectives will be carried out through the implementation of the following activities:

• Create Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) composed of Brownfields stakeholders interested in developing programs to train under and unemployed residents for environmental jobs in their communities through a recruitment and application process.
• Conduct an annual forum for communities that have an active or established Brownfields Job Development and Training Program through invitations to current and past EPA-funded job training grantees.
• Build on the existing Brownfields Toolbox Web site to add an interactive Trainer Resource component to better communicate with community stakeholders, job development program grantees, and others interested in developing equitable environmental job development and training programs.

For more information on the Brownfields to Greenfields project, contact Glo Hanne.