Brownfields Workshops

Brownfields Definition         What is the Brownfields Redevelopment Initiative?

Annual Brownfields Job Training Grantee Meeting

Date

Spring 2008

Location

Washington, DC area

The Hazardous Materials Training and Research Institute (HMTRI) headquartered at Eastern Iowa Community College District in Davenport, Iowa, under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is sponsoring the Annual Brownfields Job Training Grantee meeting in the spring of 2008. Attendance is by invitation only. All grantees are encouraged to attend.

This meeting provides a unique opportunity to share a variety of approaches to Brownfields Job Training and Development. The focus of the meeting is for grantees to exchange information and ideas with each other and with EPA Regional and Headquarters representatives. The goal of the meeting is to assist every grantee to develop their best possible job training program. By attending, grantees will be provided with the opportunity for sharing the following information:

• Basic program component guidelines necessary for successful completion of your program, initiatives that support and interact with Brownfields activities, key measures and expectations, partnering, and related job development program issues;

• Project plans and implementation strategies with other grant recipients and your EPA project officer; and

• Available technical resources and technical assistance sources.

Some of the agenda topics will include:

• Fulfilling EPA Grant Requirements
• Funding Sources
• Student Recruitment and Assessment
• Support Services
• Job Placement
• Employer Strategies
• Job Development
• Innovative Training
• Curriculum Development
• Advisory Committees
• Partnerships
• Sustainability

Details and Questions

For more information, contact Glo Hanne at ghanne@eicc.edu.

Brownfields Definition

Many areas across the country that were once used for industrial and commercial purposes have been abandoned – some are contaminated. Because lenders, investors, and developers fear that involvement with these sites may make them liable for cleaning up contamination they did not create, they are more attracted to developing sites in pristine areas, called "greenfields." The result can be blighted areas rife with abandoned industrial facilities that create safety and health risks for residents, drive up unemployment, and foster a sense of hopelessness. These areas are called "brownfields."

Brownfields are defined as 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.

What is the Brownfields Economic Redevelopment Initiative?

EPA's Brownfields Initiative provides financial and technical assistance for brownfields revitalization, including grants for environmental assessment, cleanup, and job training. According to an EPA report, Reusing Land and Restoring Hope , the EPA began the Brownfields program in 1995 to "change the way people think about contaminated properties," and to begin to reuse these lands for economic redevelopment. The brownfields revitalization effort is based on four main goals:

• Protecting the environment
• Promoting partnerships
• Strengthening the marketplace
• Sustaining reuse

For a guide to implementing brownfields projects, please visit the Brownfields Toolbox Web site.