All News Releases By Date

EPA PROVIDES NEW BEDFORD $200,000 FOR BROWNFIELDS JOB TRAINING

Release Date: 08/14/1998
Contact Information: Alice Kaufman, Press Office, (617) 918-1064

BOSTON -- The Environmental Protection Agency is providing the city of New Bedford with $200,000 to prepare trainees for employment related to the assessment, cleanup and redevelopment of "brownfield" properties whose reuse has been impeded by contamination.

New Bedford was one of only 11 entities nationwide to receive the funding under the "Brownfields Job Training and Development Demonstration Projects" initiative. Jobs for Youth-Boston also received funding.

The city will use the funds to train 36 students for 25 weeks in areas such as environmental regulations, hazardous waste management, and field sampling methods and protocols. New Bedford's high unemployment rate and abundance of brownfields indicate a need for environmental job training and high potential for post-training employment. "This funding takes our brownfields initiative one step further by not only identifying contaminated sites, but also developing a work force to clean them up," said John P. DeVillars, administrator of the EPA's New England Office. "Six months from now, we should have a fully qualified group to begin tackling the tough yet achievable task of revitalizing many of New Bedford's abandoned, idled properties."

Senator John F. Kerry (D-MA) said: "This program enables citizens to play an active role in the environmental cleanup of their own communities. In addition, it provides community members with the environmental training and knowledge that will secure greater long-term economic stability and open doors to a brighter environmental future."

Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA) said: "I commend the city of New Bedford and the Jobs for Youth program in Boston for their commitment to the rehabilitation and remediation of these sites. With these EPA projects, New Bedford, Lynn, and Somerville wil train and prepare a total of 86 students to join a permanent environmental professional workforce that will contribute to a revitalized economy and a cleaner environment."

Last year, the EPA gave New Bedford $200,00 in brownfields funding to evaluate potential sites for aquaculture use. The city is in the process of assessing sites that could be used for this purpose.

To date, the EPA has awarded 228 brownfields assessment pilot grants totaling over $42 million to states, cities, towns, counties and tribes. These grants have leveraged almost $1 billion for redevelopment and created over 2,000 jobs.