The EPA is going to provide financial assistance to provide training for residents in communities impacted by brownfields. Brownfields are abandoned sites, usually in urban locations, that are tainted by either real or perceived contamination, making them undesirable of private redevelopment efforts. EPA Administrator Christine Whitman announced that the EPA will provide $2 million in assistance and is expected to select up to 10 pilot projects by December. The project, called the Brownfield Job Training and Development Demonstration Pilots, will facilitate cleanup of brownfields sites contaminated with hazardous substances and also will prepare trainees for future employment in the environmental field.

Each selected site will receive up to $200,000 over two years. The funds will be used to build partnerships between community groups, job training organizations, employers, investors, lenders, developers and other affected parties to provide training to residents in communities impacted by brownfields.