A "brownfield" is a property where the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
It is estimated that there are more than 450,000 brownfields in the U.S., and because of its industrial past and present, Connecticut has its share, even in rural communities.
Grants have been awarded in 12 states including Connecticut, to share $2.6 million in job training grants to clean up contaminated properties and turn them into productive community assets. The recipients are Northwest Regional Workforce Investment Board, Waterbury, and The Workplace, Inc., Southwestern Connecticut Regional Workforce, Bridgeport. For details, see this EPA link.
The EPA Brownfields Program, earmarked grants of $200,000 each to non-profit organizations, workforce investment boards, and state and local governments.
The grant money will "teach environmental assessment and cleanup job skills to individuals living in areas near brownfields sites" in Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee, and Wisconsin.
