Absentee Shawnee Tribe Receives EPA Grant

By Journal Record Staff

The Absentee Shawnee Tribe will be the first tribe in the region to receive a $200,000 brownfields job training grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The grant will be used to train students in an eight-week remediation worker certification course.

This grant follows on previous awards for brownfields assessment and tribal response, said Richard E. Greene, EPA regional administrator. The tribe’s commitment to responsible redevelopment makes it a leader in tribal brownfields programs.

A brownfield is a property where expansion, redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. The brownfields job training grant encourages federal agencies, local communities, job training organizations, community colleges, labor groups and nonprofit agencies to develop long-term employment through environmental training.

EPA has selected 12 communities in 11 states to receive a total of $2 million in brownfields job training grants.