Environmental lawyer Sanders says City of Chattanooga awarded $200,000 grant to clean up old contaminated properties in city.

The City of Chattanooga, Tenn. is receiving a $200,000 EPA Brownfields job training grant geared toward cleaning up contaminated properties and turning them into productive community assets. The grant will teach environmental assessment and cleanup job skills to individuals living in areas near Brownfields sites.

The City of Chattanooga plans to train 30 students, place 18 or more graduates in environmental technician jobs, and track students for one year. The training program will consist of two training cycles, including a Brownfields redevelopment overview; courses on environmental assessment, sampling, and analysis; safety and health training; lead and asbestos abatement; and heavy equipment operator training.

Brownfields are sites where expansion, redevelopment or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant or contaminant. In 2002, the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act was passed to help states and communities around the country clean up and revitalize Brownfields sites.

Information on January 2009 grant recipients: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/09jtgrants/index.htm

Information on Brownfields job training grants: http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/job.htm