SuperJTI  program  graduates  cleaning  up  T-­‐117      Matt  Stachowiak,  a  long-­‐time  resident  of  Seattle’s  South  Park  neighborhood,  worked  in  construction  and  landscaping  and  other  odd  jobs.  Now,  he  can  add  environmental  field  technician  to  his  resume.    Stachowiak  recently  went  to  work  for  AECOM,  a  global  engineering  firm  working  on  the  Port  of  Seattle’s  $33  million  effort  to  clean  up  Terminal  

117,  the  most  contaminated  section  of  the  federal  Lower  Duwamish  Waterway  Superfund  project  in  Southeast  Seattle.  Stachowiak  signed  on  with  AECOM  after  graduating  from  an  innovative  program  that  provides  job  training  for  people  who  live  near  highly  contaminated  Superfund  sites.    Stachowiak  is  one  of  14  South  Park  residents  who  completed  the  EPA’s  Superfund  Job  Training  Initiative  (SuperJTI)  program  in  June  of  last  year.  The  federal  cleanup  agency  created  the  free  two-­‐week  course  to  promote  long-­‐term  job  opportunities  in  neighborhoods  near  sites  governed  by  the  Superfund  environmental  cleanup  program,  historically  home  to  minority  and  low-­‐income  residents.    EPA  partnered  with  the  Duwamish  River  Cleanup  Coalition/Technical  Advisory  Group  (DRCC/TAG)  -­‐  a  non-­‐profit  organization  involved  in  cleaning  up  the  Duwamish  River  -­‐  to  recruit,  train,  and  offer  follow-­‐up  support  to  program  participants.    The  course  kicked  off  with  pre-­‐employment  training  in  cultural  and  environmental  awareness  and  basic  job-­‐hunting  skills  training  such  as  resume  writing.  Students  learned  about  the  industrial  history  of  the  Duwamish  and  the  steps  the  Port  of  Seattle  and  City  of  Seattle  are  taking  to  restore  the  environment,  under  federal  EPA  supervision.    The  course  covered  working  on  a  Superfund  project,  basic  health  and  safety  and  working  with  hazardous  materials  and  other  cleanup  -­‐related  skills.  The  graduates  emerged  with  certificates  in  Hazardous  Waste  Operations  and  Emergency  Response  procedures  as  well  as  CPR  and  First  Aid  cards.      Stachowiak  spends  half  his  time  at  the  Terminal  117  site,  setting  up  equipment  and  collecting  soil  and  sediment  samples  and  the  other  half  in  the  AECOM  office,  entering  data,  compiling  information  and  writing  reports.  He  called  the  program  an  excellent  opportunity  to  work  with  a  diverse  group  of  staff.  Stachowiak  said  he  picked  up  field  and  office  experience  that  will  open  

   

   

doors  to  future  jobs  after  his  contract  at  the  terminal  site  ends.    Justin  Howell,  Community  Advisory  Board  member  of  DRCC/TAG,  took  a  leave  of  absence  from  his  firm,  Applied  Ecology,  to  coordinate  the  SuperJTI  Program’s  Seattle  debut.    Although  Stachowiak  is  the  only  graduate  hired  for  a  cleanup  job  to  date,  Howell  said  the  program  has  a  happy  secondary  effect  of  turning  neighbors  into  informed  citizens.  “General  citizen  involvement  [in  the  cleanup]  was  bolstered.  Graduates  received  several  thousand  dollars  worth  of  training  they  would  not  have  received  otherwise,”  he  said.      According  to  Debra  Sherbina,  Community  Involvement  Coordinator  with  EPA,  “The  skills  they  learned  also  made  them  employable  beyond  the  Duwamish  cleanup,  setting  them  up  for  a  chance  at  other  environmental  cleanup  and  construction  opportunities.”    Want  to  learn  more  about  the  SuperJTI  Program?  Visit  the  EPA’s  web  site  at  www.epa.gov/superfund/community/sfjti/index.htm  or  contact  the  national  program  manager,  Viola  Cooper,  415-­‐972-­‐3243  or  cooper.viola@epa.gov.    Want  to  learn  more  about  the  Duwamish  Waterway  cleanup?  Visit  the  Port  of  Seattle’s  web  site:  http://www.portseattle.org/Environmental/Site-­‐Clean-­‐Up/Duwamish/Pages/default.aspx.    Want  to  learn  more  about  the  Terminal-­‐117  Early  Action  Cleanup?  Click  here:  http://www.portseattle.org/Environmental/Site-­‐Clean-­‐Up/Pages/Terminal-­‐117.aspx  and  http://www.t117.com.    Want  to  learn  more  about  the  Duwamish  River  Cleanup  Coalition/Technical  Advisory  Group  (DRCC/TAG)  and  its  role  in  the  Duwamish  cleanup?  Click  here:  http://duwamishcleanup.org