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SAN FRANSISCO - South Tucson is getting a $300,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency for environmental workforce development and job training to recruit, train and place unemployed, low-income residents to clean polluted areas.

"These job training grants are not just helping to create jobs, they're helping create green jobs that protect the health of local families and residents and prepare communities for continued economic growth," said Mathy Stanislaus, Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. "Creating green jobs proves that we don't have to choose between cleaning up our air and our water or creating jobs in our communities. It's possible to do both at the same time."

South Tucson is one of 21 grantees around the country receiving a total of over $6.2 million from the EPA. The training will put 39 trainees through a 28-week training cycle, including courses on hazardous waste operations, asbestos and lead inspections, underground storage tank operations and cleanup, and green and alternatives cleanup practices.

"The City of South Tucson values the investment the EPA has made and continues to make in this community. The City has been successful in the management of previously funded Brownfields Community Wide Assessment grants, the most recent being funded with American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds," said South Tucson Mayor Jennifer Eckstrom. "We are confident that similar successes will be attained with this grant because of our community's needs and our preparation in developing and implementing it. Our residents, community organizations, and employers look forward to working with the EPA to change lives and substantially improve our city."