There's money and work in one of the dirtiest jobs on earth -- cleaning up the icky, hazardous, polluted waste left over from abandoned businesses and properties in the neighborhood.
The EPA is doling out more than $1.5 million in federal funds to clean up Southern California properties that contain low concentrations of hazardous waste and pollutous -- the kind of waste you'd find at the old corner gas station that's no longer in business. These sites should not be confused with properties that had massive waste and oozed deadly chemicals, like the Love Canal horror of the '70s.
The federal money will be used to clean up sites in four regions -- San Diego, Brea, Los Angeles County and Rialto.
"Cleaning up and reusing distressed properties brings new jobs and stronger communities," said Jared Blumenfeld, Regional Administrator for EPA in the Pacific Southwest. "In addition to creating green jobs, local efforts to revitalize brownfield sites reduce threats to public health while attracting positive investments in our neighborhoods."
As of March 2010, there's been $14 billion in cleanup money that's been used to redevelop communities and give jobs to 61,277 people to clear out the mess, build new businesses and redevelop communities.
