Who said there's no upside to a century of mining pollution mucking up properties and waterways across North Idaho?

The Environmental Protection Agency has announced it will sponsor a Superfund Job Training Initiative in upcoming weeks, in which North Idaho residents will receive free job training for cleanup-related contract work in the Coeur d'Alene Basin Superfund site.

"This is mostly giving the community a leg up and giving people who live there a level playing field in getting these jobs, which generally pay pretty well," said EPA spokesman Mark MacIntyre. "And it gives us the skilled workers we need to do this kind of stuff."

Selected through a screening process, participants will go through a two-week training course that will provide several certifications related to environmental cleanup, MacIntyre said.

From there, JTI Program representatives will facilitate the placement of graduates into specialized jobs, which could include material removal, flagging and ensuring site safety.

"All the nuts and bolts of the cleanup site," he said. "We want to make sure people are equipped with the skills so there are no safety concerns at all."

Placement is not guaranteed, cautioned Andrea Lindsay, community involvement coordinator.

The EPA hires contractors to carry out Superfund projects, she explained.

"Hiring decisions are made by the contractors," Lindsay said.

For the same reason, the EPA can't predict how many jobs will be available, she said, or the pay offered.

But up to 200 local residents have been hired every year for cleanup work in the basin in recent years, Lindsay said.

"This training will allow a new school of candidates to enter a job market," she said.

The training will cover first aid, CPR, pre-employment skills, hazardous waste safety and flagging.

All of these skills can apply to different fields, MacIntyre said, even if participants don't land cleanup work.

"By achieving what these people achieve through job training, that becomes a lifelong skill set," he said.

Some cleanup jobs will likely be in Kootenai County, though projects will also span the upper and lower basins "and everywhere in between," MacIntyre said.

"We want to make sure people trained through this program get the opportunity to work near where they live," he said.

Participants must be willing to go through the two-week training program unpaid, with 8-9 hour days expected.

Candidates must also be 18 or older, and eligible for employment in the U.S.

A valid driver's license is required, and the ability to lift 50 pounds.

Folks must be open to working outdoors in all weather conditions, and be able to pass a drug test.

To be considered for the program, individuals must attend one of four information sessions held at the Shoshone Medical Center Health and Education Building, at 858 Commerce Drive in Smelterville.

The sessions are scheduled for 1 p.m. on Wednesday, April 25; 9 a.m. on Thursday, April 26; 1 p.m. on Monday, April 30; and 9 a.m. on Tuesday, May 1.

For more information, call 297-3372.

Following the information sessions, candidates will be screened and asked to present identification documentation. They will then move on to tryouts that involve physical agility testing.

An evaluation team will choose candidates to move on to the full training program.

MacIntyre encouraged anyone interested to at least attend the information sessions.

"We all know in today's economy, getting a job and keeping a job is critically important to keep families stable and to get ahead," he said. "This is an opportunity for people to gain skills in an area that will be part of the Coeur d'Alene Basin for many years to come."