Biden Launches American Climate Corps

September 21, 2023

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by Robin Bravender (Politico Pro Greenwire) A government program aimed at putting young people to work on climate has been on President Joe Biden’s wish list for years. -- President Joe Biden is launching a new federal program that aims to put more than 20,000 young people to work in jobs that promote renewable energy and combat climate change.

Biden will use executive power to launch the American Climate Corps, a “workforce training and service initiative that will ensure more young people have access to the skills-based training necessary for good paying careers in the clean energy and climate resilience economy,” White House climate adviser Ali Zaidi told reporters Tuesday.

The idea behind a climate corps — modeled after the New Deal-era Civilian Conservation Corps, which put young people to work improving public lands — has been popular among Democrats for some time.

The announcement comes as the Biden team is launching an administrationwide campaign to tout its climate achievements and participating in Climate Week NYC, an annual event held in New York City that coincides with the U.N. General Assembly session. READ MORE

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Excerpt from Associated Press: With the new corps “and the historic climate investments won by our broader movement, the path towards a Green New Deal is beginning to become visible,’' Prakash (Varshini Prakash, executive director of the Sunrise Movement) said, referring to a comprehensive jobs-and-climate plan supported by many activists and some Democrats but ridiculed by Republicans as a socialist nightmare that would raise taxes and hamper the economy.

Prakash, a frequent Biden critic, participated in a White House call on Tuesday promoting the new job corps, which comes as Biden tries to strengthen his appeal to young voters in the 2024 presidential campaign.

The Sunrise Movement and other climate activists, including many young adults, were outraged this spring after Biden approved the huge Willow oil-drilling project in Alaska. Opponents say the project and others approved by Biden put his climate legacy at risk and are a breach of his 2020 campaign promise to stop new oil drilling on federal lands.

Those concerns were put aside, for now, as environmental activists hailed the new jobs program, which is modeled after the Civilian Conservation Corps, created in the 1930s by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a Democrat, as part of the New Deal.

“Young people nationwide are excited to see the launch of the American Climate Corps, enhancing career pathways in clean energy, conservation and climate resilience,’' said Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez, president of NextGen America, an organization that promotes education, registration and mobilization for voters age 18 to 35.

“Young people are fighting for climate justice every day in their community, and now they have even more opportunity to continue this fight in their careers,’' Ramirez said.

More than 50 Democratic lawmakers, including Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, had also encouraged Biden to create a climate corps, saying in a letter on Monday that “the climate crisis demands a whole-of-government response at an unprecedented scale.’'

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The White House declined to say how much the program will cost or how it will be paid for, but Markey and other Democrats said money from the climate law and the 2021 infrastructure law would serve as a “down payment” for thousands of jobs.

Republicans have largely dismissed the climate corps as a do-gooder proposal that would waste money and could even take jobs away from other workers displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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White House climate adviser Ali Zaidi said the administration will work with at least six federal agencies to create the climate corps and will pair with at least 10 states. California, Colorado, Maine, Michigan and Washington have already begun similar programs, while five more are launching their own climate corps, Zaidi said: Arizona, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina and Utah.

The initiative will provide job training and service opportunities to work on a wide range of projects, including restoring coastal wetlands to protect communities from storm surges and flooding; clean energy projects such as wind and solar power; managing forests to prevent catastrophic wildfires; and energy efficient solutions to cut energy bills for consumers, the White House said.

Creation of the climate corps comes as the Environmental Protection Agency launches a $4.6 billion grant competition for states, municipalities and tribes to cut climate pollution and advance environmental justice. The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants are funded by the 2022 climate law and are intended to drive community-driven solutions to slow climate change.

EPA Administrator Michael Regan said the grants will help “communities so they can chart their own paths toward the clean energy future.”

The deadline for states and municipalities to apply is April 1, with grants expected in late 2024. Tribes and territories must apply by May 1, with grants expected by early 2025. READ MORE

Excerpt from NPR: The program will pay participants, and most positions will not require previous experience. The administration is also proposing new regulations aimed at making it easier for participants to enter the federal public service after the program. READ MORE

Excerpt from NBC News: CORRECTION (Sept. 20, 2023, 11:08 a.m. ET): An initial version of this article misstated in a quote the racial makeup of the Civilian Conservation Corps under FDR. The public works program employed minorities, including Black men, not just white men. The quote has been deleted from the article. READ MORE

Excerpt from CNN: Six agencies – the Department of Labor, Department of the Interior, Department of Agriculture, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Energy and AmeriCorps – will sign a memorandum of understanding establishing the new program, with AmeriCorps standing up a new “American Climate Corps hub” to support the initiative, building on investments from the bipartisan infrastructure law and the Inflation Reduction Act aimed at climate resilience and conservation, an official told reporters Tuesday.

Signups for the new program launch Wednesday at whitehouse.gov/climatecorps, while the recruitment cycle will follow over the coming year, the official added. READ MORE

Excerpt from Environment + Energy Leader: Seven federal agencies are partnering to outline the goals and next steps for implementing the American Climate Corps, meant to train future clean energy, conservation, and climate resilience workers.

The American Climate Corps was established earlier this year as a way to provide training opportunities to young people interested in careers in land conservation and restoration, community resilience to natural disasters, clean energy deployment, environmental justice, and more. The agreement brings the program another step closer to fruition and includes plans to host virtual listening sessions for those hoping to be involved in the program, such as applicants, labor unions, employer partners, and local governments.

Participating agencies include the departments of Commerce, Interior, Agriculture, Labor and Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and AmeriCorps.

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The plan outlines several principles for the new Climate Corps, such as offering a comprehensive approach to tackling climate change while also providing members with pathways toward high-quality employment. Compensation will also reportedly ensure program accessibility — the Climate Corps aims to particularly expand workforce pathways for disadvantaged communities that may be overburdened by pollution and environmental degradation.

An executive committee comprised of leaders from each of the seven agencies was also established through the MOU, along with a working group created for the initiative to be carried out.

According to the White House, more than 40,000 people showed interest in joining the Climate Corps within the first three weeks of its launch. A website was created about the program for those interested in searching for various opportunities, many of which will work to fill workforce gaps in renewable energy, civil service, and other climate-related industries key to meeting net-zero targets.

The first cohort of American Climate Corps members is expected to be established in the summer of 2024. READ MORE