The Civilian Climate Corps

The Civilian Climate Corps (CCC), is now One of several Key Climate provisions that are planned for Democrats' $3.5 Trillion Budget Bill, alongside a Clean Electricity Program and Tax Credits for Renewable Energy.

Inspired by the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s, the CCC would put People to Work in Short-Term Jobs or Training Programs that would Focus on Renewable Technology and Building Resilience against the Climate Crisis.

"The CCC is about saving the planet, but it's also about making the planet a place where people feel it's actually worth saving," Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), who is Leading the CCC push in the Senate said. "We want good jobs with good wages, but our goal is to unleash the idealism of young people in our country and give them the ability to work on solving this climate crisis."

As with most things in Democrats' Budget Bill, it has a fraught road to passage. High-Ranking Democrats in the House and Senate Disagree on how the Program should be Structured. But a Climate Corps would be a Major Win for Progressive Groups, including Sunrise Movement, which has demonstrated outside the Capitol, the White House, and Organized Marches along the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast, and in Wildfire, stricken areas of California.

"It's been at the forefront of our demands of the Biden administration," said Sunrise Co-Founder Varshini Prakash, who served on a Climate Policy Working Group, during Biden's Presidential Campaign. "It's given us some symbolism of the kind of future we're looking towards as well."

The Civilian Conservation Corps was a Public Work Relief Program for Young Men, providing Unskilled Manual Labor related to the Conservation and Development of Natural Resources in Rural Areas.

A CCC could potentially Tackle Two of America's Crises: Climate Change and a Pandemic-Fueled Economic Crisis. With Millions of People still Unemployed, Economists are increasingly Worried about the Road to Recovery. Early estimates from Progressive Lawmakers showed the CCC could Employ about 1.5 Million Americans over Five years in Jobs including Forest Management, Fire Mitigation, Building Climate Resiliency, and Conservation Projects.

Corps Members could help make Areas ravaged by Climate Disasters more Resilient. For instance, they could be Employed for Forest Management in Fire-Prone States, Trail Maintenance around the Country, Restoring Habitats and Wetlands, and Planting Trees. Agencies like the National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Forest Service could be in Charge of the Implementation of the Corps, and would help determine what Corps Members do.

In addition to Jobs, CCC Proponents in Congress want generous Scholarship Opportunities and easy Pathways for CCC Members to move into Long-Term Careers when they're done Serving. The Number of Jobs it would Create, how much People would be Paid and what they would be doing is dependent on how much Money the House and Senate allocate to the CCC, and how Congress structures it. Congress' Funding Decisions could have a lot of bearing on the Scope of the CCC, and how ambitious it can be.

"Climate is very real for California," Fryday said, noting the severe 2021 Wildfire Season and persistent Drought. "The idea is we need our corps members focused on what's going to make a meaningful impact around climate change, what's going to reduce greenhouse emissions. People want to feel they're not powerless in a situation."

California's Program is run through the Federally backed Community Service Program, AmeriCorps, offering a Good Preview of what a National Corps Program might look like: A Lot of its Work has involved Planting Trees, Programs around Composting and Reducing Food Waste, Urban Forestry and Fire Mitigation.










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