US President Joe Biden is taking executive action to launch the American Climate Corps, which will train 20,000 young people to work in the clean energy economy.

The American Climate Corps makes a comeback

The American Climate Corps was originally included in an early version of the Inflation Reduction Act, but it was dropped because of Republican opposition over concerns about cost. The program is a training and service initiative that will put young people to work in such sectors as conservation, clean energy, climate resilience, energy efficiency, and environmental justice. Corps members will complete a paid training program so that they can go on to jobs in the public and private sectors.

The young people’s climate change action group Sunrise Movement dropped hints about the American Climate Corps launch in a TikTok yesterday, saying that “Dark Brandon would pass a CCC,” and it’s gotten more than 17,000 views:

In the next few months, the government will launch an official American Climate Corps recruitment website where people can learn about and apply for job roles in their community, and organizations can also visit it to learn how to work with American Climate Corps members. But there’s already a live site now where you can sign up to learn more and get involved here.

This monumental program is going to be run across multiple federal agencies – the American Climate Corps will sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Labor, Department of the Interior, US Department of Agriculture, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Department of Energy.

The American Climate Corps will be paid for by existing funding sources, but the Biden administration has not yet said how much funding the program will be awarded or where the money will specifically come from.

Manish Bapna, president and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in an emailed statement, “This will build a versatile corps of workers with the skills to help conserve and restore waters and lands, make our communities more resilient, speed the shift to clean energy, and advance environmental justice. That’s a sound investment in the next generation. It’s a visionary bet on the country’s future.”

Electrek’s Take

This is great news. I was disappointed when this program was dropped from the original Inflation Reduction Act, and I’m interested to learn more about how this will be funded. I’m also excited to watch the rollout.

Ultimately, the US is going to need thousands of skilled workers to ensure the rapidly growing clean energy economy has the people it’s going to need, and it deserves nothing less than a government-backed deployment of this scale. It will help grow the economy in both the private and public sectors. If the American Climate Corps is launched with thoughtfulness and skill, it will become a crucial part of the clean economy’s growth.

Read more: Biden cancels Alaska oil leases, protects millions of acres in Arctic Refuge

Photo: “Solar Installation at Washington County Landfill (Closed)” by MN Pollution Control Agency is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

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