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Colorado Congressman Joe Neguse is at the forefront of a group of 80 lawmakers from both chambers who are urging House and Senate leadership to include the Civilian Climate Corps Act in the final budget reconciliation bill. The House Natural Resources Committee began consideration of the reconciliation bill yesterday, which includes $3 billion to fund the establishment of the Civilian Climate Corps.
In a letter sent to congressional leadership in July, Congressman Neguse wrote, “In the face of multiple challenges that our communities in Colorado are facing—unemployment, catastrophic wildfires, and climate change—the creation of a Civilian Climate Corps will bring in essential resources to put Coloradans back to work, and restore our lands and our communities." Currently, youth corps run by states, nonprofits, and universities engage about 20,000 diverse young people annually on projects across the country. From 2019–2020, they restored 1.73 million acres, planted 1.3 million trees, and built or maintained over 25,000 miles of trails that help sustain the outdoor recreation economy.
As National Preparedness Month begins and nearly 5 million acres have been burned due to wildfires that are still raging across the West, Congressman Neguse renewed his call for action on the bill in an opinion piece co-written with Mary Ellen Sprenkel, the president and CEO of The Corps Network, the National Association of Service and Conservation Corps. They write in The Hill, "Investing in a robust Civilian Climate Corps (CCC) would give us a historic opportunity to strengthen our climate resiliency and develop the wildfire response and recovery workforce we urgently need."
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As a state filled with place-based and water-based communities, we understand the importance of water as part of our culture and identity and way of life. We have communities that have lived here for generations and since time immemorial who have come together to find innovative solutions to water challenges.”
