Environment

Biden Launches US 'Climate Corps'

SEP 21 2023·Updated AUG 27

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Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

The Facts

On Wednesday, the Biden Admin. unveiled the creation of the American Climate Corps — an initiative aimed at environmental projects set to involve 20K young adults in its first year.
NPR
The program will involve building trails, planting trees, installing solar panels, as well as other work aimed at conservation to prevent natural disasters like wildfires. The Climate Corps will initially pair with at least 10 states and six federal agencies.
CBS News
Following opposition by Republicans last year, President Biden is set to use an executive order in order to initiate the program, which is modeled after the Civilian Conservation Corps implemented under President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s as part of the New Deal.
The Associated Press
The White House stated that the Climate Corps is intended to allow young adults "access to the skills-based training necessary for good-paying careers" in the environment-based economy.
CNBC
Biden had signed an executive order days into his presidency asking for agencies to submit strategies for a "Civilian Climate Corps" initiative. The original proposal found within the Build Back Better Act Framework had estimated over 300K potential members of the corps.
NBC
Over 50 Democrats had shared a letter to President Biden on Monday, claiming that the "climate crisis" required a response "at an unprecedented scale." Within the letters, heatwaves in the Southwest as well as natural disasters in New England and Hawaii were cited as recent examples of climate-recent disasters.
Time

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The Spin

Democratic narrative

With the environment a key concern for young Americans, establishing a Climate Corps is an audible policy choice for the Biden admin. with one eye towards the 2024 election. After being previously criticized by climate activists for the approval of fossil fuel projects alongside a lack of environmental success in Congress, Pres. Biden has taken matters into his own hands through his executive order.

The Washington Post

Republican narrative

So far, it's unclear how much this program will cost the American taxpayer, or who will lead this endeavor of government expansion. The Climate Corps has been met with skepticism by those who would wish executive action instead on key issues such as the border crisis and gas prices rather than the resurrection of a near-century-old socialistic policy aimed at reducing unemployment during an economic crisis.

The Western Journal