21st Century Conservation Corps
Congressman Joe Neguse's 21st Century Conservation Corps Act would tackle multiple challenges simulatenously, addressing unemployment rates caused by COVID-19, tackling western wildfires, restoring our lands and communities and addressing climate change.
The plan would take a page out of FDR's New Deal program to recreate the corps of the 1930s, which built Red Rocks, roads, trails and campgrounds in Rocky Mountain National Park and supported other projects throughout Colorado. Neguse's proposed 21st Century Civilian Climate Corp would reimagine this program, put hundreds of thousands of Americans back to work in the wake of the COVID-19 economic crisis, and make major investments in wildfire resiliency, mitigation and adaptation. The plan additionally would support Colorado's outdoor recreation industry and address outdoor access by investing in the Outdoor Recreation Legacy Program and Every Kid Outdoors Program.
Given record-breaking wildfires across Colorado in 2020, including the Cameron Peak and East Troublesome Fires, two of the largest in state history, historic investments to address future wildfires are crucial. The proposal from Congressman Neguse would invest in programs that have previously benefited Colorado's wildfire suppression efforts, such as the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program, and Firewise and would hire and train a new generation of workers to support forest management, wildland fire suppression and wildfire recovery.