Congressman Joe Neguse Shares Vision for 21st Century Climate Conservation Corps at Senate Climate Change Task Force Meeting
View his remarks here.
Washington D.C.— This week, Congressman Joe Neguse joined the Senate Climate Change Task Force in a bicameral public discussion about the 21st Century Climate Conservation Corps. Alongside Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Congressman Neguse was one of just two members of Congress invited to participate in the Senate Task Force discussion and question witnesses on the proposal.
“It’s a pretty exciting moment with respect to the [climate conservation corps] and the real momentum that exists here on Capitol hill and across the country for this concept. I represent Colorado, a state that’s been deeply impacted by western wildfires, but we also are home to some of the most significant remnants of the civilian conservation corps of the 1930s,” said Congressman Neguse at the Senate Climate Change Task Force meeting. “It is hard to think of another program that has captured the imagination of the American people more than the Civilian Conservation Corps.”
Congressman Neguse’s plan to launch a 21st Century Climate Conservation Corps has picked up considerable momentum over the last few months. Over 30 Mayors and County Commissioners across Colorado recently shared their support for the plan. In line with the Neguse proposal, President Joe Biden included $10 billion to fund and launch the corps in the American Jobs Plan. In April, Congressman Neguse joined an Oval Office meeting and shared with President Biden the importance of launching the program, and ensuring equity be prioritized. In May, Congressman Neguse visited the original CCC site at Mount Morrison where corps members built Red Rocks in the 1930s.
Congressman Neguse represents Colorado’s 2nd district where many mountain communities have been deeply impacted from wildfires. At this week’s discussion, Congressman Neguse addressed the need to ensure that rural communities receive proper investment from this program including jobs, reforestation work, wildlife habitat preservation, and maintenance for public lands.
Background:
In July, Congressman Joe Neguse introduced a proposal to establish a 21st Century Climate Conservation Corps and make major investments in wildfire resiliency. 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 Climate Conservation 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. Learn more about the plan here.
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