Commercial, Energy Efficiency, GHG Emissions  -  December 22, 2023

American Climate Corps Launches Information Sessions

The Biden-Harris Administration announced a series of steps to further advance the American Climate Corps, a workforce training and service initiative that will prepare young people for jobs in the clean economy.

The administration will launch a series of virtual listening sessions and work toward establishing the first cohort of American Climate Corps members by summer 2024, according to a statement.

Another step in the plan is the launch of a new partnership across seven federal agencies. They will work together to guide implementation and new information on how communities can leverage the funding from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to increase pathways for young people into environmental justice careers via the American Climate Corps.

The American Climate Corps was launched in September - nearly 50,000 Americans have expressed interest in joining the initiative.  

Starting in January, senior Biden-Harris Administration officials will convene a series of virtual listening sessions to hear directly from prospective American Climate Corps applicants and implementing partners, including conservation and service corps partners, labor unions, educational institutions, employer partners, and state, local, territorial and Tribal governments about their priorities for the American Climate Corps. 

The 90-minute sessions will provide participants with the opportunity to engage directly with Administration officials who are overseeing the initiative, as the Administration works to establish the first cohort of American Climate Corps members by next summer. 

In addition, the EPA is leveraging funding from President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to increase pathways for young people into environmental justice careers through the American Climate Corps. The EPA’s $2 billion Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grant Program announced in November includes an option for community-based organizations to propose their own Climate Corps program for youth in disadvantaged communities to pursue careers in GHG and air pollution reduction, along with other strategies to take climate action, reduce pollution, and increase community resilience. 

The seven federal agencies – the Departments of Commerce, the Interior, Agriculture, Labor and Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and AmeriCorps – entered into a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will serve as a blueprint for the multiagency initiative. 

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