Rep. Chu Celebrates President’s Creation of American Climate Corps
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, President Joe Biden announced executive action to create the American Climate Corps to train over 20,000 young people in career pathways in the growing fields of clean energy, conservation and climate resistance to help tackled the climate crisis.
Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) introduced legislation in 2019, and again in 2021, to create a National Climate Service Corps within the AmeriCorps program. Earlier this week, she joined Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) and Joe Neguse (CO-02), and Senators Ed Markey (MA), Ron Wyden (OR), Martin Heinrich (NM), and Bernie Sanders (VT) in leading a letter with 51 bicameral signers to President Biden urging him to take immediate action, utilizing existing authority, to establish a federally coordinated Climate Corps initiative.
To celebrate today’s announcement, Rep. Chu joined a press conference on Capitol Hill available to watch here and read below:
I am just so thrilled that President Biden answered our call. The call of 50 Democratic members of Congress to establish this Climate Corps. And that now millions of young Americans can join in the fight to make sure that we fight climate change.
You know, numerous of us have sponsored bills. I was one of them. In 2019, I sponsored legislation to create a National Climate Service Corps. With that, I felt we could build a better future for our planet, but also create a better future for those involved by connecting participants with opportunities for long term careers. And what was so important is to make sure that Corps members are paid a living wage and that communities most at risk to the impacts of the climate crisis have a seat at the table when it comes to establishing priorities for Corps projects.
But with this Corps, we can do something about the fact that this past summer was the Earth's hottest on record. From deadly fires in Hawaii to extreme heat in the West to hurricanes and flooding in the East and where I'm from in Southern California, we know we have to do something about this. Climate change is now a part of our daily lives, and it's in every corner of the earth with long term impacts on our physical, mental and economic well-being.
But with President Biden's announcement now we will have a strong workforce for a clean economy, and we can make that clean energy transition. Now, we can respond to this crisis, and we can ensure that no community will be left behind. We will have 20,000 young people on career pathways to the growing fields of clean energy conservation and climate resilience.
So it is a tremendous honor to celebrate this great day, and I look forward to seeing all those young people working to combat climate change.