Continuation of the House Agriculture Committee’s Build Back Better
markup.
Included in this package are multiple bipartisan proposals will provide
resources to mitigate climate change, improve quality of life in rural
communities, and commit millions of dollars to agricultural education
across the country.
Investments include:
$7.75 billion in investments in agricultural research and
infrastructure; other countries like China are outspending the US on
research investments and this money will help close the gap.
$18 billion in rural job-promoting investments to ensure those living
in rural America, on tribal lands, and our insular areas have access
to clean water and reliable and efficient renewable energy. This
funding will also support investment in renewable biofuels
infrastructure important to farmers and our fight against climate
change, and flexible funding for rural community growth.
$40 billion in investments in forestry programs to help combat forest
fires and contribute to healthy, resilient forests, including $14
billion for “hazardous fuels reduction,” and $4.5 billion for the
Civilian Climate Corps for “managing National Forest System land” and
“rural and urban conservation and tree planting projects”.
$300 million divided equally to the Forest Service for the following
six climate-related projects:
to carry out greenhouse gas life cycle analyses of domestic wood
products
to assess the quantity of carbon sequestration and storage
accomplished by different forest practices when applied in diverse
ecological and geographic settings
to accelerate and expand existing research efforts relating to
strategies to increase carbon stocks on National Forest System land
to accelerate and expand existing research efforts relating to the
impacts of climate change and weather variability on national forest
ecosystems
to accelerate and expand existing research efforts relating to
strategies to ensure that national forest ecosystems, including
forests, plants, aquatic ecosystems, and wildlife, are able to adapt
to climate change and weather variability
for activities and tactics to reduce the spread of invasive species
on non-Federal forested land
The House Committee on Agriculture will hold a business
meeting
to consider the elements of the reconciliation package under their
jurisdiction.
Included in this package are multiple bipartisan proposals will provide
resources to mitigate climate change, improve quality of life in rural
communities, and commit millions of dollars to agricultural education
across the country.
Investments include:
$7.75 billion in investments in agricultural research and
infrastructure; other countries like China are outspending the US on
research investments and this money will help close the gap.
$18 billion in rural job-promoting investments to ensure those living
in rural America, on tribal lands, and our insular areas have access
to clean water and reliable and efficient renewable energy. This
funding will also support investment in renewable biofuels
infrastructure important to farmers and our fight against climate
change, and flexible funding for rural community growth.
$40 billion in investments in forestry programs to help combat forest
fires and contribute to healthy, resilient forests, including $14
billion for “hazardous fuels reduction,” and $4.5 billion for the
Civilian Climate Corps for “managing National Forest System land” and
“rural and urban conservation and tree planting projects”.
$300 million divided equally to the Forest Service for the following
six climate-related projects:
to carry out greenhouse gas life cycle analyses of domestic wood
products
to assess the quantity of carbon sequestration and storage
accomplished by different forest practices when applied in diverse
ecological and geographic settings
to accelerate and expand existing research efforts relating to
strategies to increase carbon stocks on National Forest System land
to accelerate and expand existing research efforts relating to the
impacts of climate change and weather variability on national forest
ecosystems
to accelerate and expand existing research efforts relating to
strategies to ensure that national forest ecosystems, including
forests, plants, aquatic ecosystems, and wildlife, are able to adapt
to climate change and weather variability
for activities and tactics to reduce the spread of invasive species
on non-Federal forested land
Markey your calendars: Evergreen’s next Policy + Pints happy
hour
is coming up—and, as you might have guessed, Senator Ed Markey is
joining us! We’re going to be talking about the urgent need to launch a
Civilian Climate Corps. (Think of it as a justice-driven,
climate-centered version of FDR’s Civilian
Conservation Corps.)
In this virtual BYOB special hosted by
Evergreen Action campaigns director Lena Moffitt, we’ll chat with:
Senator Markey
Tonya Gayle, executive director, Green City Force
Lauren Maunus, advocacy director, Sunrise Movement
about:
Why the CCC is such a powerful opportunity
for taking on our overlapping climate and economic crises
How overwhelmingly popular it is
What corpsmembers would actually do in communities across the country
And more!
Bring beer, tea, wine, kombucha—whatever!—and join
us
on Wednesday, July 14 at 4 pm ET / 1 pm PT.
Today, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) are introducing the Civilian Climate Corps for
Jobs and Justice Act of
2021.
The act establishes the Civilian Climate Corps (CCC), to be administered
by the Corporation for National and Community Service within AmeriCorps.
Over five years, 1.5 million Americans in the
CCC will complete federally-funded projects
that help communities respond to climate change and transition to a
clean economy. CCC work will reduce carbon
pollution, enable a transition to renewable energy, build healthier and
more resilient communities, implement conservation projects with proven
climate benefits, and help communities recover from climate disasters.
Corpsmembers will receive education and training in coordination with
local institutions, including labor unions, and will coordinate closely
with local groups to help develop career pathways and union
opportunities in new green sectors.
Markey and Ocasio-Cortez discussed the bill on the National Mall today:
The CCC will administer a large national
service program and provide simplified and enhanced grants to scale up
the existing network of over 130 local and state service and
conservation corps.
All corpsmembers are guaranteed the following benefits:
Salary and benefits: Compensation of at least $15 per hour, full
health care coverage, and critical support services such as
transportation, housing, and childcare.
Educational Funding: Enabling educational grants of $25,000 per year
of service, up to $50,000, eligible for further education at any level
or to pay down student debt.
Career Opportunities: Corps will prioritize registered
pre-apprenticeship curricula and union membership as part of service.
Corpsmembers will receive vocational training appropriate to the local
job market.
Explicit antiracist language ensures that environmental justice
communities receive benefits of at least 50% of
CCC and Partner Corps projects, and 50% of
corpsmembers will be recruited from these same communities, with no
age limit for participation in at least 50% of Partner Corps.
Labor groups will beintegrated into CCC and
Partner Corps planning and operations, with
DOL registered pre-apprenticeship and
apprenticeship programs prioritized for grants, required coordination
with local labor unions, buy American provisions in procurement, and
advisory board representation from labor groups. The corps, partner
corps, and any private companies partnered in corps activities will
adhere to neutrality and card check agreements.
Tribal communities will receive 10% of the dedicated EJ benefits.
Eligible projects include but are not limited to:
Weatherizing and retrofitting residential and non-residential
buildings for energy efficiency and electrification and participating
in the construction of new net-zero buildings
Maintenance and operation of energy-efficient and net zero buildings
and properties
Building energy-efficient affordable housing units
Conducting energy audits
Recommending ways for households to improve energy efficiency
Installing and upgrading public transit and electric vehicle
infrastructure
Installing clean energy infrastructure in homes and small businesses,
on farms, and in communities
Advising on climate and energy policy
Providing clean energy-related services
Expanding broadband access and adoption
Working with schools and youth programs to educate students and youth
about ways to reduce home energy use and improve the environment
Assisting in the development of local recycling and composting
programs
Renewing and rehabilitating public and tribal lands and trails owned
or maintained by the Federal Government, an Indian tribe, a State, a
municipal or local government, or any formal partners of those
entities
Improving air quality or other pollution monitoring networks
Remediation of the effects of toxins and other hazardous pollution
Building and maintaining green stormwater management infrastructure
Creating and expanding local and regional food systems
Developing farm to institution distribution models to make schools,
hospitals, and other institutions healthier and more food resilient
Performing community resilience assessments
Collecting and analyzing data related to climate change and disasters
Advising and planning for community resilience and adaptation
Building and maintaining resilient infrastructure
Conducting prescribed burns or engaging in reforestation activity
Supporting the activities of local emergency management agencies and
programs
Advising and supporting farmers and ranchers in the implementation of
management practices that account for climate change organizing
community-based resiliency coalitions and working groups
Providing disaster preparedness or community emergency response team
training to community-based organizations and residents, bincluding
for animals in disasters
Providing education on climate change, disaster, and resilience at
community-based organizations and schools
Developing community climate resilience hub infrastructure
Clearing debris after climate disasters
Repairing and rebuilding homes and buildings
Replanting locally adapted native trees and plants
Stabilizing shorelines and hillsides
Conserving, protecting, and restoring habitat, especially habitat to
threatened, endangered, and at-risk species;
Stabilizing shorelines or riparian areas using green infrastructure
such as native wetlands
Removing invasive species and planting locally adapted native species
Collecting, storing, and propagating native seeds and plant materials
removing hazardous fuels within one-quarter mile of dwellings and
homes or one-quarter mile around delineated communities
Planting and maintaining urban, tribal, and rural forests, trees,
native grasslands, and natural areas developing urban farms and
gardens
Reforestation of native forest ecosystems, afforestation, and other
projects to achieve demonstrable carbon sinks
Reclaiming unneeded roads and tracks and restoring affected lands to
natural conditions
Restoring and managing wildlife corridors and habitat connectivity for
native species, including building wildlife crossings and removing
barriers to wildlife movement
Assisting farmers and ranchers in a transition to more regenerative
farming and ranching systems
Today, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Rep. Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) are introducing the