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Since taking office, President Biden has delivered on the most ambitious climate, clean energy, conservation, and environmental justice agenda in history. President Biden signed into law the largest investment in climate action ever, protecting more than 21 million acres of public lands and water. The President also advanced the Justice40 Initiative, which directs 40 percent of the benefits from key federal investments toward disadvantaged communities. As part of this historic commitment to tackle the climate crisis, President Biden promised to mobilize the next generation of clean energy, conservation, and resilience workers.
In September 2023, President Biden took executive action to launch the American Climate Corps — a workforce training and service initiative that will ensure more young people have access to the skills-based training necessary for good-paying careers in the clean energy and climate resilience economy. The American Climate Corps will mobilize a new, diverse generation of more than 20,000 Americans, putting them to work conserving and restoring our lands and waters, bolstering community resilience, deploying clean energy, implementing energy efficient technologies, and advancing environmental justice, all while creating pathways to high-quality, good-paying clean energy and climate resilience jobs in the public and private sectors after they complete their paid training program.
The American Climate Corps will focus on equity and environmental justice — prioritizing communities traditionally left behind. These communities include energy communities that powered our nation for generations, leveraging the talents of all members of our society, and prioritizing projects that help meet the Administration’s Justice40 goal.
The federal government recognizes it cannot realize the promise of the American Climate Corps alone. In announcing the American Climate Corps, President Biden called on tribal, state, and local governments, labor unions, nonprofit service allies, the private sector, and philanthropy to collaborate with the federal government to expand skills-based training partnerships to ensure our nation has the workforce necessary to meet our climate goals.
States have long been partners and innovators in national service with environmental programs already in place. In recognition of the compelling opportunity and need for climate-focused service efforts, thirteen states have launched state-level Climate Corps. These State Climate Corps are statewide service initiatives that have a climate focus, generally aligned with the state’s climate goals. They combine state-level service and climate leadership to help accelerate and scale climate action through national service efforts.
In recognition of the critical role State Climate Corps play alongside the American Climate Corps, the Biden Administration declared that State Climate Corps will act as American Climate Corps “Implementing Partners” — organizations or entities who are delivering American Climate Corps programs in partnership with the Biden-Harris Administration. Partnership between states and the federal government is an important step to:
To cement this partnership, the Biden Administration is launching a formal State-Federal American Climate Corps Partnership through the following commitments. The federal government and State Climate Corps partners will work closely together to ensure success in this shared endeavor to advance the American Climate Corps.
To ensure widespread implementation of the American Climate Corps, thereby expanding climate action at the community level and offering opportunities for Americans to get involved with climate solutions, the American Climate Corps Implementation team in partnership with State Climate Corps, jointly commit to: