America’s Service Commissions Applauds the Creation of the American Climate Corps by the Biden-Harris Administration

Washington, DC (September 20, 2023) — America’s Service Commissions (ASC) and its States for Service Coalition applaud the creation of the American Climate Corps and thank the Biden-Harris Administration for recognizing the power of national service to tackle the climate crisis.

The American Climate Corps will put a new generation of Americans to work conserving our lands and waters, bolstering community resilience, advancing environmental justice, deploying clean energy, implementing energy efficient technologies, and tackling climate change. American Climate Corps members will gain the skills necessary to access good-paying jobs that are aligned with high-quality employment opportunities after they complete their paid training or service program.

For the past several years, ASC — along with the over 100 cross-sector organizations that make up the Partnership for the Civilian Climate Corps — has called on the White House, Congress, and federal agencies to establish a national service corps that puts youth to work to tackle pressing climate and environmental resilience challenges. We are thrilled to see President Biden make great strides in answering our call with the launch of the American Climate Corps.

The White House’s emphasis on interagency partnerships across federal agencies, including AmeriCorps, is a great first step toward unlocking our country’s potential to build a climate-ready workforce. However, there is more work to do to realize the full vision and meet the workforce and climate resilience needs of the future, and ASC looks forward to working closely with federal agencies and the White House to support the implementation of this groundbreaking executive action.

As the initiative moves forward, it will be important to build on the foundation of existing AmeriCorps programs, including innovative state-driven climate corps programs in California, Colorado, Maine, Michigan, and Washington; center equity to ensure that under-resourced youth and communities, who tend to be disproportionately impacted by climate change, will be included; and collaborate with state service commissions, who are uniquely positioned to advise on how the American Climate Corps can best serve each state and territory in the country.

“After years of advocating for a national climate corps initiative, we are elated to see the Biden-Harris Administration launch the American Climate Corps. We know that national service has the power to address our country’s most pressing challenges, including climate change, and we look forward to working together with partners across the country to implement this initiative,” said Kaira Esgate, ASC CEO.

For more information on the American Climate Corps, view the fact sheet released by the White House.

About States for Service
States for Service is the privately funded, grassroots policy arm of America’s Service Commissions, the nonprofit association of the 52 state service commissions. The States for Service coalition works to reinforce the critical role state service commissions play in developing and advancing service in states to meet community and state needs. States for Service aims to influence policy, grant, and regulatory issues related to state service commissions, AmeriCorps State programs, and other state service programs such as AmeriCorps Seniors, AmeriCorps VISTA, and the Volunteer Generation Fund.

About America's Service Commissions
America's Service Commissions is a nonprofit, nonpartisan association representing and promoting the 52 state service commissions across the United States and territories with the mission to lead and elevate the state service network. State service commissions are governor-appointed public agencies or nonprofit organizations made up of more than 1,000 commissioners, private citizens leading the nation's service movement and administering more than 75 percent of the federal AmeriCorps funds to address pressing community needs.