• The White House has announced the first release for potential members of the American Climate Corps (ACC), the de facto green jobs training program created by the Biden administration through executive action after its inclusion in the Inflation Control Act (IRA) failed. A briefing session was held.
• Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey and White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi addressed potential ACC members Thursday, saying the program is an administration's climate change policy that is consistent with the ethos of labor unions and climate change activists. He emphasized that it is an important tool.
• “President Biden’s American Climate Corps will work to redress the racial and gender inequalities of the past and build a Climate Corps for today, in line with President (former) Roosevelt (Franklin D.) will improve the Civilian Conservation Corps,” Markey said during the virtual meeting.

The White House held the first briefing on President Joe Biden's American Climate Corps (ACC) program Thursday to promote the program and solicit feedback from prospective participants.

White House National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi, along with Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey and other White House officials, previewed the ACC, the de facto green jobs training program. Be expected Mass production of the cohort is scheduled to begin this summer. While government officials touted the program as an important tool for promoting broad societal action to combat climate change, civilians who logged on to the virtual briefings were also encouraged to learn more about the ACC and its format. I made suggestions and asked various questions.

The White House announced the creation of the ACC in September, using executive authority to begin the program. The ACC was a top priority for left-wing lawmakers and environmentalists during negotiations on the massive bill that would eventually become the Inflation Control Act (IRA), but strong Republican opposition over potential costs led to the plan being scrapped from the package. was not included. according to To the Associated Press. (Related: Far-Left Activists Urge Lawmakers to Sign $94 Trillion 'Green New Deal' Pledge)

Leftist Sen. Ed Markey: “If Biden's policies pass, the oil age will end'' https://t.co/lzqBW8Gp82

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) November 17, 2021

Markey introduced the Green New Deal resolution in 2019 with Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and was the first official to speak at length about the ACC during a briefing.

“The President's American Climate Corps will put 20,000 Americans to work, train and pay them, transform green investments into a green workforce, and usher in a new era of youth-powered climate action across our nation. “I guess so,” Markey said. “When we hear about the crises hitting our communities — climate change, racism, public health pandemics, economic inequality — it’s easy to choose failure,” he continued, adding that Biden’s ACC “[rectify] The program addresses “past racial and gender inequalities” and is “unapologetically pro-union.”

Zaidi, one of the key administrative figures in the Biden administration's massive climate plan, also spoke at the briefing.

“Whether it's climate change, student debt relief, or the gun lobby, I think young people have expanded our imagination, our vision, and our desire to push for big structural change in this moment of crisis. ,” Zaidi said. “I think the fingerprints of youth organizers in particular and people like Ed Markey are all over the Biden administration's plans for climate change policy.”

“America has communities that have been zoned as part of racist housing policies that are literally making it hotter today because of those policies,” Zaidi added.

The Biden administration has made deliberate efforts to infuse social justice into environmental policy. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will significantly strengthen its “environmental justice” grantmaking and regulatory enforcement agenda in 2023, meeting the administration’s “justice 40” mandate directs federal agencies to ensure that 40% of the overall benefits of environmental policy flow to historically marginalized communities.

Zaidi also emphasized in his remarks that ACC's work requires collaboration and partnership with White House labor unions and philanthropic nonprofits. To encourage participation in the program, Zaidi expressed the importance of compensating service members and said they may be offered benefits such as medical care, child care, educational credits, and student loan forgiveness. Ta.

Labor unions, including those that typically support Democratic candidates with endorsements and campaign contributions, are also playing a key role in the Biden administration's efforts to tackle climate change. The Biden administration has designed many of its green energy and infrastructure subsidy programs to include labor requirements, allowing developers to access government cash only if they contract with organized labor for government-backed projects. It has become. according to Go to Bloomberg News.

The program moderators also solicited questions and suggestions from those who watched the sessions.

“One of the components I want everyone to think about is the activation component. We need to make it cool and fun. To combat disinformation and fear-mongering, we need to make sure that movies, TV shows, ads, “We should create comedy and involve celebrities,” Cole Thomas, a content creator who attended the briefing, suggested to organizers.

Other questions related to the permanence of the ACC, especially if former President Donald Trump wins the next presidential election.

“We know that if Trump becomes president again, whether it's voting or violence, we're going to have a lot of other issues that we're all going to have to deal with, but if that happens, climate I wonder if the Unit will be able to gain enough foothold. Will it be immune to his whims, or will it be able to be disbanded at a moment's notice with a single executive order? ” asked Benjamin Goldstein, a self-proclaimed “philosopher” who attended the briefing.

Because the program was enacted by executive action, it can also be revoked by executive action rather than requiring Congress to take effect. House Republicans are already making efforts to rein in this program: House Oversight and Accountability Committee: The House Oversight and Accountability Committee will seek to obtain estimates of the internal costs that may exist by October 2023. Republican Virginia Rep. Bob Good introduced a bill the next month that would prohibit the use of federal funds to fund the ACC, which began investigating the program in May.

Markey's office and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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