In response to President Biden’s launch of the American Climate Corps (ACC) application portal, and the announcement of awardees for the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) Solar for All program, Evergreen Action Executive Director Lena Moffitt released the following statement:
“This is what bold, all-of-government climate action looks like. Climate voters sent President Biden to the White House to use every tool in his toolbelt to act on climate, and today he put on a master class. We could not be more excited that the visionary American Climate Corps is up and running—poised to connect 20,000 Americans to careers in climate solutions and build the workforce we need to lead the global clean energy economy. The innovative partnership with the North American Trade Building Trades Unions non-profit partner TradesFutures will help reinforce the on-ramp directly from the ACC into good paying union careers, granting corps-members access to industry leading apprenticeship readiness curriculum during their term of service. And we are thrilled to see $7 billion in Solar for All grants headed to states, innovative community organizations, and regional partnerships committed to delivering residential and community solar in disadvantaged communities. With today’s announcements, President Biden is continuing to prove that investments in climate action are investments in our communities, our workforce, and our future.”
Evergreen has called for the formation of a Civilian Climate Corps dating back to its roots in the Inslee presidential campaign. In 2021, Evergreen released Building The Civilian Climate Corps: How New Deal Ambition Can Mobilize Workers For America’s Clean Economy, detailing the policy pathway to build a climate corps that could spark national solidarity and put people to work in their communities to build a better future.
Evergreen also called for a program like the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF), the grant program that includes the Solar for All competition, dating back to the release of the Evergreen Action Plan, and fought to secure funding for the GGRF in the IRA.