40 Appalachian groups urge Congress to create a modern Civilian Conservation Corps with Build Back Better funds

Forty Appalachian organizations want Congress to create a modern Civilian Conservation Corps as part of the proposed "Build Back Better" budget reconciliation package. "They’re pushing for $20 billion for the CCC to be included in $555 million in spending for clean energy, included in the package," Jacqui Sieber reports for The Allegheny Front. "The letter, signed by labor, environmental, and religious groups, was written by ReImagine Appalachia. The group, a coalition of nonprofits in the region, believes a new CCC can save Appalachia’s economy and address climate change."

The CCC was a New Deal program that gave 3 million unmarried, disproportionately rural young men jobs to develop the nation's infrastructure, including state and national parks. A modern CCC would not only provide good-paying jobs for disadvantaged workers, but would also enhance the nation's greenspaces, Sieber writes. 

However, the BBB's chances of passing seem to get smaller every day. "The $2-trillion budget reconciliation package, which includes the $555 in clean energy spending, cannot move forward without the support of Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who is also Chairman of Senate Energy and Natural Resources. He halted negotiations back in December when he said he could not support the proposal," Sieber reports. "Things don’t look much better now. Manchin said last week that the package is not a main priority. Instead, he’s focused on striking an energy deal with Republicans. Democrats aim to have negotiations done by Memorial Day."