Democrats press for funding ‘restoration economy’ jobs

July 08, 2020

House lawmakers are urging support for a new class of "restoration economy" jobs — a number of services targeting the repair or protection of natural areas, from trail work to scientific research — as the nation looks to recover from the downturn triggered by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Democratic members of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands yesterday held a virtual roundtable on the subject, which focused on proposals for a new federal Civilian Conservation Corps as well as existing state and local programs.

"Perhaps now more than ever we need to think about how we can put people back to work and how we can do so in a way that confronts the climate crisis head on and helps our environment rather than hurting it," said New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland (D), the subcommittee's chairwoman.

During the hourlong session, seven Democrats endorsed various methods to expand the "restoration economy," arguing such programs are equally effective in both rural and urban areas.

"The restoration economy is a twofer: We know that healthier ecosystems are great for those values, but there's also an awful lot of economic development that's inherent in this restoration economy," said California Rep. Jared Huffman (D).

Huffman noted that lawmakers have previously pressed for the inclusion of a "restoration and resilience jobs" program in the next recovery legislation, and he praised proposals incorporated into the $1.5 trillion infrastructure package approved by House lawmakers last week (E&E Daily, July 2).

Colorado Rep. Joe Neguse (D) also touted his proposal, H.R. 7264, the "21st Century Conservation Corps for Our Health and Our Jobs Act."

The measure, sponsored in the Senate by Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), would renew the Civilian Conservation Corps first created in the Great Depression and appropriate $9 billion in taxpayer funds to train and put young people to work on approved conservation projects (E&E Daily, June 25).

"We can take bold action to address the economic impacts of COVID-19, the desperate need for increased federal funds, jobs training to restore the health of our public lands, and the existential threat of climate change," Neguse said.


By:  Jennifer Yachnin
Source: E&E News