Sens. Bernie Sanders and Ed Markey, with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, talk about the Climate Corps last September. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
President Biden's new budget proposes to spend billions on expanding the American Climate Corps.
Why it matters: The proposal follows a pledge that Biden made to expand the corps — which would train students for clean-energy jobs — during last week's State of the Union.
- It could help bolster support with progressive enviros ahead of the election.
Zoom in: The budget spells out $8 billion in spending over the next decade to build the Climate Corps workforce by an additional 50,000 people per year by 2031.
- Biden first announced the program — an idea that's been floating around progressive circles for years — in 2023.
- "We've been advocating for the highest possible numbers," Sen. Ed Markey told reporters last week.
A few other items from the budget request you might want to know about:
- One ask is for $1 billion to support "environmental review and permitting processes that are effective, efficient, and transparent."
- It proposes to more than double NOAA's budget for offshore wind permitting activities to $53 million.
- There's a $3 billion request for the president's international climate finance plan and a $500 million contribution to the Green Climate Fund.
- The administration is seeking $2.1 billion for weather satellites, a more than $400 million increase over enacted levels, per the budget materials.
- And there's an ask for $455 million to DOE to research AI products for defense purposes, as well as "energy security" and "climate resilience."
Reality check: Right now none of this has much chance of becoming law — but it offers tea leaves on what a second Biden term would mean for policy.
