The Philadelphia area is uniquely qualified to pilot the Civilian Climate Corps (CCC), a central feature of Biden’s proposed $2 trillion infrastructure and jobs plan, according to ­­­­a spokesperson from the William Penn Foundation.  If the acronym CCC sounds familiar, it is because it evokes the Civilian Conservation Corps, the most popular program of F.D.R.’s New Deal. Unlike the original CCC, though, the Civilian Climate Corps would train and employ a diverse workforce in climate-focused projects in urban, suburban as well as rural areas. 

The Philadelphia region offers the three elements vital to jumpstarting CCC’s goal of green job creation. First, it has a diverse array of landscapes including parks, watershed, farmland and urban green spaces. Second, healthy public-private partnerships are already at work restoring these public lands. Finally, CCC could built upon and expand existing model jobs training programs in Philadelphia and Camden. Read more about this unique opportunity for Philadelphia in this recent Inquirer op-ed piece.