Letter to the Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House and the Hon. Steny Hoyer, Majority Leader - House Democrats Push for Millions of Restoration and Resilience Jobs

Letter

Dear Speaker Pelosi and Leader Hoyer,
As Congress works to confront the escalating public health and economic crises due to
the COVID-19 pandemic, we urge that future recovery legislation include a robust "Restoration
and Resilience Jobs" title. Such a title could create as many as three million near-term jobs--in
many places where unemployment is surging--by investing in the restoration and resilience of
our natural resources and recreational infrastructure. Restoration investments generate more jobs
compared to other alternatives, because most of the investment goes towards labor, rather than
materials (an analysis of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act showed conservation
investments generated 15 to 33 jobs per million dollars and an economic return of $2.40 for
every $1 invested). This is exactly why President Franklin Delano Roosevelt invested heavily in
the Civilian Conservation Corps, which employed more than three million young Americans to
reforest and restore natural resources and to build recreational infrastructure across our country.
A robust "Restoration and Resilience Jobs" title could serve as the work-plan for a 21st Century
Civilian Conservation Corps that builds upon the vision of H.R. 2358.
Time is of the essence as unemployment surges, especially among youth. The outdoor
industry, which employs 7.6 million American workers (4.8% of total U.S. employment) and
generates $887 billion in economic activity (4.1% of GDP), has gone from one of the fastest
growing sectors of our economy (3.9% annual growth) to experiencing record unemployment.
While it's heartening that many Americans are turning to nearby nature with appropriate social
distance for exercise and mental health benefits, few are spending money and many are
cancelling trips. We support ongoing efforts to support businesses and workers in the outdoor
industry by ensuring they are fully eligible for all recovery programs and encourage additional
steps to address tariffs and fees that hit this sector particularly hard; but none of these stopgap
measures are sufficient for recovery.
In addition to create millions of desperately needed jobs, a "Restoration and Resilience
Jobs" title will improve public health by removing pollution from our air and water, expand
access to nature and recreational amenities, bolster community resilience to hurricanes, inland
floods, and megafires, sequester carbon dioxide, and recover imperiled wildlife species. These
investments also support workers and industries disproportionately affected by the downturn,
such as agriculture, forestry, ranching, energy, and outdoor recreation.
The priorities identified in this letter were specifically identified, because they create
large numbers of jobs quickly and reduce long-term liabilities and risks. Many recommendations
execute existing "NEPA-ready" plans and authorized projects that are already vetted and
approved, but currently unfunded, to allow work to start quickly. To expedite project delivery
without undermining environmental laws, we increased funding for compliance and permitting
offices of federal agencies. We also propose directing significant resources to states, local
governments and tribes, suspending and reducing nonfederal match requirements, and preventing
rescissions. In addition to supporting the natural resource investments in the Moving Forward
Framework, such as the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, we encourage
a "Restoration and Resilience Jobs" title that would:
Rebuild Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure ($27.5 billion)
* Fund $18.5 billion to enact the Great American Outdoors Act (S.3422), which will create
jobs fixing crumbling recreational infrastructure of our National Parks, National Wildlife
Refuges, National Forests, and BLM lands, and bolster local economic development and
the health of Americans by expanding access to outdoor recreational opportunities
through the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
* Fund $4 billion for building and repairing state, local, and tribal outdoor recreational
infrastructure and improving accessibility through block grants for states, cities, and
tribes to implement State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plans, the Urban Parks and
Recreation Recovery Program, Outdoor Recreation Legacy Partnership program,
municipal recreation plans, and repair other recreational infrastructure (NPS).
* Fund $2.5 billion for Forest Service Capital Improvement and Maintenance, including
Legacy Roads and Trails, to expand recreation, reduce flooding, and improve water
quality (USFS).
* Fund $1.5 billion for implementing management and recreation plans for National Park
units (NPS).
* Fund $1 billion for expanding recreational infrastructure for the Bureau of Land
Management, Army Corps, Bureau of Reclamation, and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BLM,
ACE, BOR, BIA).
Bolster Resilience to Hurricanes, Flooding, and other Hazards ($24 billion)
* Fund $10 billion for implementation of ecological restoration plans and authorized
projects, such as the Everglades, Mississippi River and Delta, Great Lakes, Chesapeake
Bay, San Francisco Bay, Delaware River, Missouri River, Ohio River, Colorado River,
Rio Grande, and the Comprehensive Conservation Management Plans of National
Estuary Programs (ACE, EPA, FWS).
* Fund $5 billion for Army Corps Ecosystem Restoration to accelerate coastal and inland
ecosystem restoration and resilience projects across the country and catalyze increased
investment in natural infrastructure (ACE).
* Fund $5 billion for the Building Resilient Instructure and Communities and Flood Hazard
Mitigation programs to create jobs and bolster community resilience by investing in predisaster mitigation, especially natural infrastructure solutions like floodplain restoration,
and accelerating flood mapping to inform strategic infrastructure investments and
development decisions (FEMA).
* Fund $4 billion for the National Coastal Resilience Fund and Resiliency and Habitat
Grant Program to create jobs restoring wetlands, dunes, reefs, marshes, kelp forests, and
mangroves and other living shorelines to reduce flood risks, create habitat, and restart
tourism (NOAA).
Restore Imperiled Fish and Wildlife Habitat ($19.5 billion)
* Fund $9 billion for enacting State, Territorial, and Tribal Wildlife Action Plans
(Recovering America's Wildlife Act, H.R.3742) to restore habitat needed for recovering
Species of Greatest Conservation Need and repairing State Wildlife Management Areas
and other state natural resource infrastructure (FWS).
* Fund $2 billion for implementing Federal Recovery Plans for Endangered and
Threatened Species to create short-term habitat restoration jobs and reduce regulatory
uncertainty (FWS).
* Fund $2 billion for implementing the restoration plans of the North American Bird
Conservation Initiative and the Migratory Bird Joint Venture implementation plans to
restore wetlands, grasslands, shrublands, forests, shorelines, and other habitat in priority
conservation areas (FWS).
* Fund $3 billion for implementing the National Fish Habitat Action Plan, reconnecting
aquatic habitat through the National Fish Passage Program, addressing invasive species,
and eliminating the maintenance backlog of the National Fish Hatchery System and state
and tribal hatcheries (FWS).
* Fund $1.5 billion for implementing National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive
Conservation Plans.
* Fund $1 billion for the Wildlife Crossing Program (language in S.2302) to construct
crossings that reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions and reconnect habitat for
terrestrial/aquatic species (DOT) and State and Tribal Wildlife Movement Grants
(language in H.R. 2795; H.R. 5179) to restore and reconnect habitat through voluntary
projects on public, private, and tribal lands (FWS).
* Fund $750 million for managing and eradicating wildlife diseases by rebuilding the
National Wildlife Health Center (USGS), the National Wildlife Research Center
(APHIS), regional and state Wildlife Disease Cooperatives, incentivizing diagnostic
laboratories to work on wildlife diseases, and funding research to manage and prevent the
spread of potential zoonotic diseases, such as white-nose syndrome and chronic wasting
disease (USGS, FWS, APHIS, BIA).
* Fund $250 million for expanding domestic and international efforts to stop illegal
wildlife trade/trafficking, identifying and closing high-risk wildlife markets, and reducing
the likelihood of zoonotic diseases transmission by increasing the number of U.S. wildlife
inspectors, special agents, and attachés in U.S. embassies (FWS, NOAA, APHIS, CBP).
Bolster Resilience to Fire and Restore Public Lands ($26.5 billion)
* Fund $10 billion for restoring, reforesting, and improving resilience of the National
Forest System by implementing National Forest Plans and National Grassland Plans and
accelerating Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration, Vegetation & Watershed
Management, Wildlife & Fisheries Habitat Management, Hazardous Fuels, Forest
Products, and the Reforestation Trust Fund (USFS).
* Fund $5 billion for implementing the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management
Strategy on federal, state, tribal, and private lands (USFS, BLM, BIA, NPS, FWS, DOD,
DHS).
* Fund $5 billion for improving wildfire preparedness in vulnerable communities through
Community Wildfire Defense Grants (H.R.5091), Assistance to Firefighters Grants, and
Fire Protection and Safety Grants (FEMA).
* Fund $3 billion for restoring native habitat and conservation areas, removing invasive
vegetation, reducing fire risks, and improving resilience of water resources on Bureau of
Land Management and tribal lands (BLM, BIA).
* Fund $3 billion for State and Private Forestry to implement State Forest Action Plans
(USFS).
* Fund $500 million for the Urban & Community Forestry Program, which creates jobs in
establishing, restoring, and sustaining of community forests (USFS).
Reclaim Degraded Lands ($20 billion)
* Fund $10 billion for revitalizing coal country through the cleanup and restoration of
abandoned coal mines on federal, state, tribal, and private lands through the Abandoned
Mine Lands program, including at least $3 billion utilizing the funding distribution
mechanism envisioned in the RECLAIM Act (H.R.2156).
* Fund $1 billion for Appalachian Regional Commission priority restoration/revitalization
projects.
* Fund $5 billion for reclaiming abandoned hard rock mines and uranium mines on federal,
state, tribal, and private lands, many of which are leaking toxic substances into waters
and soils.
* Fund $4 billion for plugging and reclaiming thousands of orphaned onshore oil and gas
wells on federal, state, tribal, and private lands to create jobs in regions facing declining
fossil fuel prices.
* Support coal workers by enacting the Black Lung Benefits Disability Trust Fund
Solvency Act (H.R.3876) and Protection of Social Security Benefits Restoration Act
(H.R. 2991).
Increase Resilience of Working Lands ($7.5 billion)
* Fund $6 billion for creating jobs bolstering resilience and accelerating restoration of
private lands through Farm Bill conservation programs and programs in the Climate
Stewardship Act (H.R.4269), such as the Environmental Quality Incentive Program,
Regional Conservation Partnership Program, Conservation Reserve Program, Healthy
Forest Reserve Program (NRCS), and Partners for Fish and Wildlife (FWS).
* Fund $1.5 billion for helping bolster resilience for farmers and ranchers still recovering
from last year's flooding and facing another wet spring through the Watershed Protection
and Flood Prevention Program, Watershed Rehabilitation Program, and Emergency
Watershed Protection Program (NRCS).
Much of this restoration and resilience work could be implemented by employing
millions of young Americans through a 21st Century Civilian Conservation Corps, which would
simultaneously accelerate our economic recovery, strengthen our workforce, bolster our
resilience, sequester carbon, and enhance our nation's remarkable natural resilience. Thank you
for your consideration.