The original Civilian Conservation Corps—a work relief program created as part of the New Deal in 1933—left a profound impact on the US economy, civilian workforce, and national and state park systems. Over the course of a decade, the CCC employed three million people on conservation and infrastructure projects, which resulted in the planting of more than three billion trees and construction of trails and shelters in more than eight hundred parks nationwide.

A modernized CCC could create tens of thousands of jobs in Appalachia alone. This bill could create opportunities throughout the region and forge a fair recovery by drawing in returning citizens and other underserved populations.