U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) on April 19 signed on as an original cosponsor of bipartisan legislation that aims to create a pipeline of wildland firefighters to enter the profession and help care for America’s public lands.
The Civilian Conservation Center Enhancement Act of 2023, S. 1216, would direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) to offer specialized wildland firefighter training to Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center students, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Daines’ staff.
“As Montana faces devastating wildfires season after season and the forestry sector continues to face labor shortages, we need to be doing everything we can to ensure we have an experienced team of wildland firefighters to protect our local communities,” Sen. Daines said. “Investing in our Montana Job Corps Centers to help train and prepare young Montanans to enter this field is a great way to do that.”
The Job Corps is the nation’s largest job training and education program for students ages 16 to 24. The U.S. Forest Service operates 24 Civilian Conservation Centers (CCCs) nationwide under the program — including two in Montana, the summary says.
“By supporting these centers, expanding their forestry curriculum, and empowering students with a pipeline to long-term careers, we can both help create more job opportunities for young Montanans and protect our communities from fires,” said Sen. Daines, who joined U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) as an original cosponsor of S. 1216, which is sponsored by U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR).
If enacted, the bill would bolster the program by setting a goal for both the USDA and the DOI to hire 300 students a year and provide a direct hire authority specific to CCC graduates to expedite that process, according to the summary, and would create a pilot program to address the lack of workforce housing for wildland firefighters.