WHAT WE OWE:

Nearly a century after the original CCC came into being, some folks argue it's time to bring it back. So say Americans themselves: recent polling shows that 80 percent of Democrats and 74 percent of Republicans favor a return of the CCC. Joe Biden has proposed something akin to the CCC if elected: the Civilian Climate Corps. Workers would manage forests, restore ecosystems, and even remove invasive species. In September, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin introduced the RENEW Conservation Corps Act, which would spend $55.8 billion over five years to put a million Americans back to work, doing things like wildlife surveys and monitoring water quality. And last year, Ohio Representative Marcy Kaptur introduced the 21st Century Civilian Conservation Corps Act, which has yet to pass the House, but proposes rehabilitating environments and updating trails and facilities throughout the country's natural spaces.

Kaptur sees some participants as working in their local communities, while others up for travel might move around the United States. "If we give them an opportunity to broaden their horizons, and at the same time restore America in some of its hidden corners and neglected places, what a great gift to the future," she says. "I don't know a single person--including my own father, who worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps as a very young man--who wasn't changed and elevated by that experience."

Representatives from Biden's campaign and Durbin's office did not return requests for comment by press time. But in a release announcing his bill last month, Durbin invoked the challenges of a pandemic year: "America's outdoor spaces have provided recreation for generations, and this year we've seen how important and valuable they've been to countless Americans looking for a respite," he stated. "If we are to leave these natural gifts to the next generation, we have to take responsibility in protecting them."

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