Markey, Frost Unveil Youth Climate Leadership Act to Put Young Voices at the Forefront of the Climate Fight

Washington (April 22, 2026) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Congressman Maxwell Alejandro Frost (FL-10) re-introduced the Youth Climate Leadership Act, legislation that would cement the existence of youth advisory councils within the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of the Interior, Department of Energy, Department of Agriculture, and Department of Commerce with respect to environmental issues relating to youth communities and communities across the country.

On Earth Day, as the Trump administration rolls back environmental protections and doubles down on fossil fuel expansion, the lawmakers are introducing the Youth Climate Leadership Act to move the country in a different direction, one that puts young people at the center of climate solutions and safeguards our planet for future generations.

Under President Biden, the National Environmental Youth Advisory Council (NEYAC) was created to allow qualified young leaders to provide advice and recommendations directly to the EPA Administrator. This council has ensured that the next generation of Americans have a seat at the table when it comes to the climate issues we are facing by positioning the U.S. as a global leader in protecting our environment.

"Young people have the most to lose from climate change-they deserve to be at the table as we work to deliver federal climate action," said Senator Markey. "The Youth Climate Leadership Act would put young people inside the rooms where decisions are made that affect their future and the future of our planet."

"Young people have the most at stake in the climate crisis, yet for too long they've been left out of the decisions shaping their future," said Congressman Maxwell Frost. "The Youth Climate Leadership Act is about changing that, ensuring young people have a real seat at the table and a direct role in shaping the policies that will define their future. At a time when federal leadership is rolling back climate progress, we cannot afford to leave young voices behind. We must act now to protect the progress we've made and empower the next generation to lead in building a safer, more sustainable future."

The Youth Climate Leadership Act directs the Secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Energy, and Interior, as well as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, to establish Youth Advisory Councils made up of young people between the ages of 16 and 29 from differing locations and backgrounds for the purpose of providing recommendations regarding environmental issues as they relate to youth, including:

• Recommendations regarding programs to help local governments address environmental issues in disadvantaged communities;

• Recommendations regarding performance measures to quantify the impact of climate change and other environmental harms that affect youth communities; and

• Researching, writing reports on, and making recommendations with a focus on environmental justice, climate change mitigation and resilience, and pollution reduction.

The bill provides $250,000 annually for ten years to each agency for the purposes of operating the Youth Advisory Councils, for total annual funding of $1.25 million.

The legislation has also been endorsed by Moms Clean Air Force, Earthjustice, and Environmental Defense Fund.

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