The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry on April 22 voted unanimously in support of S. 1251, Growing Climate Solutions Act of 2021. The bill, sponsored by Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), establishes a USDA technical assistance and certification program to assist producers and forest owners seeking to participate in voluntary carbon markets.
“Addressing the climate crisis is one of the most urgent challenges we face, and our farmers and foresters are an important part of the solution,” said Stabenow. “Our bill is a perfect example of how we can work across the aisle and find common ground to address a critical issue affecting all of us and our future.”
The bill is supported by numerous agriculture groups, including the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) and the Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance (FACA).
“This important legislation will create a clearer framework for how this private sector carbon credit marketplace operates and decrease barriers to entry for the ag industry,” said ARA President and CEO Daren Coppock. “By creating a more defined certification process for greenhouse gas technical assistance through USDA’s third-party verifier certification program, a role that ag retailers will be involved in, farmers will have a better understanding of the market and benefits it can provide for the industry.”
As companies seek to offset greenhouse gas emissions, Coppock said ag retailers can help their farmer customers navigate a “cumbersome” carbon credit marketplace that should be voluntary and incentive-based.
“Any long-term solutions to addressing the challenges we face with an ever-changing climate will only be found through the continued partnership between the agricultural retailer and their farmer customers,” Coppock said. “While this is the first of many hurdles for the bipartisan proposal, ARA will continue to support its passage in Congress and looks forward to being involved as it moves forward through the legislative process.”