Iowa Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst are backing a bill that would help break down barriers for farmers looking to participate in carbon credit markets and adopt climate-smart conservation practices.
Grassley and Ernst ? alongside a bipartisan group of colleagues ? have introduced the Growing Climate Solutions Act. Senator Grassley says Iowa farmers continue to lead the way in conservation measures that help the environment and have also proven to sequester carbon. This legislation would create a certification program at the USDA to help solve technical entry barriers for farmer and forest landowners interested in entering carbon credit markets.
“It’s going to have a big impact on agriculture because we are so consuming of energy to produce the food that we do,” Grassley said during his weekly conference call with farm reporters on Tuesday. “On the other hand, I hope the people that are thinking about cutting down on greenhouse gases and their energy policy, that they realize how proactive farmers have been in the last 50 years producing nationally an average of about 178 bushel of corn per acre, compared to 10 years ago probably 150 bushel corn per acre, compared to 70 years ago probably 60 bushel corn to the acre. Farmers are already doing their fair share. They shouldn’t be expected to do more, except as the marketplace would predict. The government shouldn’t be stepping in and making it harder to farm.”
The legislation received praise from the Iowa Soybean Association and the Iowa Pork Producers Association. The bill would also establish the Greenhouse Gas Technical Service Provider and Third-Party Verifier Certification Program.
It would also guide USDA to publish protocols and standards for existing carbon credit markets widely used across agriculture and forestry and help connect landowners to private sector actors who can assist them with implementing the protocols and monetizing the climate value of their sustainable practices.
Lastly, the legislation instructs USDA to produce a report to Congress to advise about the further development of this policy area, including but not limited to, barriers to market entry, challenges raised by farmers and forest landowners, and market performance.
To read the full text of the bill, click here.
