Lawmakers ready new ag climate bill with major GOP backing

A bipartisan bill aimed at bolstering agricultural carbon markets has garnered enough Republican support to have a good chance of passage in the Senate. It's a positive sign for the industry’s pivot to be part of the solution on climate as the Biden administration seeks sweeping action on the issue.

Senate Agriculture Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Sens. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.) reintroduced on Tuesday a revamped version of their Growing Climate Solutions Act. The proposal has 17 Republicans on board — more than enough to meet the 60 vote threshold for cloture. Boozman, the ranking member of the committee, had previously expressed skepticism about the bill but now backs the effort.

Lawmakers are planning to markup the bill on Thursday.

What’s in the bill: The bipartisan bill would create a structure at the Department of Agriculture to help farmers increase their adoption of “climate smart practices” and have better access to voluntary carbon markets, Stabenow told reporters on a Tuesday call.

Why it matters: Paying farmers to capture more carbon dioxide in their soil has been proposed as a way to combat global warming, but the burgeoning private markets for carbon credits vary in quality. Farmers and ranchers have also expressed worry that large agribusinesses and multinational food companies would use their political prowess and market heft to benefit from the credits.

A USDA-led certification program would help farmers and ranchers to identify reliable carbon credit programs, lawmakers say.

“Most of these carbon markets are complex and farmers need help to get started,” Stabenow said. “This bill is going to create a one-stop-shop at USDA to help producers get their foot in the door.”

The bill has 17 Republican and 17 Democratic cosponsors and support from over 50 agriculture groups, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, Environmental Defense Fund and National Farmers Union.

What’s next: Reps. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.) are introducing a companion version of the bill in the House.

Stabenow said they want to have the bill ready for Senate floor action soon, although there is no timeline for a full chamber vote.

“Right now, over a third of the U.S. Senate are cosponsors so we will look for the best opportunity,” Stabenow said.

Braun said that once the bill pushes through, he believes there will be even more legislation put forth with ideas to address climate change in agriculture when asked about the counterproposal put forth by Republicans last week.

“I think we are going to see many coming forward with ideas where it's been a subject that we couldn’t have gotten anywhere on,” Braun said. “It was hard to get anyone on my side of the aisle to enter the conversation. The key is to keep my side engaged.”