WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. Senate passed S. 1251, better known as the Growing Climate Solutions Act, by a vote of 92 to 8. One amendment, sponsored by Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), which would have changed the name of the program and stripped the U.S. Department of Agriculture of its ability to certify participants, failed 11 to 89 prior to passage.
The bill would create a certification program for carbon markets and provide technical assistance for agricultural producers and forestry owners in an effort to reduce barriers of entry.
The bill was introduced last Congress but did not advance beyond introduction. An updated version of the bill was introduced this past April (see
USA Rice Daily, April 20, 2021) that included much-needed enhancements and clarifications, stipulating that standalone funding would be needed to carry out the bill’s intent, as well as ensuring the advisory committee created by the act would be comprised of a majority of farmers, ranchers, and forest owners.
The bill now heads to the U.S. House of Representatives where a companion bill has been introduced by Representatives Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and Don Bacon (R-NE).