Can This Unlikely Duo Revive Rural America and Help the Planet? Joe Biden and Tom Vilsack Plan to Take Swift Action on Climate Change Proposals.

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January 28, 2021

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by Art Cullen (Storm Lake Times/New York Times) ... Few took carbon sequestration seriously during his previous tenure, a time when “resilient agriculture” had not yet entered the vernacular. But the fundamental conversation in the corridors of power and along gravel roads has changed. Extreme weather, a pandemic jolt to a food processing system so highly consolidated that it became brittle and a public broadly acknowledging climate change will do that.

Mr. Vilsack is changing along with the conversation. “Agriculture writ large is ready for this, more than before,” he told me.

He has also sought reconciliation with Black farmers and pledged to root out “inherent legacy barriers” at the Agriculture Department. He has promised to revive an antitrust task force working with the Justice Department, which was abandoned by the Trump administration. Republican and Democratic politicians have been calling for more vigorous enforcement, as just a few meatpackers control most of our pork, beef and poultry.

Biomass stoking hydrogen fuel production or electricity could supplant the 40 percent of corn acres planted for ethanol — and farmers could fetch five times as much. Technical jobs in wind and solar energy can replace fracking jobs in West Virginia and Ohio. New energy jobs in Iowa could quadruple in a decade, paying twice as much as the packinghouse. These are the conclusions of a team of Princeton energy experts, who describe what it will take to get to net-zero emissions. Mr. Biden has embraced these dazzling opportunities with his $2 trillion climate plan.

Looking ahead two years to the new farm bill, Mr. Vilsack said the Agriculture Department will help create carbon markets in which polluters essentially pay farmers to plant grass or trees instead of corn or soybeans. He will use his authority to greatly expand payments to farmers for conservation stewardship.

In our recent conversation, Mr. Vilsack noted that agribusiness — including companies like General Mills, Kellogg and Cargill — is changing its attitude about climate, adopting more sustainable practices and pledging to go chemical free.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, he added, supports the production of hemp, one of the most efficient energy crops. Senator Chuck Grassley, Republican of Iowa, fancies himself the father of the wind energy tax credit and will support renewable energy expansion. Redirecting investment in battery production from Asia to the United States could put Youngstown, Ohio, a shadow of its auto-industry heyday, back on the map.

...

Now scientists with the Goddard Space Institute report that the Great Plains and Southwest are in the throes of a multidecade drought unlike anything else seen in more than a millennium. Farmers get it.

And so do Mr. Biden and Mr. Vilsack. They understand there is no time to waste. READ MORE

COMING SOON: The incoming chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee (Politico's Morning Energy)

THE ONCE AND FUTURE AG SECRETARY: (Politico's Morning Energy)

VILSACK TALKS CLIMATE, BIOFUELS: (Politico's Morning Energy)

Agriculture Nominee Gets Warm Welcome at Senate Hearing (Courthouse News Service)

Tom Vilsack promises to be a biofuels champion (E&E News)

Vilsack discusses climate actions, biofuels in nomination hearing (Farm Progress)

Vilsack: Biofuels, bioenergy can help meet climate goals (Biomass Magazine)

Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack's nomination as USDA secretary gets committee nod, goes to full Senate (Des Moines Register)

VILSACK SAYS HE’S COMMITTED TO RENEWABLE FUELS (Brownfield Ag News)

AGRICULTURE MAY BE ‘FIRST AND BEST PLACE’ FOR CLIMATE GAINS, SAYS VILSACK (Successful Farming)

Vilsack Ready to Return to Old Job in New Times (AgWired)

Agriculture secretary nominee Vilsack endorses biofuels push (Huron Daily Tribune)

Ethanol, Biogas & Carbon Banking: Three False Solutions Vilsack Brings to Biden-Harris Climate Policy (Organic Consumers Association)

Biden Climate Change Strategy Draws Farm Belt Support, Concern -- Corn growers say they would like new administration to maintain federal backing for ethanol as fuel additive (Wall Street Journal)

Vilsack Stresses Importance of Strong RFS (Energy.AgWired.com)

Wary US farmers weigh up joining Biden's climate fight (Reuters)

Renewable fuels are here to stay, according to Secretary Vilsack (RFD TV; includes VIDEO)

Excerpt from Politico's Morning Energy: COMING SOON: The incoming chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Debbie Stabenow, said Thursday she intends to move forward "soon" on a bipartisan bill that would set up a certification program at USDA to help pay farmers who participate in voluntary carbon markets, Pro's Liz Crampton reports. The bipartisan Growing Climate Solutions Act, S. 3894 (116), which Stabenow introduced last year with Republican Sen. Mike Braun, would provide technical support for farmers to enter private carbon markets, such as verifying third-party entities they can work with in the carbon credit process.

The 2023 farm bill: Stabenow is also eyeing the upcoming farm bill reauthorization as an opportunity to ramp up USDA's conservation programs as part of the federal government's effort to confront climate change. She identified increasing funding for certain pilot programs boosted in the 2018 farm bill, such as the Conservation Innovation Grants initiative that encourages public and private partnerships to address natural resource concerns on working lands, Liz reports. READ MORE

Excerpt from Politico's Morning Energy: THE ONCE AND FUTURE AG SECRETARY: Agriculture Secretary nominee Tom Vilsack, who served in the same role in the Obama administration, will tell the Senate Agriculture Committee at his confirmation hearing today that he will encourage farmers and rural communities to embrace renewable technologies and biofuels to an even greater degree. "I will also take steps to enhance the role of the farm sector and rural communities in solving the great environmental and energy- related challenges our country faces," Vilsack's prepared opening remarks say. "Toward that end, I will work with you to expand opportunities for farmers, ranchers and rural communities to promote renewable energy technologies, like biofuels, wind, solar and geothermal, and to deliver the environmental benefits, like clean air, clean water and fish and wildlife habitat." READ MORE

Excerpt from Politico's Morning Energy: VILSACK TALKS CLIMATE, BIOFUELS: The Senate Agriculture Committee on Tuesday advanced the nomination of Tom Vilsack for Agriculture secretary by voice vote, setting the former Iowa governor up for a quick Senate approval. During his confirmation hearing earlier in the day, Vilsack said he would promote access to fuels with 15 percent ethanol and advocate for use of higher blends of biofuels, as Pro's Eric Wolff reports.

He also said the agriculture sector was well-positioned to help the Biden administration score a "quick win" on climate change, as Pro's Helena Bottemiller Evich reports. READ MORE

Excerpt from Huron Daily News: In his testimony, Vilsack heavily endorsed boosting climate-friendly agricultural industries such as the creation of biofuels.

“Agriculture is one of our first and best ways to get some wins in this climate area,” he said.

He proposed “building a rural economy based on biomanufacturing” and “turning agricultural waste into a variety of products.” He pledged to work closely with the Environmental Protection Agency to “spur the industry” on biofuels.

Republican Joni Ernst of Iowa questioned whether Vilsack's commitment to biofuels would clash with the Biden administration's public commitment to switch the federal vehicle fleet to electric cars and trucks.

“We're going to need both,” he responded, saying there was room for both climate-friendly industries to thrive and pointing out that the Navy has begun to deploy warships that run partially on biofuel. READ MORE

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