McClellan, Lawler Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Coordinate Federal Soil Carbon Sequestration Efforts

(Office of Representatives Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-04)) Representatives Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-04) and Mike Lawler (R-NY-17) introduced the bipartisan Coordination for Soil Carbon Research and Monitoring Act to empower the federal government to support interagency work around soil carbon sequestration research and monitoring.

Soil carbon sequestration, also known as “carbon farming” or “regenerative agriculture,” refers to land management processes to promote the absorption of carbon into soil. Experts estimate that soil could store almost 5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide worldwide each year. The Coordination for Soil Carbon Research and Monitoring Act would streamline existing federal efforts around soil carbon sequestration and close gaps in research and monitoring.

“The climate crisis is one of the greatest threats of our time, and we must do everything in our power to reduce our carbon footprint and limit greenhouse gas emissions,” said Congresswoman McClellan. “Agriculture is the largest private industry in our Commonwealth, and farmers are feeling the effects of climate change more often and more severely. Extreme droughts, floods, wildfires, and heat waves pose significant challenges to the agriculture industry, and they will continue to intensify without urgent action. I am proud to introduce the bipartisan Coordination for Soil Carbon Research and Monitoring Act to ensure we properly harness the full potential of soil carbon sequestration in our continued fight against the climate crisis.”

“I’m proud to join my colleague Jennifer McClellan (D-VA-04) in introducing the bipartisan Coordination for Soil Carbon Research and Monitoring Act,” said Congressman Lawler. “As I said when I joined Eric Sorensen (D-IL-17) in introducing the Advancing Research on Agricultural Climate Impacts Act this summer to fund research into carbon sequestration, this innovative new process has the win-win of increasing farm production while reducing our carbon footprint. The Coordination for Soil Carbon Research and Monitoring Act will enable us to unleash this new technology, surge our food production, and leave a cleaner world for our children and grandchildren.”

“Interest in rewarding farmers for soil carbon gains is on the rise—but that’s undercut by a lack of tools to accurately measure and track soil carbon outcomes. In order to unlock the full potential of soil carbon in the US, and get money into the hands of farmers, we need a coordinated, large-scale effort across federal agencies to advance research and monitoring. Coordination for Soil Carbon Research and Monitoring Act addresses those gaps head-on; only an effort of this scale can lay the necessary foundation to inform science-based carbon incentives,” said Cristel Zoebisch, Deputy Director of Policy, Carbon180. “We applaud Representatives McClellan and Lawler’s vision for actualizing soil carbon sequestration in an equitable and evidence-based way—and for creating a roadmap for the federal government, the private sector, universities, technical service providers, and producers to come together to advance research for agricultural climate action.

“BPC Action applauds the bipartisan leadership of Reps. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA) and Mike Lawler (R-NY) on efforts to enhance soil health interagency research and coordination that can bolster agricultural productivity and climate resiliency, and farmer income,” said Michele Stockwell, President of BPC Action. “The Coordination for Soil Carbon Research and Monitoring Act will provide the building blocks needed to coordinate cross-cutting priorities on soil carbon research including monitoring, reporting, and verification, data collection and management, and fundamental research regarding soil dynamics. This research will help the U.S. agriculture sector better understand how to increase soil health and enhance farming practices to boost the natural processes of capturing carbon dioxide and storing it in soils.”

Excerpt from Financial Times: Big food companies are taking an interest in such practices, and not just for ecological reasons. As well as boosting crop yields and potentially cutting fertiliser usage, regenerative agriculture can help increase carbon sequestration — storing carbon in the soil and keeping it out of the atmosphere.

For now, it is voluntary. But soon, says Sophie (Gregory), all farmers will need to measure their soil carbon stock as regulations begin requiring companies to report the greenhouse gases emitted throughout their supply chains and in the use of their products, known as “scope 3” emissions. As of this month companies incorporated in the EU are required to report this indirect footprint. The US is also working on similar disclosure rules.

There is lively debate over how much carbon can actually be stored in soils, how long for and how effectively it can be measured. Some scientists warn that if sequestration seems too good to be true, it probably is. Few food and agriculture companies state how much their net zero goals depend on using land as a carbon sink.

Environmentalists warn that the idea of using carbon stored in soil to offset emissions smacks of the existing nature-based carbon offset market, under which multinationals seeking to reduce their net emissions buy up carbon offsets generated by tree-planting projects. Many of these were found to make unsubstantiated claims about their carbon reduction benefits and the concept has been derided by some campaigners as a vehicle for corporate greenwashing.

Smith (Pete Smith, professor of soils and global change at the University of Aberdeen) says regenerative agriculture “makes a lot of sense” and will deliver a host of benefits for the environment, farmers and food production

The benefits of regenerative agriculture are not in doubt. On farms in PepsiCo’s supply chain in India, yields have increased 3 per cent while greenhouse gas emissions have fallen 20 per cent, and in Thailand yields have increased 18 per cent with a 36 per cent drop in water use, says Margaret Henry, the food giant’s Global VP for Sustainable Agriculture.

It is also tricky to accurately measure the carbon captured in soil. The technology to do so exists, but it is very expensive, says Smith. For farmers and the food companies they supply, he adds, “the cost of doing it can outstrip the value of the carbon.” As a result, most companies and non-profits specialising in regenerative agriculture and soil carbon removal rely on computer models instead. READ MORE