Senators Announce Growing Climate Solutions Act

New legislation would create an environmental credit marketplace for farmers. The Growing Climate Solutions Act, led by Michigan Democrat, Senator Debbie Stabenow, creates a certification program at the Department of Agriculture to help solve technical entry barriers that prevent farmer and forest landowner participation in carbon credit markets. Issues, including access to reliable information about markets and access to qualified technical assistance providers and credit protocol verifiers, have limited both landowner participation and the adoption of practices that help reduce the costs of developing carbon credits. The bill is backed by top farm and environmental groups, as well as Fortune 500 companies. The bill establishes a Greenhouse Gas Technical Assistance Provider and Third-Party Verifier Certification Program. Through those programs, USDA will "provide transparency, legitimacy, and informal endorsement" of third-party verifiers and technical service providers. Those providers would help private landowners generate carbon credits through a variety of agriculture and forestry-related practices.