USDA is requesting public comment on four areas of USDA policy: Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry; Biofuels, Wood and Other Bioproducts, and Renewable Energy; Addressing Catastrophic Wildfires; and Environmental Justice and Disadvantaged Communities.
The request does not offer any potential actions on the part of USDA in these areas nor does it discuss a carbon bank which has been touted as a potential action or specifically the use of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) authority for any of efforts.
USDA has set a 45-day comment period on the request and it is not clear whether they will allow more time for public feedback given the breadth of the information they are seeking.
The attention on climate change actions at USDA is clearly rising as the situation is a government-wide focus, and one that USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack has spent a considerable amount of time focusing on in his initial time in office.