Articles Tagged with ''Growing Climate Solutions Act''

Congress heads into an election year with clouds over two major pieces of legislation that are seen as critical to helping farmers benefit from efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Lawmakers also are expected to begin farm bill hearings this year, and they will have to keep the government funded for the rest of the fiscal year.

House Agriculture Committee Chairman David Scott says he plans to start holding farm bill hearings in January. And he says the House will likely act on the Growing Climate Solutions Act by early next year as well.

Rostin Behnam, President Joe Biden’s pick to chair the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, says the derivatives regulator should have some input into the development of agricultural carbon markets to ensure they operate fairly.

Members of the House Agriculture Committee on both sides of the aisle raised concerns Thursday that many farmers will be left out of emerging carbon markets, and the panel was sharply divided over whether the Agriculture Department should be involved in regulating them.

The House Agriculture Committee today takes up legislation that would authorize up to $8.5 billion in aid for disasters in 2020 and 2021. The nine-page bill builds on provisions of the temporary WHIP programs that started in the wake of the 2017 hurricanes and wildfires and then expanded as WHIP+ in 2018 and 2019.

The House Agriculture Committee will vote next week on a bill that would extend a popular ag disaster program, WHIP+, for two years. Lawmakers have been working on revisions to the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus, which provided assistance to producers for losses in 2018 and 2019.

Supporters of the Growing Climate Solutions Act are signing up new co-sponsors for the Senate-passed legislation in hopes of getting the House to take up the bill.

A bipartisan infrastructure deal that President Joe Biden is endorsing would provide a dramatic increase in spending for rural broadband while also pouring new money into roads and bridges and U.S. waterway improvements.

A bill that would lay the groundwork for ag carbon markets by putting USDA in charge of certifying farm advisers and credit verifiers won easy Senate approval Thursday in a defeat for some progressives and fossil fuel advocates on opposite sides of the climate issue.

Senate Agriculture Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow is expressing optimism that the Senate will pass the Growing Climate Solutions Act today. But the Senate will first debate an amendment by Utah GOP Sen. Mike Lee that would weaken a critical provision of the legislation, which is intended to speed development of ag carbon markets.