Articles Tagged with ''Growing Climate Solutions Act''

Nearly a year after the Senate overwhelmingly passed a bipartisan bill aimed at jump-starting ag climate markets, the bill remains mired in the House Agriculture Committee, raising the possibility the legislation could be punted to the farm bill debate in the next Congress.

Members of the House Agriculture Committee are reviewing USDA input on the Senate-passed Growing Climate Solutions Act and modifications suggested by the panel’s top Republican, Glenn “GT” Thompson.

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.