Senators voted Thursday by a wide bipartisan margin to approve a bill to help farmers access voluntary markets to sell carbon credits, a first step to engage the agriculture sector in climate policy.
The Senate voted 92-8 to approve the Growing Climate Solutions Act, advancing a rare bipartisan stand-alone climate bill even as Republicans and Democrats in the chamber fight over broader, more aggressive climate provisions in infrastructure negotiations.
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In total, the legislation boasted 55 co-sponsors, nearly evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. Lead co-sponsors included the top Democrat and Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan and John Boozman of Arkansas, as well as Indiana Republican Mike Braun.
The measure also enjoys support from a range of farming groups, including the typically conservative American Farm Bureau, and environmental groups.
“Farmers and foresters are already leading the way on the climate crisis,” Stabenow said on the Senate floor ahead of the vote. She noted that farmers use conservation practices to reduce their emissions and increase their soil’s ability to store carbon.
Stabenow cited research from the National Academies of Sciences finding that scaling up “climate-smart agriculture and forestry practices” in the United States could avoid annual emissions of nearly 110 million cars.
The legislation doesn’t require anything of farmers but aims to break down barriers for them to participate in voluntary carbon markets, in which they would be rewarded for climate-friendly practices that help sequester carbon.
The measure establishes a program within the Agriculture Department to certify third-party providers that help farmers and landowners generate carbon credits. It also creates an advisory council, which will include agriculture experts, farmers, and scientists, to ensure the certification program stays up-to-date.
“Producers and landowners must navigate a complex and costly landscape in order to access these markets,” Boozman said in a speech before the vote.
Supporters of the bill say the Senate’s success in passing the measure could offer a model for bipartisan climate legislation, at least in agriculture. It helps, too, that the legislation doesn’t set any mandates for farmers, making it less contentious than some of President Joe Biden’s proposals that would set strict emissions requirements.
“Does this show bipartisan legislation can pass in the Senate? Yes. Does this show it can pass bipartisan legislation with the term climate in it? Yes. That in and of itself is significant,” said Heather Reams, executive director of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, a conservative clean energy group.
Nonetheless, the measure did face some opposition from more conservative members. Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, offered an amendment to minimize the Agriculture Department’s involvement in the certification program.
Lee raised concerns that the certification program “could easily be manipulated to demand the USDA set unusually high protocols and qualifications” and favor sellers of carbon credits “that comply with the edicts of the federal government,” which he said would keep farmers from entering the voluntary carbon credit market. Senators rejected Lee’s amendment, with just 11 senators supporting it and 89 against.
The measure could also face some hurdles in the House. Supporters acknowledged that Rep. Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania, the top Republican on the House Agriculture Committee, has expressed concerns about the legislation, specifically regarding the Agriculture Department’s role.
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Andrew Walmsley, director of congressional relations for the American Farm Bureau, said the farming lobby wants to see the House bill be just as bipartisan as the Senate version. The Farm Bureau is encouraging the House Agriculture Committee to hold a hearing on the bill.
“At the end of the day, we don’t want to do anything kneejerk in this space,” Walmsley said. “As we get farmers more interested and more bought into these climate policies, we need long-term commitments from government.”
