Farm-state lawmakers would have the funds to write a climate-focused farm bill if Congress enacts a broad-ranging package that President Biden on Thursday called “the most significant legislation in history to tackle the climate crisis.” The package includes $20 billion for voluntary conservation practices on the farm, such as cover crops, to sequester greenhouse gases in soils, plants, and trees.
There was an additional $14 billion in rural spending and $5 billion for forests in the Inflation Reduction Act unveiled by Senate Democrats. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he expected the Senate would vote on the package next week.
“We are equipping farmers, foresters, and rural communities with the necessary tools and resources to be a part of the solution and grow their local economies at the same time,” said Senate Agriculture Committee chair Debbie Stabenow.
The bill also would extend or expand tax credits for sustainable aviation fuel, carbon capture, biodiesel, and renewable diesel. “For the United States to meet its climate goals, we must quickly expand the volume of low-carbon biofuels available across the entire transportation sector — on the ground, in the air, and at sea,” said Growth Energy, a trade group.
“Congress is poised to make a once-in-a-generation investment in effective working-lands conservation programs — such as CSP, EQIP, and others — that will put farmers at the center of our national response to the climate change crisis,” said Mike Lavender of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, referring to the Conservation Stewardship Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.
With the $20 billion earmarked for agricultural conservation, the Senate and House Agriculture committees could ramp up climate mitigation efforts that would otherwise go wanting. Biden has proposed a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. “I see farmers deploying cutting-edge tools to make [the] soil of our heartland the next frontier in carbon innovation,” he said at an Earth Day summit in 2021. Inflation and the war in Ukraine have distracted attention from the goal. Key Republican senators have questioned whether the USDA has the authority or money to inaugurate climate projects without congressional approval.
The package, announced by Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, offered $8.45 billion for EQIP, $3.25 billion for the CSP, $6.75 billion for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program, and $1.4 billion for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program. It would prioritize practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase climate resiliency.
“The increase in federal funding for farm bill conservation programs in the Senate reconciliation package acknowledges the many ways that well-managed farms and ranchlands help address our changing needs,” said the Land Trust Alliance.
At present, the USDA spends about $5 billion a year on land stewardship programs.
The bill, which includes $369 billion in climate and energy initiatives, has similarities with the “build back better” bill backed by Biden last year. Although the new bill is smaller, Biden said it would help combat climate change all the same.
“Now let me be clear: This bill would be the most significant legislation in history to tackle the climate crisis and improve our energy security right away,” said the president in remarks at the White House. “And it’ll give us a tool to meet the climate goals that are set — that we’ve agreed to — by cutting emissions and accelerating clean energy. A huge step forward.”
The bill would also reduce federal spending on prescription drugs by $288 billion over 10 years and offset the cost of its climate, energy and healthcare provisions with $451 billion in new tax revenue over the next decade.
A one-page summary of the bill is available here.
A summary of the bill’s climate and energy provisions is available here.
The text of the bill is available here.