Policy Update: House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Releases Ag. Policy Recommendations
Today the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis — authorized in January 2019 and chaired by Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL) — released their new report titled “Solving the Climate Crisis: The Congressional Action Plan for a Clean Energy Economy and a Healthy and Just America.”
The report contains policy recommendations to Congress to “achieve substantial and permanent reductions in pollution and other activities that contribute to the climate crisis.” These recommendations, which include a significant section on agriculture, were built off of expert testimonies, including that of Dr. Jen Moore-Kucera, AFT’s Climate Initiative Director, in October 2019. The report recommendations have also been informed by recently proposed legislation, such as Rep. Pingree’s (D-ME) Agricultural Resilience Act (which AFT applauded).
The 30+ pages of agricultural policy recommendations cover a number of topics from regenerative agriculture to farmland protection to managing food waste, and include many recommendations on topics with which AFT is actively engaged. It is important to note that these recommendations do not represent any concrete change in policy, although they are an important step towards a cohesive climate strategy. It will be up to Congress to enact these policy recommendations in the form of legislation.
AFT has released a statement that was supportive of the Committee’s agricultural policy recommendations to:
Increase funding to programs that incentivize regenerative practices such as EQIP, CSP, and RCPP
Support public/private partnerships such as those made possible by RCPP
Protect farmland and increase funding for ACEP-ALE (AFT suggested that instead of requiring ALE land to have a conservation plan, that participants be fast-tracked into EQIP or CSP)
Support programs and policies that transition land to the next generation like the CRP-Transition Incentives Program, or changes to the tax code that incentivize the sale of land to young, beginning, and historically disadvantaged farmers and ranchers
Strengthen the Farmland Protection Policy Act
Establish a Debt for Working Lands program to relieve FSA debt in return for land protection
Promote dual-use solar siting
Below is a list of the overarching goals that the Committee addressed through the recommendations, and the “building blocks” (bulleted) necessary to achieve them:
Increase Agricultural Carbon Sequestration and Resilience Through Climate Stewardship Practices
Prioritize and Increase Climate Mitigation and Resilience through Conservation Title Working Lands Programs
Improve Agricultural Land Conservation and Climate Mitigation and Resilience through Retirement and Easement Programs
Establish Climate Mitigation Bundles within the Conservation Stewardship Program to Increase Climate Stewardship Practices
Increase Financial and Technical Support for Agroforestry through Regional Agroforestry Centers
Set National Climate Stewardship Practice Goals on All U.S. Cropland
Improve Conservation Compliance Enforcement to Prevent Soil Erosion as Well as Grassland and Wetland Conversion to Cropland
Measure, Quantify, Evaluate, and Report on the Impact of Conservation Programs and Practices on Carbon Sequestration, Soil Health, and Greenhouse Gas Reductions
Support Organic Agriculture
Invest in Sustainable Climate-Smart Management on Private Forests
Revise NRCS Conservation Practice Standards to Increase Consideration of Climate Mitigation and Resilience
Support State Soil Health Initiatives to Increase Adoption of Climate Stewardship Practices
Provide Incentives for Farmers Leasing Land to Invest in Soil Health and Climate Stewardship Practices
Provide Lending, Credit, and Land Valuation Incentives for Improving and Maintaining Soil Health and Carbon Sequestration
Create a “Climate-Based Producer” Certification to Create New Markets and Incentives to Adopt Climate Stewardship Practices
Incentivize Climate Stewardship Practices through Crop Insurance
Enhance the Watershed and Flood Prevention Program
Reduce Agricultural Emissions
Reduce Nitrous Oxide Emissions from Synthetic Fertilizer While Increasing Cost Savings to Farmers
Reduce Livestock Emissions and Increase Carbon Sequestration in Grazing Lands
Develop Feed Additives to Reduce Livestock Emissions
Support Community-Scale Energy Development through Cooperative Methane Digesters to Help Small- and Mid-Scale Dairies and Other Livestock Operations Collectively Address Waste
Expand Investments in Rural Broadband to Support Precision Agriculture
Increase Federal Capacity to Provide Technical Assistance to Farmers
Increase NRCS and FSA Staff and NRCS Local Offices to Provide On-the-Ground Support and Technical Assistance to Farmers and Ranchers
Increase Support and Resources to Conservation Districts, Extension Services, Land-Grant Colleges, and Other Relevant Partners
Coordinate Within and Across Agencies and Support Public-Private Partnerships to Facilitate Broad Adoption of Climate Stewardship Practices
Increase Funding to USDA Research Agencies and Key Partners to Promote Innovation and Increase Agricultural Climate Benefits
Facilitate Farmer-to-Farmer Education and Outreach Programs to Encourage Farmers and Ranchers to Implement Climate Stewardship Practices
Scale Up Climate Hubs to Provide Climate Mitigation and Resilience Data, Tools, and Support to Agricultural Producers and Communities
Develop Seeds, Crop Varieties, and Animal Breeds Adapted to Regional Climate Change
Support Urban, Indoor, and Innovative Agricultural Production
Support On-Farm Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
Help Farmers Make Energy Efficiency Improvements and Reduce On-Farm Fuel Use
Build On-Farm Renewable Energy Projects While Ensuring Smart Siting to Maintain Affordable and Productive Farmland
Support the Next Generation of Farmers to Create a Fair and Equitable Food System
Provide Support for Beginning, Young, and Socially Disadvantaged Farmers and Incorporate Climate-Smart Agriculture into New Farmers Programs
Coordinate with Tribal Nations and Ensure they Receive Full Financial and Technical Assistance to Implement Climate Stewardship Practices
Engage with and Support Environmental Justice Communities on Climate Stewardship Practices, Programs, and Policies to Create a Fair and Equitable Food System
Preserve Farmland from Development
Help Keep Working Lands in Production
Prevent the Conversion of Natural Spaces, Wetlands, and Grasslands to Cropland
Support Local and Regional Food Systems through Federal Procurement
Build Local and Regional Food Systems by Expanding Market Opportunities
Develop Goals and Incentives to Reduce Food Waste
