The budget-reconciliation bill announced Thursday by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia has $20 billion for “voluntary conservation practices on the farm, such as cover crops, to sequester greenhouse gases in soils, plants, and trees,” Chuck Abbott reports for Successful Farming.
Senate Agriculture Committee chair Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, said the money would allow the next Farm Bill, up for reauthorization next year, to be focused on climate. “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,” she said.
The bill has another $14 billion in rural spending and $5 billion for forests. It also “would extend or expand tax credits for sustainable aviation fuel, carbon capture, biodiesel, and renewable diesel,” Abbott reports. “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.” The bill “would prioritize practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase climate resiliency.”
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.
The Rural Blog is a publication of the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues based at the University of Kentucky.
