Nominations sought for Council membership
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on August 13 that it intends to establish a Greenhouse Gas Technical Assistance Advisory Council and a Third-Party Verifier Advisory Council (informally known as the Growing Climate Solutions Act Advisory Council). (Jacob Tosch, Porter County SWCD)
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced Aug. 13 that it intends to establish a Greenhouse Gas Technical Assistance Advisory Council and Third-Party Verifier Program (informally known as the Growing Climate Solutions Act Advisory Council) and is seeking candidates for membership on the advisory council. The USDA made the announcement in a notice published today in the Federal Register.
The new council is authorized by the Growing Climate Solutions Act (GCSA). Enacted as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (Public Law 117-328), the GCSA directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish the council.
“The program authorized by the Growing Climate Solutions Act will enable USDA to reduce confusion in the marketplace by connecting qualified vendors and third-party auditors who can offer technical expertise with producers seeking to obtain carbon credits,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “The establishment of this council, with a roster of expert members from diverse backgrounds, will be an important step forward in creating a program that can help a broad range of our stakeholders access strong and vetted environmental credit markets, supports the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to promoting climate-smart agriculture, and creating new income opportunities for small and medium-sized farmers.”
The purpose of the Advisory Panel is to support the program by facilitating farmers, ranchers and private forest owners – including young farmers, underserved farmers, resource-constrained farmers and experienced farmers – to participate in voluntary environmental credit markets that offer credits that represent real, additional, permanent, one-time and independently verified emission reductions or removals.
By establishing this council, the Biden-Harris administration aims to advance its commitment to the Principles for Responsible Participation in Voluntary Carbon Markets. These principles aim to establish robust standards for supply and demand for carbon credits, improve the functioning of the market, ensure fair and equitable treatment of all participants, promote environmental justice, including equitable distribution of revenues, and strengthen market trust.
The Council’s main activities include:
- Regularly review and recommend changes to:
- The list of protocols recognized by the program for generating environmental credits.
- The qualifications required for companies that provide technical assistance to farmers, ranchers and landowners.
- The activities for which technical assistance providers and third-party auditors may register to provide services under the program that prevent, reduce or mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
- Advising the Minister of Agriculture on:
- Current methodologies used in voluntary green credit markets to quantify and verify the avoidance, reduction or mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions.
- Opportunities to reduce the barriers to entry and transaction costs associated with such markets.
- Strengthening markets to align with the Government’s position on VCMs by helping to identify highly integrated protocols for carbon credit generation designed to ensure consistency, effectiveness, efficiency and transparency.
The Council will also provide an initial assessment of the program to Congress and consult with the Secretary regarding subsequent periodic assessments.
The Secretary of Agriculture will appoint 32 members to the Council and designate a chair. Members will represent the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), farmers, ranchers, private forest owners, the forest and forest products industry, relevant scientific research communities – including colleges and universities with land-grant programs, experts in voluntary environmental credit markets and verification requirements, nongovernmental and civil society organizations, and private sector companies and organizations participating in voluntary environmental credit markets.
The Advisory Council is composed of at least 51 percent farmers, ranchers, and private forest owners; it also includes representatives from beginning, underserved, resource-poor, and veteran groups; and it meets at least once a year. Council members’ terms are normally two years; however, the initial slate of appointed members has staggered terms of one to three years. Members may serve no more than four additional two-year terms. Members receive no compensation but are reimbursed by the USDA for approved travel expenses as established by U.S. General Services Administration policies and regulations.
Interested parties should refer to the notice in the Federal Register for detailed information regarding the qualifications and requirements of the candidates. Interested parties may also submit comments online until October 15, 2024.
Nomination packets must be postmarked no later than October 15, 2024. Nomination packets may be submitted electronically via email to [email protected] or by mail to Sasha Strohm, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Stop 0249, Washington, DC 20250, Attn: GCSA Advisory Council. Electronic submissions are preferred.
For more information about the Greenhouse Gas Technical Assistance Provider and Third-Party Verifier Program or to establish this council, visit www.ams.usda.gov/services/GCSA or contact Sasha Strohm, Program Manager, at [email protected] or 202-720-5705.
AMS manages programs that create domestic and international marketing opportunities for U.S. food, fiber, and specialty crop producers. AMS also provides valuable services to the agriculture industry to ensure the quality and availability of healthy food for consumers across the country and around the world. AMS’s services and its significant grant investments create opportunities by supporting American farmers, ranchers, and businesses across the supply chain and spur economic development in small towns and rural communities.
USDA impacts the lives of all Americans every day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, more equitable markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and income streams for farmers and producers through climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capacity in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by breaking down systemic barriers and building a workforce that better represents America. For more information, visit www.usda.gov.
— US Department of Agriculture
