Sam Brownback: “today, I join with Senator Wyden to bring an amendment to the floor on the farm bill which will establish a pilot…”

“today, I join with Senator Wyden to bring an amendment to the floor on the farm bill which will establish a pilot program for farmer owned cooperatives to measure, verify and trade sequestered soil carbon through agriculture conservation practices. This amendment will authorize $5 million over 5 years to establish a program that will allow our nation's farmers to implement the promise offered by carbon sequestration--a process where crops and trees convert carbon dioxide into stored carbon in the soil. At the same time, this project will provide the Congress with important information about how effective soil carbon sequestration will be in addressing the issue of climate change. As we set farm policy for the next five years, there are several important areas we have an opportunity to expand. One promising example is in a potential environmental market for farmers--where producers are paid by utilities and other greenhouse gas producers to offset carbon dioxide emissions to ease into CO2 reductions more cost effectively. Such a market is already being looked at in many sectors, but more information and applied research is needed to answer policy questions surrounding the effectiveness and permanence of carbon sequestration as part of the global climate change solution. I have introduced 3 bills involving carbon sequestration in this last year.”