USDA is seeking nominations for an advisory council required by the Growing Climate Solutions Act that will focus on making it easier for producers to participate in voluntary environmental credit markets, including carbon credits.
On Tuesday, the agency announced in a Federal Register notice that it plans to establish the Greenhouse Gas Technical Assistance Provider and Third Party Verifier Program Advisory Council, and is seeking nominations for the panel’s membership.
The goal of the council is to reduce market confusion and connect producers seeking carbon credits with third-party verifiers and technical assistance, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack in a release.
“Establishing this Council with a slate of expert members from diverse backgrounds will be an important step forward in creating a program that can assist a wide scope of our stakeholders in accessing strong and verified environmental credit markets, furthering the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to advancing climate-smart agriculture and creating new income opportunities for small and mid-sized farmers,” Vilsack said.
Under the GCSA, the secretary will appoint 32 members to the panel and name a chairperson.
The membership will include representatives of USDA, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, relevant researchers, private-sector businesses and more. At least 51% of the council will include farmers, ranchers and private forest landowners, and should represent beginning, underserved and veteran groups.
The council will meet at least once a year, and members will normally serve two-year terms. The first slate of appointees will have staggered terms of one to three years.
These members will review and recommend changes related to the Greenhouse Gas Technical Assistance Provider and Third-Party Verifier Program. These could include the list of protocols for generating environmental credits, required qualifications for those who provide technical assistance to producers and activities third-party verifiers or TA providers may register to provide services under the program that address emissions.
Additionally, the council will advise USDA on the current methods used in markets to quantify and verify emission reductions or mitigation measures and ways to make it easier and cheaper to enter these environmental credit markets. The council may also help identify high-integrity protocols for carbon credit generation to ensure consistency, transparency and effectiveness.
Nominations may be submitted through Oct. 15, either electronically or through mail.
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