The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking public input on the establishment of new standards for the quantification, reporting, and verification of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with the production of domestic agricultural commodities used as biofuel feedstocks. This initiative aims to integrate climate-smart farming practices into GHG analysis, reflecting their impact on feedstock production emissions.
Currently, clean transportation fuel programs do not differentiate carbon intensity (CI) estimates between crops grown with climate-smart practices and those grown conventionally. The USDA’s request for information (RFI) aims to gather insights on practices that can mitigate GHG emissions and sequester carbon, along with methods for accurate reporting and verification.
William Hohenstein, Director of the Office of Energy and Environmental Policy, emphasized the significance of this effort: “Improving the ability to accurately quantify and verify the GHG outcomes of climate-smart farming practices can also provide additional benefits, including improved credibility and confidence in a variety of climate-smart markets.”
“Improving the ability to accurately quantify and verify the GHG outcomes of climate-smart farming practices can also provide additional benefits, including improved credibility and confidence in a variety of climate-smart markets.”
The USDA is considering a rulemaking process to establish voluntary standards for these practices under the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, which mandates the creation of guidelines for measuring environmental services benefits from conservation activities. This initiative would prioritize guidelines related to farmer participation in carbon markets and involve third-party verification of environmental benefits.
Agricultural management practices such as conservation tillage, no-till, cover crops, buffer strips, and nitrogen management are among the techniques under review for their potential to reduce GHG emissions and increase soil carbon sequestration.
“There is an opportunity to improve the empirical basis and verifiability of the effects of climate-smart farming practices on net GHG emissions.”
The USDA’s efforts could incentivize the adoption of climate-smart farming, reducing overall GHG emissions from biofuel production while providing additional environmental benefits like improved soil health and water quality.
Public comments must be submitted by July 25, 2024, via the Federal Rulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov, searching for Docket No. USDA-2024-0003.
For further information, contact William Hohenstein at (202) 720-0450 or via email at [email protected].
