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SPECIAL REPORT
Greenhouse Gas Debate Continues |
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture has published a notice in the Federal Register seeking public comment on a new effort to provide tools that will help farmers, ranchers and forest land owners to assess the greenhouse gas (GHG) footprint of their operations.
The project will bring together scientific experts from across USDA, other Federal agencies and U.S. research institutions in order to develop consistent metrics for estimating changes in GHG emissions and carbon sequestration for the country’s farm, ranch and forest operations.
The goal is that the new tools will provide a comprehensive, transparent approach to calculating changes in GHG emissions across all management activities within a farm, ranch or forest operation. The guidance will include ways to estimate the GHG benefit of new technologies, such as methane digesters and nitrification inhibitors (which help fertilizer stay within the root zone).
USDA has been a leader in conducting regional and national GHG inventories; and its scientists have a history of collaborative research with universities to advance the scientific understanding of agriculture’s role in helping to mitigate climate change.
GHG Data Sought
The current effort aims to capture the state of the science and to provide user-friendly tools and guidance to farmers, ranchers and forest landowners who are interested in quantifying the GHG benefits of management changes within their operation.
The guidance and tools will also be useful to USDA in assessing the ecosystem services benefits of conservation programs and initiatives.
USDA contributed information for this article.
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Farm Bureau Officials Complain About EPA Regulations |
America’s farmers and ranchers will receive a “double economic jolt” from the Environmental Protection Agency’s regulation of greenhouse gases, the American Farm Bureau Federation has told a House subcommittee.
Philip Nelson, president of the Illinois Farm Bureau, testified on behalf of AFBF before the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Energy and Power.
“First, any costs incurred by utilities, refiners, manufacturers and other large emitters to comply with GHG regulatory requirements will be passed on to the consumers of those products, including farmers and ranchers,” Nelson explains.
“As a result, our nation’s farmers and ranchers will have higher input costs, namely fuel and energy costs, to grow food, fiber and fuel for our nation and the world.”
The Illinois farm leader says EPA’s regulations could increase fertilizer prices for farmers because the rules outline a larger role for natural gas, replacing coal and other fossil fuels.
American Farm Bureau provided information for this article. |
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