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NACD weighs in on Climate Change bill

Earl Garber, Second VP and Legislative Committee Chair of the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD), from Basile, La., testified at the House Ag Committee hearing on Climate Change Thursday, June 11.  Garber told the committee that USDA needs a leadership role in any climate legislation, and he shared with committee members the role conservation districts are already playing as verifiers in carbon markets.

“Building upon our foundation of natural resource protection, we believe that additional gains can be made to sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” Garber said. “We recommend that climate change legislation recognize the contributions of agriculture, forestry and community conservation efforts to reduce green house gas emissions via market-based payments for emissions offsets.”

Already conservation districts in Illinois, Michigan and North Dakota are working as verifiers of carbon offsets through the Chicago Climate Exchange and conservation districts in Oklahoma verify under the Oklahoma Carbon Initiative.