Minnesota Farmers Union

St. Paul (April 17, 2009) - Farmers Union is advocating for the inclusion of a robust and voluntary agriculture offset program in climate change legislation, urging lawmakers to support legislation that addresses the unique role America's agriculture producers can play in combating global climate change.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) just announced that it plans to regulate greenhouse gas emissions on the grounds that these pollutants pose a danger to the public's health and welfare.

"Because agriculture and forestry lands have the potential to sequester nearly 25 percent of all annual greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, it is critical that a flexible offset program, that ensures maximum voluntary participation by the agricultural and forestry communities, is developed," said Roger Johnson, National Farmers Union President.

"Since 2006, Farmers Union has had a Carbon Credit Program that sequesters greenhouse gas emissions," said Doug Peterson, Minnesota Farmers Union President.  "Various farming practices reduce greenhouse gas emissions and capture carbon, and farmers knowledge of practices and technology that work can assist the EPA in reducing the impacts of climate change, and produce cleaner, non-foreign sources of biofuels to power this nation and clean up our environment.  I look forward to working with the EPA in this endeavor."

Farmers Union supports a national, mandatory carbon emission cap and trade system, and believes it is important climate change legislation allow the United States Department of Agriculture to develop and administer the protocols, standards and verification system for an agricultural offset program, establish carbon sequestration rates based on science and allow early actors to be eligible to participate in a new offset program.

The Farmers Union Carbon Credit Program launched in 2006 has enrolled 4.7 million acres across the country, offsetting the annual emissions of 320,000 automobiles, and Farmers Union is now the largest aggregator of carbon credits on the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX).

EPA must hold a 60-day public comment period before finalizing its finding, and it would then have to look at regulating individual sectors of the economy.