USDA sets farm, forestry carbon sequestration meetings
Date: 26-Nov-02
Country: USA
The Bush administration ordered the USDA last February to work with the Energy Department and Environmental Protection Agency to develop accounting rules for crediting so-called carbon sequestration projects under a voluntary emission reduction reporting program.
Crop land, grazing pastures and forests can absorb or offset greenhouse gas emissions from automobiles, manufacturing plants and other sources.
Keith Collins, USDA's chief economist, scheduled a Jan. 14-15 meeting to discuss agriculture carbon sequestration guidelines, and a Jan. 23 meeting on forestry guidelines. Both will be held at the USDA's research center in Riverdale, Maryland, just outside Washington, the USDA said in a notice published in the Federal Register.
The USDA is trying to develop objective and practical methods to create a baseline for agricultural and forestry carbon sequestration, that will award transferable credits for actions that lead to real reductions in the future. The department is also considering how to independently verify greenhouse gas registry reports.
The Bush administration opposes mandatory greenhouse gas reporting by companies and agribusinesses, preferring a voluntary approach.