U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Chairwoman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, John Boozman, (R-Ark.), Ranking Member, and Mike Braun announced that the Committee passed the bipartisan S.1251, Growing Climate Solutions Act of 2021 by a voice vote. The legislation can now be considered by the full Senate.
“On Earth Day, our committee came together in a bipartisan way to pass the Growing Climate Solutions Act,” said Chairwoman Stabenow. “This brings us one step closer to providing more opportunities for farmers and foresters to lead in addressing the climate crisis and also benefit from new streams of income.”
“The version of the Growing Climate Solutions Act that we overwhelmingly passed out of Committee demonstrates what can be accomplished if we take a bipartisan approach to legislating. By working together on the front end, we strengthened the bill’s appeal to reach a broader base of members from both sides of the aisle, as well as a wide-range of stakeholders from across the agriculture community,” Ranking Member Boozman said. “I offer my sincere gratitude to Senator Braun and Chairwoman Stabenow for their willingness to partner with me to make important improvements to the bill. This collaboration is a continuation of the long standing tradition that is expected of the Senate agriculture committee to develop practical, bipartisan policy.”
“The Growing Climate Solutions Act will empower farmers and foresters to be rewarded for their sustainable, climate-smart practices. It’s a climate solution that farmers, industry, and those who care about sustaining our environment can get behind, and I’m proud that this bill has been supported by over 30 senators with a strong bipartisan consensus, and its approval by the Agriculture Committee today is another win for bipartisan climate solutions designed to benefit everyone,” said Senator Braun.
The bill creates a structure at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help farmers and foresters scale up climate-oriented practices and benefit from emerging new sources of farm revenue. The bill was reintroduced on Tuesday, April 20 with the support of 42 Senators and over 70 agricultural and environmental organizations.
Source: Sen. Stabenow news release