National Association of Conservation Districts

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NACD OUTLINES ROLE FOR AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY IN CLIMATE BILL

WASHINGTON, D.C. – June 11, 2009 – The National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) today urged members of Congress to ensure that any climate change legislation addresses the potential of carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions reductions from agriculture and forestry.

NACD Second Vice President and Legislative Committee Chair Earl Garber, a farmer and crop consultant from Basile, La., testified before the House Agriculture Committee, stressing the need for USDA to have a leadership role in any climate legislation and outlining the role conservation districts already play 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."

Garber emphasized the importance of locally-led conservation and highlighted conservation districts in Illinois, Michigan and North Dakota who are already working as verifiers of carbon offsets through the Chicago Climate Exchange and conservation districts in Oklahoma who verify under the Oklahoma Carbon Initiative. He encouraged Committee members to ensure that conservation districts can continue to provide this service under any climate legislation.

Garber's full testimony is posted on the NACD website at http://nacdnet.org/policy/input/testimony/House Ag Climate Testimony 061109.pdf.

Also testifying at the hearing were Agriculture Secretary Vilsack and other industry and trade representatives. Full information about the hearing is available on the House Agriculture Committee website at http://agriculture.house.gov.

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The National Association of Conservation Districts is the non-profit organization that represents the nation’s 3,000 conservation districts and 17,000 men and women who serve on their governing boards. For almost 70 years, local conservation districts have worked with cooperating landowners and managers of private working lands to help them plan and apply effective conservation practices. NACD’s website is at www.nacdnet.org.