USDA Announces Intent to Establish Greenhouse Gas Technical Assistance Provider and Third-Party Verifier Program Advisory Council, Seeks Nominations

WASHINGTON, Aug. 13, 2024 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today it intends to establish the Greenhouse Gas Technical Assistance Provider and Third-Party Verifier Program Advisory Council (informally known as the Growing Climate Solutions Act Advisory Council) and is seeking nominations for Council membership. USDA made the announcement in a Federal Register notice published today.

The new Council is authorized by the Growing Climate Solutions Act (GCSA). The GCSA was signed into law as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 (Public Law 117-328) and directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish the Council.

“The program authorized by the Growing Climate Solutions Act will enable USDA to reduce market confusion by connecting qualified providers and third-party verifiers who can offer technical expertise with producers seeking to obtain carbon credits,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Establishing this Council with a slate of expert members from diverse backgrounds will be an important step forward in creating a program that can assist a wide scope of our stakeholders in accessing strong and verified environmental credit markets, furthering the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to advancing climate-smart agriculture and creating new income opportunities for small and mid-sized farmers.”

The purpose of the Advisory Council is to support the program in making it easier for farmers, ranchers and private forest landowners, including beginning, underserved, limited resource and veteran farmers, to participate in voluntary environmental credit markets offering credits that represent real, additional, lasting, unique, and independently verified emissions reductions or removals.

Establishing this Council contributes to advancing the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to its Principles for Responsible Participation in Voluntary Carbon Markets, which guide establishing robust standards for carbon credit supply and demand; improving market functioning; ensuring fair and equitable treatment of all participants and advance environmental justice, including fair distribution of revenue; and instilling market confidence.

Key activities of the Council will include:

• Periodically reviewing and recommending changes to:
  • The list of protocols recognized by the program for generating environmental credits.
  • The required qualifications for entities that provide technical assistance to farmers, ranchers, and landowners.
  • The activities for which technical assistance providers and third-party verifiers may register to provide services under the Program that prevent, reduce, or mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

• Advising the Secretary of Agriculture on:
  • Current methods used in voluntary environmental credit markets to quantify and verify the prevention, reduction, or mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions.
  • Ways to reduce the barriers to entry and transaction costs associated with such markets.
  • Strengthening markets to align with the administration’s position on VCMs by helping to identify high-integrity protocols for carbon credit generation that are designed to ensure consistency, effectiveness, efficiency, and transparency.

The Council will also submit an initial assessment to Congress about the program and will consult with the Secretary regarding subsequent periodic assessments.

The Secretary of Agriculture will appoint 32 members to the Council and will designate a chairperson. The membership will represent USDA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), farmers, ranchers, private forest landowners, the forestry and forest products industry, relevant scientific research communities—including land-grant colleges and universities, experts in voluntary environmental credit markets and verification requirements, nongovernmental and civil society organizations, and private sector businesses and organizations that participate in voluntary environmental credit markets.

The Advisory Council will be comprised of at least 51 percent farmers, ranchers, and private forest landowners; will include representatives of beginning, underserved, limited resource, and veteran groups; and will meet at least once a year. Council members will normally serve two-year terms; however, the first slate of appointees will serve staggered terms of one to three years. Members may not serve more than four additional two-year terms. Members will not be compensated but will be reimbursed by USDA for approved travel expenses as determined by the guidelines and regulations specified by the U.S. General Services Administration.

Interested parties should refer to the Federal Register notice for detailed information on candidate qualifications and requirements. Interested parties may also submit comments online through October 15, 2024.

Nomination packages must be postmarked on or before October 15, 2024. Nomination packages can be submitted electronically by email to GCSA@usda.gov, or mailed to: Sasha Strohm, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Stop 0249, Washington, DC 20250, Attn: GCSA Advisory Council. Electronic submissions are preferred.

For more information about the Greenhouse Gas Technical Assistance Provider and Third-Party Verifier Program or the establishment of this Council, visit www.ams.usda.gov/services/GCSA or contact Sasha Strohm, Program Manager, at sasha.strohm@usda.gov or 202-720-5705.

AMS administers programs that create domestic and international marketing opportunities for U.S. producers of food, fiber, and specialty crops. AMS also provides the agriculture industry with valuable services to ensure the quality and availability of wholesome food for consumers across the country and globally. AMS services and its significant grant investments create opportunities by supporting American farmers, ranchers and businesses across the supply chain, and drive economic development in small towns and rural communities.

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. In the Biden-Harris administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov.

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