Growing Climate Solutions Act of 2021
Latest action · Jun 24, 2021 Held at the desk.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedApr 20, 2021
- Passed SenateJun 24, 2021
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Growing Climate Solutions Act of 2021
This bill authorizes the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a voluntary Greenhouse Gas Technical Assistance Provider and Third-Party Verifier Certification Program to help reduce entry barriers into voluntary environmental credit markets for farmers, ranchers, and private forest landowners. A voluntary environmental credit market is a market through which agriculture and forestry credits may be bought or sold.
Entities eligible to participate in the program are (1) providers of technical assistance to farmers, ranchers, or private forest landowners in carrying out sustainable land use management practices that prevent, reduce, or mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, or sequester carbon; or (2) third-party verifiers that conduct the verification of the processes described in the protocols for voluntary environmental credit markets.
Among other requirements, USDA must publish (1) a list of protocols and qualifications for eligible entities; (2) information describing how entities may self-certify under the program; (3) information describing how entities may obtain the expertise to meet the protocols and qualifications; and (4) instructions and suggestions to assist farmers, ranchers, and private forest landowners in facilitating the development of agriculture or forestry credits and accessing voluntary environmental credit markets.
USDA must also establish an advisory council to make recommendations regarding the list of protocols and qualifications, best practices, and voluntary environmental credit markets.
The bill also rescinds certain funds provided in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and makes the funds available for the certification program.
Recorded votes 1
Newest first. Open one to see how every member voted.
| Roll call | Question | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate 251 | On Passage of the Bill S. 1251 | Bill Passed92–8 | Jun 24, 2021 |
Cosponsors 54
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 20, 2021 to Jun 23, 2021; 37 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MN | Amy Klobuchar | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| I-ME | Angus S. King Jr. | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| D-NM | Ben Ray Luján | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| R-LA | Bill Cassidy | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| D-DE | Christopher A. Coons | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| R-IA | Chuck Grassley | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| R-MS | Cindy Hyde-Smith | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| R-WY | Cynthia M. Lummis | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| R-NE | Deb Fischer | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| D-MI | Debbie Stabenow | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| D-CA | Dianne Feinstein | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| D-NV | Jacky Rosen | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| D-NH | Jeanne Shaheen | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| R-AR | John Boozman | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| R-TX | John Cornyn | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| R-ND | John Hoeven | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| R-SD | John Thune | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| R-IA | Joni Ernst | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| R-ND | Kevin Cramer | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| R-SC | Lindsey Graham | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| R-AK | Lisa Murkowski | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| R-FL | Marco Rubio | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| D-NM | Martin Heinrich | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| D-CO | Michael F. Bennet | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| R-ID | Mike Crapo | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| R-UT | Mitt Romney | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| D-GA | Raphael G. Warnock | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| R-KS | Roger Marshall | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| D-OR | Ron Wyden | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| D-RI | Sheldon Whitehouse | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| D-OH | Sherrod Brown | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| R-ME | Susan M. Collins | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| D-WI | Tammy Baldwin | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| D-DE | Thomas R. Carper | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| D-MN | Tina Smith | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| R-IN | Todd Young | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| R-AL | Tommy Tuberville | Original | Apr 20, 2021 |
| R-OH | Rob Portman | Apr 21, 2021 | |
| D-PA | Robert P. Casey Jr. | Apr 21, 2021 | |
| D-HI | Brian Schatz | Apr 22, 2021 | |
| D-MI | Gary C. Peters | Apr 22, 2021 | |
| D-IL | Richard J. Durbin | Apr 22, 2021 | |
| D-AZ | Mark Kelly | Apr 29, 2021 | |
| D-NH | Margaret Wood Hassan | May 10, 2021 | |
| R-MO | Roy Blunt | May 10, 2021 | |
| R-SC | Tim Scott | May 10, 2021 | |
| R-SD | Mike Rounds | May 11, 2021 | |
| D-IL | Tammy Duckworth | May 18, 2021 | |
| D-VA | Tim Kaine | May 24, 2021 | |
| D-NV | Catherine Cortez Masto | Jun 8, 2021 | |
| D-CO | John W. Hickenlooper | Jun 14, 2021 | |
| R-KS | Jerry Moran | Jun 23, 2021 | |
| I-AZ | Kyrsten Sinema | Jun 23, 2021 | |
| R-MS | Roger F. Wicker | Jun 23, 2021 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee | Referred Apr 20, 2021Markup Apr 22, 2021Reported Jun 14, 2021 |
Actions 10
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 24, 2021Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR S4736-4740)
- Jun 24, 2021Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Yea-Nay Vote. 92 - 8. Record Vote Number: 251. (text: CR S4740-4743)
- Jun 24, 2021Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Jun 24, 2021Received in the House.
- Jun 24, 2021Held at the desk.
In the Congressional Record 2
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S4736–S4743, S4749Text printed S4740–S4743Recorded votes S4739, S4740enactLee amendment (substitute) | Christopher A. Coons D-DE, Debbie Stabenow D-MI, John Boozman R-AR, Mike Braun R-IN, Mike Lee R-UT | Jun 24, 2021 |
| Senate | Debate and remarks S4692Amendments S4701 | Chris Van Hollen D-MD, Mike Lee R-UT (amendment) | Jun 22, 2021 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Congressional Budget Office cost estimate
- May 19, 2021S. 1251, Growing Climate Solutions Act of 2021As ordered reported by the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry on April 22, 2021
Printed hearings 1
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 117-16 | VOLUNTARY CARBON MARKETS IN AGRICULTURE AND FORESTRY153 pages | Agriculture Committee | Sep 23, 2021 |
CRS reports 4
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 4
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| IF12017 | Farm Bill Primer: Horticulture Title and Related Provisions Archived | Resource | Jan 30, 2025 |
| R47057 | Preparing for the Next Farm Bill Archived | Report | Mar 31, 2022 |
| R46956 | Agriculture and Forestry Offsets in Carbon Markets: Background and Selected Issues | Report | Nov 3, 2021 |
| R46947 | U.S. Climate Change Policy Archived | Report | Oct 28, 2021 |
Amendments 1
Amendments offered to this bill.
| Amendment | Description | Offered by | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| SA 2119 | In the nature of a substitute. | Mike Lee R-UT | Amendment SA 2119 not agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 11 - 89. Record Vote Number: 250. |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 2820 | Growing Climate Solutions Act of 2021 | Related bill | Apr 22, 2021 |
Titles 4
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to develop a program to reduce barriers to entry for farmers, ranchers, and private forest landowners in certain voluntary markets, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Growing Climate Solutions Act of 2021
- Short Title(s) as Reported to Senate
- Growing Climate Solutions Act of 2021
- Short Title(s) as Passed Senate
- Growing Climate Solutions Act of 2021
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Agriculture and Food.
- Advisory bodies
- Agricultural conservation and pollution
- Agricultural practices and innovations
- Agriculture and Food
- Air quality
- Civil actions and liability
- Climate change and greenhouse gases
- Congressional oversight
- Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
- Farmland
- Forests, forestry, trees
- Fraud offenses and financial crimes
- Government information and archives
- Land use and conservation
- Livestock
- Solid waste and recycling
- Wetlands
Text 3
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Jun 24, 2021Engrossed in Senate
- Jun 14, 2021Reported to Senate
- Apr 20, 2021Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
