WASHINGTON (April 20, 2021) – Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES) today applauded reintroduction of the Growing Climate Solutions Act (GCSA) for the 117th Congress by its original sponsors Senators Mike Braun (R-IN), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and a bipartisan group of senators—including the U.S. Senate Minority Whip John Thune (SD) and U.S. Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee Ranking Member John Boozman (AR) and Republican Senators Bill Cassidy (LA), Susan Collins (ME), Mike Crapo (ID), Joni Ernst (IA), Deb Fischer (NE) Chuck Grassley (IA), Cindy Hyde-Smith (MS), Cynthia Lummis (WY), Lisa Murkowski (AK) and Todd Young (IN).
In response to today’s bill introduction, CRES Executive Director Heather Reams offered the following statement:
“When our farmers, ranchers, and foresters go the extra mile to help reduce America’s carbon footprint, they should be rewarded, not penalized. The Growing Climate Solutions Act is exciting because it would allow valuable carbon credits to be harvested along with any crops farmed using climate-friendly practices. By normalizing how those credits can be sold on voluntary carbon credit markets, the GCSA also makes it easy for farms of all shapes and sizes to connect with and sell these credits to the scores of American companies and utilities that have committed to going carbon neutral but can’t do it alone.
“The GCSA is a free-market win for agriculture producers, businesses, and the climate; it is a solution that helps restore the environment without heavy-handed government mandates or driving up the cost of food and energy production.
“America’s farmers, ranchers and foresters have been environmental stewards for generations but have largely been left out of the climate conversation—despite the serious consequences our changing climate can have on their livelihood. I commend Senators Braun, Stabenow, Graham and Whitehouse for their continued leadership on this legislation and for prioritizing commonsense clean energy and climate policy. The support for this legislation by a large, bipartisan group of senators—especially those hailing from the Midwest and across the Heartland—is a testament to the positive impact this bill will have on the men and women who give so much to feed, fuel and clothe us all.”
This January, CRES released the results of a national survey of more than 1,050 registered voters that gauged support for various climate change and clean energy proposals and concepts. The survey revealed that 74% of voters approve of financial incentives for agricultural producers to increase sustainable farming practices with 77% of voters supporting the creation of a voluntary carbon market for farmers.
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Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions (CRES) engages Republican policymakers and the public about responsible, conservative solutions to address our nation’s energy, economic, and environmental security while increasing America’s competitive edge. For more information, visit www.citizensfor.com.