HR641-119

What This Bill Does

The Coordination for Soil Carbon Research and Monitoring Act establishes an Interagency Committee on Soil Carbon Research led by the Office of Science and Technology Policy. The committee includes USDA, DOE, Interior, EPA, USGS, NOAA, NSF, NASA, the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council, NIST, and any other agency OSTP adds. It must develop a cross-agency strategic plan for soil carbon sequestration sampling, measurement methods, monitoring technologies, and community needs; propose agency roles and responsibilities; oversee working groups; consult with agencies and OMB on planning and budget review; submit a baseline report to Congress within one year; and send progress reports at one, three, and five years after that baseline report. The bill also requires coordination on soil carbon monitoring, greenhouse-gas flux data, long-term storage protocols, standardized reporting, and review by soil science experts from academia, private industry, and nonprofits representing geographic, operational, and demographic diversity in U.S. agriculture.

Who Benefits and How

Farmers and ranchers benefit if federal soil carbon measurement methods become more consistent and credible for conservation, climate, and possible market programs. Soil scientists, universities, private monitoring firms, and nonprofit research organizations benefit from formal consultation and clearer federal research priorities. Federal agencies benefit from a shared plan that reduces duplicative soil carbon monitoring work. Congress benefits from baseline and follow-up reports on agency activity and data gaps.

Who Bears the Burden and How

OSTP must lead a large interagency committee and coordinate budgets, working groups, reports, and expert input. USDA, DOE, Interior, EPA, USGS, NOAA, NSF, NASA, NIST, and environmental justice staff must provide representatives and align soil carbon work. Agencies may need to standardize data and monitoring protocols. Federal taxpayers fund the coordination and reporting work.

Key Provisions

• Establishes an OSTP-led Interagency Committee on Soil Carbon Research.
• Requires a cross-agency strategic plan for soil carbon sequestration sampling, measurement, monitoring technologies, and community needs.
• Directs the committee to propose agency roles, oversee working groups, and coordinate with OMB on planning and budget review.
• Requires a baseline report to Congress within one year and progress reports at one-, three-, and five-year intervals.
• Requires coordination on soil carbon data, greenhouse-gas fluxes, long-term storage protocols, standardized reporting, and expert review.