To amend the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to provide for high-priority research and extension grants for natural climate solutions, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Markey (for himself, Mr. Braun, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Wyden, …
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill, the Natural Climate Solutions Research and Extension Act of 2023, authorizes the Department of Agriculture to provide research and extension grants focused on "natural climate solutions." These are land management practices that store carbon or reduce greenhouse gas emissions across agricultural lands, grasslands, wetlands, and forests.
Who Benefits and How
- Researchers and agricultural extension services benefit from new grant funding for studying climate-friendly land management practices
- Agricultural communities benefit from access to research and technical assistance on practices like carbon storage in soils and reducing runoff
- Environmental organizations benefit from federal support for practices that promote biodiversity and climate resilience
Who Bears the Burden and How
- Department of Agriculture bears administrative responsibility for managing the new grant program
- Taxpayers bear the cost of funding these grants, though no specific appropriation amount is stated in the bill
Key Provisions
- Adds "natural climate solutions" as a high-priority research and extension topic under existing USDA grant authority
- Targets practices that store carbon or reduce greenhouse gas emissions in agricultural lands, soils, grasslands, wetlands, and forests
- Emphasizes practices based on traditional ecological knowledge
- Promotes biodiversity and climate change resilience
- Supports practices that reduce runoff
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
The bill aims to promote natural climate solutions by providing grants for research and extension activities, focusing on land management practices that mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and enhance carbon storage in various ecosystems.
Policy Domains
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Agriculture
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology