[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 641 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 641
To establish an interagency committee on soil carbon sequestration
research, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 23, 2025
Ms. McClellan (for herself, Mr. Lawler, Mr. Sorensen, Ms. Bonamici, and
Ms. Scholten) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the
Committees on Agriculture, and Natural Resources, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish an interagency committee on soil carbon sequestration
research, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Coordination for Soil Carbon
Research and Monitoring Act''.
SEC. 2. SOIL CARBON RESEARCH AND MONITORING.
(a) Interagency Committee.--
(1) In general.--There is established an interagency
committee to be known as the ``Interagency Committee on Soil
Carbon Research'' (in this section referred to as the
``Interagency Committee''), to be led by the Office of Science
and Technology Policy and composed of representatives from the
following:
(A) The Department of Agriculture.
(B) The Department of Energy.
(C) The Department of the Interior.
(D) The Environmental Protection Agency.
(E) The United States Geological Survey.
(F) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
(G) The National Science Foundation.
(H) The National Aeronautics and Space
Administration.
(I) The White House Environmental Justice Advisory
Council.
(J) The National Institute of Standards and
Technology.
(K) Such other Federal agencies as the Director of
the Office of Science and Technology Policy determines
appropriate.
(2) Duties.--The Interagency Committee shall--
(A) develop a cross-agency strategic plan for
Federal research, development, and deployment regarding
soil carbon sequestration sampling and measurement
methodologies, measurement and monitoring technologies,
and community needs;
(B) propose roles and responsibilities to each
Federal agency to advance soil carbon sequestration
research and monitoring;
(C) oversee working groups established under this
section;
(D) as appropriate, seek to consult with Federal
agencies and with the Office of Management and Budget
regarding planning and budget review, respectively,
concerning matters relating to Federal soil carbon
sequestration research and monitoring;
(E) not later than one year after the date of the
enactment of this Act, submit to Congress a baseline
report on existing soil carbon sequestration research
and monitoring activities;
(F) submit to Congress progress reports on soil
carbon sequestration research and monitoring activities
at one-, three-, and five-year intervals after the
submission of the baseline report under subparagraph
(E);
(G) encourage coordination between Federal agencies
and evaluate soil carbon sequestration monitoring
activities, data collection on soil carbon and
greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes, and long-term storage
protocols for soil carbon;
(H) support comprehensive reporting on soil carbon
sequestration related activities based on a
standardized integration of existing and new relevant
data collection efforts across Federal agencies;
(I) share recommendations for review and input with
soil science experts from academia, private industry,
and nonprofit organizations that represent the
geographic, operational, and demographic diversity of
United States agriculture; and
(J) designate a member of the Interagency Committee
to collaborate with Federal agency heads on soil carbon
sequestration research and monitoring activities.
(3) Working groups.--
(A) In general.--The Interagency Committee may, as
appropriate and necessary, establish working groups to
coordinate on cross-cutting priorities on soil carbon
research as determined by the Interagency Committee,
including relating to the following:
(i) Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification
(MRV).
(ii) Data collection and management, with a
focus on measurement standards, standards for
use of new technologies, and data architecture
for accessibility across agencies.
(iii) Fundamental research, including
regarding soil carbon dynamics, plant breeding,
and soil amendments.
(iv) Community engagement in research
development and dissemination of results,
particularly with historically underserved and
disadvantaged groups.
(B) Duties.--Working groups established pursuant to
subparagraph (A) shall--
(i) identify ongoing research and
monitoring efforts on soil carbon at each
Federal agency represented in each such working
group;
(ii) identify gaps in current efforts on
soil carbon sequestration research and
monitoring;
(iii) outline current collaboration across
agencies on soil carbon sequestration research
and monitoring;
(iv) propose coordinated projects and
budget requests to advance the field of soil
carbon sequestration research and monitoring;
(v) engage with and conduct outreach to
agricultural communities and producers,
particularly those historically underserved, to
ensure soil carbon sequestration research and
monitoring is rooted in stakeholder engagement
and on-the-ground perspectives;
(vi) engage with research and extension
soil scientists, private industry, nonprofit
organizations, and other interdisciplinary soil
science expert groups to ensure that
recommendations are informed by the best
available science; and
(vii) collaborate on the development of
standardized monitoring of the long-term carbon
and environmental impacts of soil carbon
sequestration research.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated $10,000,000 to carry out this section.
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