HB0047 - Carbon storage.
2001 |
State of Wyoming |
01LSO-0003.E1 ENGROSSED |
HOUSE BILL NO. HB0047
Carbon storage.
Sponsored by: Representative(s) Huckfeldt
A BILL
for
1 AN ACT relating to
carbon storage; providing for the
2
creation of the carbon sequestration advisory committee;
3
providing for duties of the committee; providing for a
4
report; creating a fund; providing a repealer; providing an
5
appropriation; and providing for an effective date.
6
7 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
8
9 Section 1. Legislative intent.
10
11 Increasing
levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse
12 gases in the atmosphere have led to
growing interest in
13 national and international forums
for implementing measures
14 to slow and reverse the buildup of
such atmospheric
15 constituents. Such measures may
potentially include the
16 establishment of systems of trading
in credits for adoption
17 of practices, technologies or other
measures which decrease
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1 net emissions of carbon
dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
2
Improved agricultural production methods, soil conservation
3
practices and other methods of stewardship of soil
4
resources have great potential to increase carbon
5
sequestration on agricultural lands and help offset carbon
6
dioxide emissions from other sectors of the economy. It is
7
in the interest of agricultural producers and the public in
8
general that the director of department of agriculture
9
document and quantify carbon sequestration and greenhouse
10 emissions reductions associated with
agricultural
11 practices, management systems and
land uses occurring on
12 cropland and rangeland in Wyoming.
It is the intent of the
13 legislature that efforts to quantify
and verify carbon
14 sequestration on agricultural land
will enhance the ability
15 of the state's agricultural
landowners to participate in
16 any system of carbon or greenhouse
emissions marketing or
17 trading.
18
19 Section
2. Carbon sequestration advisory committee;
20 expenses.
21
22 (a) The carbon
sequestration advisory committee is
23 created. The committee shall consist
of the following
24 members all of whom shall be
appointed by the governor:
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1
2 (i) The
director of the department of
3
agriculture or his designee;
4
5 (ii) The
director of the department of
6
environmental quality or his designee;
7
8 (iii) One (1)
member representing the Natural
9
Resources Conservation Service of the United States
10 Department of Agriculture;
11
12 (iv) One (1)
member representing the University
13 of Wyoming department of
agriculture;
14
15 (v) One (1)
member representing an entity which
16 generates electrical energy;
17
18 (vi) One (1)
member who is a producer of field
19 crops actively employing a minimum
tillage management
20 system in his farming operation;
21
22 (vii) One (1)
member who is a producer of
23 livestock actively involved in range
management;
24
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1 (viii) One (1)
member with expertise in
2
greenhouse emissions marketing or trading;
3
4 (ix) One (1)
member representing conservation
5
districts;
6
7 (x) One (1)
member representing the ethanol
8
industry;
9
10 (xi) One (1)
member representing the
11 transportation industry;
12
13 (xii) One (1)
member representing the
14 agricultural research service,
United States department of
15 agriculture, high plains grasslands
research station; and
16
17 (xiii) One (1)
member representing the oil and
18 gas industry.
19
20 (b) Members of
the committee shall serve without
21 compensation but shall be reimbursed
for their actual and
22 necessary expenses as provided by
law. For administrative
23 purposes, the committee is assigned
to the department of
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1 agriculture,
and the department shall assist the committee
2
with administrative and operational support.
3
4 Section 3. Carbon
sequestration advisory committee;
5
duties.
6
7 (a) The carbon
sequestration advisory committee
8
shall:
9
10 (i) Advise and
assist the director of the
11 department of agriculture in
preparing the reports required
12 by this act and in conducting the
assessment pursuant to
13 section 5 of this act;
14
15 (ii) Recommend
policies or programs to enhance
16 the ability of Wyoming agricultural
landowners to
17 participate in systems of carbon
trading. Such
18 recommendations shall include
potential policies or
19 programs designed to optimize
economic benefits to
20 agricultural producers participating
in carbon trading
21 transactions. Such policies or
programs may include, but
22 are not limited to, identifying
existing or the potential
23 of creating nonprofit organizations
or other public or
24 private entities capable of serving
as assemblers of carbon
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1 credits
or as intermediaries on behalf of producers in
2
carbon trading systems;
3
4 (iii) Encourage
the production of educational
5
and advisory materials regarding carbon sequestration on
6
agricultural lands and participation in systems of carbon
7
or greenhouse emissions trading; and
8
9 (iv) Identify
and recommend areas of research
10 needed to better understand and
quantify the processes of
11 carbon sequestration on agricultural
lands.
12
13 Section 4. Report; contents.
14
15 (a) On or
before December 1, 2001, the director of
16 the department of agriculture, in
consultation with the
17 carbon sequestration advisory
committee, shall prepare a
18 report to the legislature. The
report shall include, but
19 not be limited to:
20
21 (i) The
potential for, and potential forms of,
22 greenhouse emissions regulation;
23
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1 (ii) The
potential for development of a system
2
or systems of carbon emissions trading or markets for
3
carbon sequestered on agricultural land;
4
5 (iii) Agricultural
practices, management systems
6
or land uses which increase stored soil carbon and minimize
7
carbon dioxide or other greenhouse emissions associated
8
with agricultural production;
9
10 (iv) Methods for
measuring and modeling net
11 carbon sequestration and greenhouse
emissions reduction
12 associated with various agricultural
practices, management
13 systems or land uses occurring on
agricultural land and
14 legislation, if any, to define and
protect property rights
15 in and attendant to carbon
sequestration and greenhouse
16 emissions;
17
18 (v) Areas of
scientific uncertainty with respect
19 to quantifying and understanding
greenhouse emission
20 reductions or soil carbon
sequestration associated with
21 agricultural activities; and
22
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1 (vi) Any
recommendations of the carbon
2
sequestration advisory committee developed pursuant to
3
section 3 of this act.
4
5 Section 5. Director; powers; duties.
6
7 (a) In
consultation with the carbon sequestration
8
advisory committee, the director of the department of
9
agriculture shall assess agricultural lands in Wyoming for
10 past carbon sequestration and future
carbon sequestration
11 potential. The assessment shall seek
to quantify carbon
12 sequestration associated with
various agricultural
13 practices, management systems and
land uses occurring on
14 agricultural lands in this state. On
or before January 1,
15 2002, the director shall publish a
report of the findings.
16 From time-to-time, the director may
update the findings as
17 advancements in understanding of the
processes of carbon
18 sequestration and new data become
available.
19
20 (b) The
assessment shall be conducted in a manner
21 that shall provide a means for
owners of agricultural land
22 to estimate past and future net
carbon sequestration
23 resulting from agricultural
practices, conservation
24 measures, management systems and
land uses occurring on
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1 their
property. The director of the department of
2
agriculture may contract and cooperate with the Natural
3
Resources Conservation Service of the United States
4
Department of Agriculture to conduct assessment activities
5
provided for in this section.
6
7 (c) The
director may apply for and accept grants,
8
gifts, or other sources of public and private funds to
9
carry out the purposes of this act.
10
11 Section 6. Fund created; use; investment.
12
13 The
carbon sequestration assessment cash fund is created.
14 The fund shall be used to carry out
the purposes of this
15 act. The state treasurer shall
credit to the fund any money
16 appropriated to the fund by the
legislature and any money
17 received as gifts, grants or other
contributions from
18 public or private sources obtained
for the purposes of this
19 act. Any money in the fund available
for investment shall
20 be invested by the state treasurer
as provided by law.
21
22 Section 7. There
is appropriated from the general
23 fund to the department of
agriculture thirty-five thousand
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1 six
hundred dollars ($35,600.00), or as much thereof as is
2
necessary, for purposes of this act.
3
4 Section 8. This act is
repealed effective July 1,
5
2005.
6
7 Section 9. This act is effective
immediately upon
8
completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law
9
as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming
10 Constitution.
11
12 (END)
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