The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published a Federal Register Notice requesting public input on the draft Federal Strategy to Advance Greenhouse Gas Measurement and Monitoring for the Agriculture and Forestry Sectors on behalf of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Greenhouse Gas Monitoring & Measurement Interagency Working Group. The Federal Strategy was prepared by USDA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Interior, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and others.
The draft Federal Strategy outlines a framework for enhancing greenhouse gas measurement, monitoring, reporting, and verification (MMRV) within the agriculture and forestry sectors, with a specific focus on the Administration’s Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry initiative. It also aligns with ongoing work across the federal government to quantify carbon sequestration and carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide emissions outcomes associated with activities funded through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). On July 12, USDA announced a $300 million investment to advance priorities set by the strategy.
The Notice seeks information on four topics: general comments or questions about the draft Federal Strategy; animal agriculture; croplands; and data & data sharing. Comments are invited from a variety of stakeholders, including users and providers of agriculture and forestry MMRV data, methods, and analyses; state and local agencies; the private sector; researchers; and non-governmental organizations. Responses to the RFI will inform planning and implementation of an agriculture and forestry MMRV framework and agency activities.
The Notice will be available for public input until August 11, 2023, and is available through the Federal Register at https://www.regulations.gov/docket/USDA-2023-0009.This strategy is a companion document to the draft Federal Strategy to Advance an Integrated U.S. Greenhouse Gas Monitoring & Information System, which was released for public comment in February 2023
