Growing Climate Solutions Act reintroduced

A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators reintroduced the Growing Climate Solutions Act yesterday—important legislation that would support farmers and the bioeconomy while helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 

The Growing Climate Solutions Act would create a voluntary, producer-led carbon sequestration certification program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and provide farmers with technical resources to participate in carbon markets. (Watch Senator Debbie Stabenow and Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath discuss the bill during BIO Impact last Fall.)

Cosponsored by 35 U.S. Senators, the bill has widespread support from 50+ agricultural and environmental organizations—including BIO and BIO member companies, Aequor, Bayer, Cargill, Corteva, and Novozymes. 

And yes, it’s the same bill. As you may recall, the legislation was first introduced last year and we led a BIOAction campaign to drive support. 

Why is it so important? “By helping our agricultural producers solve the technical entry barriers to carbon markets, this bill will encourage farmers and ranchers to use biotechnology breakthroughs to reduce emissions and deploy their land in the fight against climate change,” explains BIO’s Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath. “It will bring greater value to the biobased economy by allowing the manufacturers of biobased chemicals, plastics, food, animal feed, and everyday materials, to reliably demonstrate their true environmental benefit, from farm to consumer.”   

The next steps: The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry will hold a business meeting tomorrow, April 22, to consider the bill.

Dr. Michelle’s Diagnosis: This legislation is at the heart of everything we fight for at BIO and proves that climate action and economic growth can go hand in hand. – Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath, President and CEO of BIO

More Agriculture and Environment News:

The New York Times: Why is fashion talking about regenerative farming?
“Brands like North Face, Allbirds, and Patagonia, as well as the Kering luxury group, are all about agriculture these days.”  

With vaccines widely available, there’s much to celebrate—but we must be vigilant about vaccine hesitancy, a panel of experts told USA TODAY.

The start of the pandemic was midnight—and it’s now noon, the experts say, meaning vaccines are widely available and we can begin to think about a return to normal.

“Though it took 11 months to advance eight hours, we never went backward, a testament to the massive resources devoted to creating the vaccines in record time,” says USA TODAY.

We have a lot to celebrate. All American adults 16+ are now eligible to receive the vaccine—and more than 50% have received at least one dose, with roughly 1% of the population vaccinated each day. 

But don’t break out the champagne yet—because vaccine hesitancy is still high. In fact, in too many states across the country, appointment slots remain open and vaccines are going unused, reports POLITICO. 

The bottom line: “Solving for vaccine hesitancy will be absolutely critical to ending this pandemic and revitalizing local economies across the country,” said BIO’s Dr. Michelle McMurry-Heath. 

Do you have questions about the COVID-19 vaccines? Visit www.COVIDVaccineFacts.org for answers.

More Health Care News:

Johnson & Johnson: COVID-19 vaccine rollout to resume in Europe following European Medicines Agency (EMA) review
“The European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) has provided updated guidance for use of the company’s COVID-19 vaccine and confirmed the overall benefit-risk profile remains positive.”

President Biden’s Wednesday: Delivering remarks on the COVID-19 response and state of vaccinations at 1:15 PM ET. 

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: A busy day at the Capitol with consideration of bills (including a few on immigration) and nominees. EPA Administrator Michael Regan will testify before the House Appropriations Committee on the agency’s FY 22 budget, while the House Science Subcommittee on Environment will explore the idea of a “federal climate service.”