Source: POLITICO'S MORNING AGRICULTURE, 1/31/22

Last spring, Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Agriculture Committee banded together to advance the Growing Climate Solutions Act — which calls for USDA to create certification programs to make it easier for farmers to participate in carbon markets. But since the Senate overwhelmingly passed the measure and sent it over to the House, resistance from House Ag GOP members has stalled the process.

Now, even Senate Republicans are calling on House Democrats to just pass the bill — even if it means a party-line vote in the committee, reports yours truly.

Now, let’s be clear: The bill is not facing a complete partisan split in the House. Twenty-nine Republicans, including two Ag panel members, have signed on as cosponsors. Four GOP members signed on as recently as the last two months.

But House Ag ranking member G.T. Thompson (R-Pa.) is not on board, even after meeting with his Senate Ag counterpart, John Boozman (R-Ark.), and bill sponsor Mike Braun (R-Ind.) in an effort to resolve their differences. Thompson said the committee’s time and energy is better spent on other matters.

“I do not believe the Senate’s changes to the GCSA go far enough to benefit producers,” Thompson said in a statement to POLITICO. “We would be better served focusing on the immediate challenges facing farmers such as skyrocketing energy prices, labor shortages and regulatory overreach.”

Thompson’s buy-in needed: Lawmakers from both parties have suggested that House Agriculture Chair David Scott (D-Ga.) is holding off action on the bill in hopes of getting more Republicans on board, according to two Democratic aides. Some members have been pressing Scott to schedule a hearing or markup, but neither has been placed on the calendar, despite multiple rumors in recent months that a hearing was imminent.

The big picture: The GOP split on this (relatively narrow) carbon markets bill highlights the larger ideological and practical differences between House and Senate Ag members when it comes to climate-related farm policy. Democrats are poised to make climate change a major focus of the upcoming farm bill — a push that could be delayed or stalled by House Ag GOP resistance.