2008 Legislation
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SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 137<br /> – Soil carbon offsets

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 137

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Bill Status



SCR137.....................................................by STATE AFFAIRS
CARBON SEQUESTRATION - Stating findings of the Legislature and urging the
Chicago Climate Exchange's technical advisory committee to approve a
designated "cropping region" for Idaho based on the NRCS Northwestern Wheat
and Range Land Resource Region designation by the Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS).

03/12    Senate intro - 1st rdg - to printing
    Rpt prt - to Agric Aff
03/13    Rpt out - rec d/p - to 10th Ord
03/14    10th Ord - ADOPTED - voice vote
    Floor Sponsor - Stennett
    Title apvd - to House
03/17    House intro - 1st rdg - to Agric Aff
03/21    Rpt out - rec d/p - to 2nd rdg
03/25    2nd rdg - to 3rd rdg
    Rls susp - ADOPTED - 54-14-2
      AYES -- Anderson, Andrus, Bayer, Bedke, Bell, Bilbao, Black, Block,
      Bock, Boe, Bolz, Brackett, Bradford, Chadderdon, Chavez, Chew, Clark,
      Collins, Crane, Durst, Eskridge, Hagedorn, Henbest, Henderson,
      Jaquet, Killen, King, Kren, Labrador, Lake, LeFavour, Nonini,
      Pasley-Stuart, Patrick, Pence, Raybould, Ringo, Roberts, Ruchti,
      Rusche, Sayler, Shepherd(02), Shepherd(08), Shirley, Smith(30),
      Smith(24), Snodgrass, Stevenson, Thomas, Trail, Vander Woude, Wills,
      Wood(27), Mr. Speaker
      NAYS -- Barrett, Bowers, Hart, Harwood, Loertscher, Luker, Marriott,
      Mathews, Mortimer, Nielsen, Schaefer, Shively, Thayn, Wood(35)
      Absent and excused -- McGeachin, Moyle
    Floor Sponsor - Pence
    Title apvd - to Senate - to enrol
03/26    Rpt enrol - Pres signed - Sp signed
03/27    To Secretary of State

Bill Text




                                                                       
  ]]]]              LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO             ]]]]
 Fifty-ninth Legislature                   Second Regular Session - 2008

                                                                       

                                       IN THE SENATE

                            SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 137

                                 BY STATE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE

  1                               A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
  2    STATING FINDINGS OF THE LEGISLATURE AND URGING THE CHICAGO CLIMATE  EXCHANGE'S
  3        TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO APPROVE A DESIGNATED "CROPPING REGION" FOR
  4        IDAHO  BASED ON THE NRCS NORTHWESTERN WHEAT AND RANGE LAND REGION DESIGNA-
  5        TION BY THE NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE.

  6    Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Idaho:

  7        WHEREAS, carbon offset trading is creating new  financial  incentives  for
  8    landowners  to  maintain  their forests and agricultural lands and can provide
  9    another source of revenue for the many farmers and ranchers of  the  state  of
 10    Idaho; and
 11        WHEREAS,  the Idaho Soil Conservation Commission is working with the Idaho
 12    Carbon Sequestration Advisory Committee to develop a  carbon  credit  exchange
 13    framework  for  the  state  of Idaho for the purpose of providing guidance and
 14    assistance to farmers, ranchers, and private  foresters  to  facilitate  their
 15    participation in carbon offset trading; and
 16        WHEREAS,  the carbon credit exchange framework will provide a set of prac-
 17    tices developed and designed to facilitate carbon credit  trades  for  Idaho's
 18    landowners  who  adopt  specific land management practices to sequester carbon
 19    which they will then be able to sell  as  carbon  offsets  to  carbon-emitting
 20    industries; and
 21        WHEREAS,  pilot  projects are being developed for range land and nonindus-
 22    trial forest land for possible trading through the  Chicago  Climate  Exchange
 23    (CCX); and
 24        WHEREAS,  CCX  is a United States corporation and the world's first volun-
 25    tary, legally binding integrated trading system to reduce emissions of all six
 26    major greenhouse gases with offset projects worldwide; and
 27        WHEREAS, charter members in the CCX's trading operations included  DuPont,
 28    Ford  Motor  Company,  the City of Chicago and International Paper and, at the
 29    local level, the University of Idaho is also a member; and
 30        WHEREAS, rangeland,  grassland  and  forestland  acreages  in  Idaho  have
 31    already  been recognized by CCX as having approved, designated regions but CCX
 32    has not yet designated a cropland region for the state of Idaho; and
 33        WHEREAS, the Idaho Soil Conservation Commission has requested  that  CCX's
 34    technical advisory committee consider approving a designated "cropping region"
 35    for  Idaho based on the NRCS Northwestern Wheat and Range Land Resource Region
 36    designation by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS); and
 37        WHEREAS, in support of its request, the Idaho Soil Conservation Commission
 38    has provided CCX with reports from Idaho's Agricultural Research Service  Cen-
 39    ter  located  in  Kimberly,  Idaho,  that  address  carbon sequestration as it
 40    relates to irrigated agriculture; and
 41        WHEREAS, the Idaho Soil  Conservation  Commission  is  also  working  with
 42    researchers at the University of Idaho and Washington State University to com-
 43    pile,  evaluate,  and format available field research pertaining to impacts of
 44    different tillage systems, cropping systems, and  other  management  practices

                                       2

  1    with  the  goal of determining the carbon sequestration potential of soils and
  2    crops occurring within the NRCS Northwestern Wheat  and  Range  Land  Resource
  3    Region for submission for consideration by CCX.
  4        NOW,  THEREFORE,  BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the Second Regular Ses-
  5    sion of the Fifty-ninth Idaho Legislature, the Senate and the House of  Repre-
  6    sentatives  concurring  therein,  that  we are urging CCX's technical advisory
  7    committee to approve a designated "cropping region" for  Idaho  based  on  the
  8    NRCS Northwestern Wheat and Range Land Resource Region designation by the Nat-
  9    ural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
 10        BE  IT  FURTHER  RESOLVED  that the Secretary of the Senate be, and she is
 11    hereby authorized and directed to forward a copy of this Concurrent Resolution
 12    to the Chicago Climate Exchange.

Statement of Purpose / Fiscal Impact



                       STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

                             RS18046

This resolution is an effort to aid the ongoing efforts of the
Idaho Soil Conservation Commission and the Idaho Carbon
Sequestration Committee to develop a Carbon Credit Exchange
Framework for the State of Idaho.  Together they have developed
pilot projects for rangeland, non-industrial forest land and
cropland for possible trading through the Chicago Climate
Exchange(CCX). However "cropland" is not a current designated
region for our state, although the CCX has recognized rangeland,
forest land and grasslands.  This resolution is urging the CCX to
consider approving Idaho's request to designate "cropland" as
acceptable to qualify the exchange program. 



                           FISCAL NOTE

No impact to the General Fund.






Contact
Name: Sen. Clint Stennett 

Phone: 208-332-1351


STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE                       SCR 137