WASHINGTON – Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a lifelong farmer and a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), along with Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa) and Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), reintroduced legislation to study the effectiveness of biochar, a carbon-rich material produced from biomass.
The bipartisan Biochar Research Network Act would establish a National Biochar Research Network to test the impact of biochar across various soil types, application methods and climates to learn more about its capacity to benefit farmers and the environment.
“Farmers rely on the latest advances in science and innovation to increase their crop productivity and advance soil health. Biochar presents an exciting opportunity for farmers looking for a low-cost way to improve soil quality while sequestering carbon. More information is needed to understand the benefits biochar could provide, and my legislation will facilitate much needed research into this potentially transformative tool,” Grassley said.
“By investing in soil health research, we can help farmers, foresters, and producers make their working lands more resilient,” Heinrich said. “Our bipartisan legislation accomplishes this by directing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to research the potential of biochar to enhance crop production, conservation, and soil carbon sequestration in varying soils and circumstances. This will allow producers to build more resilience into their operations and increase crop growth and yield.”
“We can all agree that we want to leave a cleaner, healthier planet for our children and grandchildren. Our agricultural sector in Iowa is vital to our economy and biochar sits at the intersection of smart agriculture, environment, and energy practices,” Miller-Meeks said. “Biochar has the incredible potential to help sequester carbon in our agriculture communities and we must ensure that we are using every resource at our fingertips to promote this innovative tool. The benefits of biochar are not yet fully recognized, and this bill would promote research and provide us the information we need to fully utilize biochar in a variety of types of soil and methods.”
“Biochar holds incredible promise for our farmers, our forests, and our fight against climate change. In Maine, we’ve seen how biochar can improve soil health, sequester carbon, and the potential to help clean up PFAS contamination. But there’s still a lot we don’t know,” Pingree said. “The Biochar Research Network Act gives scientists, farmers, and foresters the data they need to unlock the full potential of this climate-smart tool. As we work on the next Farm Bill, we must ensure that investments in biochar research are part of our broader strategy to build a more sustainable and resilient agricultural system.”
Under the legislation, the proposed National Biochar Research Network would work to:
The full text of the legislation is available HERE.
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