Farmers' carbon trade deemed a success

GRAND ISLAND, Neb., June 19 (UPI) -- Success in a pilot program in Nebraska could lead to the spread of the carbon trading market in the United States.

Four years ago in Nebraska a carbon storage pilot program started and has done well, according to Steve Chick, state conservationist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Grand Island Independent reported.

"I believe it is safe to say that we have done very well with our pilot project," Chick said.

The objective of the pilot was to eventually make carbon credits from U.S. producers available for sale and to reward farmers who capture carbon dioxide and store it in the soil through no-till cropping, Chick said.

Under the program, companies emitting carbon dioxide purchase carbon credits allowing them to offset emissions through farmers and ranchers who sequester carbon in not only Nebraska but Iowa and Kansas as well. Since 2003, 700,000 tons of carbon have been offset.

A national Conservation Innovation Grant is expanding the trading program to additional states, bringing the number up to 20 states offering carbon offsets.

"The notion is that the sooner we wean ourselves off fossil fuels, the sooner we'll be able to tackle the climate problem," said Sally Benson, executive director of the Global Climate and Energy Project. "But the idea that we can take fossil fuels out of the mix very quickly is unrealistic. We're reliant on fossil fuels, and a good pathway is to find ways to use them that don't create a problem for the climate."