Lobby For Terra Preta

[erich]

Hi Guys,

Here's some current , Important policy & funding stuff: the UN recognizing soil carbon sinks, and Congressional Research Service Biochar Report.



UNCCD Submission to Climate Change/UNFCCC AWG-LCA 5
"Account carbon contained in soils and the importance of biochar (charcoal) in replenishing soil carbon pools, restoring soil fertility and enhancing the sequestration of CO2."
UNCCD - United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification





R40186
Biochar: Examination of an Emerging Concept to Mitigate Climate Change
February 03, 2009

Download Locations:

Open CRS (User submitted)

Summary:

Biochar is a charcoal produced under high temperatures using crop residues, animal manure, or any type of organic waste material. Biochar looks very similar to potting soil. The combined production and use of biochar is considered a carbon-negative process, meaning that carbon is removed from the atmosphere and will not be released into the atmosphere at a later time. Biochar has multiple potential environmental benefits, foremost the potential to sequester carbon in the soil for hundreds to thousands of years at an estimate. Studies suggest that crop yields can increase as a result of applying biochar as a fertilizer to the soil. Some contend that biochar has value as an immediate climate change mitigation strategy. Scientific experiments suggest that greenhouse gas emissions are reduced significantly with biochar application to crop fields. Obstacles that may stall rapid adoption of biochar production systems include technology costs, system operation and maintenance, feedstock availability, and biochar handling. Biochar research and development is in its infancy. Nevertheless, interest in biochar as a multifaceted solution to agricultural and natural resource issues is growing at a rapid pace both nationally and internationally. Past Congresses have proposed numerous climate change bills, many of which do not directly address mitigation and adaptation technologies at developmental stages like biochar. However, biochar may equip agricultural and forestry producers with numerous revenue-generating products: carbon offsets, fertilizer, and energy. A clearly defined policy medium that supports this technology has yet to emerge (e.g., soil conservation, alternative energy, climate change). This report briefly describes biochar, its potential advantages and disadvantages, legislative support, and research and development activities underway in the United States and abroad.

XML

Biochar: Examination of an Emerging Concept to Mitigate Climate Change: Open CRS Network - CRS Reports for the People

[freeztar]

"Emerging concept"
Gotta love it.

Thanks for the continual updates erich!

[erich]

The main thing the financial melt-down has taught us is the illusion of sustainable returns on capital of more than 10%.
Only ongoing, break through, technological invention or the exponential growth of biologic systems (Farming) can return double digits sustainably.

This is what I try to get across to Farmers, as to how I feel about the act of returning carbon to the soil. An act of pertinence and thankfulness for the civilization we have created. Farmers are the Soil Sink Bankers, once carbon has a price, they will be laughing all the way to it. The new cultural heroes, operating a Carbon banking system that
Pays Food Interest,
Insures dividends in Air, Land & Sea
and (with char) no one can start a run on this bank.

The Soil Carbon Sequestration Standard Committee next week will be testifying on climate to congress,
Give them your support; Soil Bug your representatives!

Scholarly articles for Soil Carbon Sequestration Standard Committee
Change in soil carbon following afforestation - Paul - Cited by 164
Management options for reducing CO2-concentrations in ... - Batjes - Cited by 62
The potential of US cropland to sequester carbon and ... - Lal - Cited by 522
Soil Carbon Sequestration Standard Committee - Google Search



Also ,
I would like Rebut the BioFuelWatch folk's recent criticisms with the petition of 1500 Cameroon Farmers;
The Biochar Fund
Biochar Fund - fighting hunger, deforestation, energy insecurity and climate change - Home
and to explain their program, Nice fllow charts;
Biochar Fund - fighting hunger, deforestation, energy insecurity and climate change - Biochar versus top-down schemes

One aspect of Biochar systems are Cheap, clean biomass stoves that produce biochar and no respiratory disease. At scale, the health benefits are greater than ending Malaria.
A great example;
http://www.unccd.int/publicinfo/pozn...ft%20Stove.pdf

Printable Hand-outs from IBI;
The International Biochar Initiative (IBI)

Erich

[erich]

Biochar Soil Technology
All Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS) schemes are complicated and costly, we should use the one, not talked about, that has the CO2 collection & Carbon Sink infrastructure in place and working.
Biochar Soil sequestration takes advantage of in place photosynthetic collection facilities (PLANTS & Trees).
A ubiquitous Carbon sink we all have access to (Top SOIL)

The conversion technology is the only infrastructure we must build out and Pyrolysis is old hat technology.

Biochar Soil Technology fosters Husbandry of whole new orders of life.
Biotic Carbon, the carbon transformed by life, should never be combusted, oxidized and destroyed. It deserves more respect, reverence even, and understanding to use it back to the soil where 2/3 of excess atmospheric carbon originally came from.

It's hard for most to revere microbes and fungus, but from our toes to our gums (onward), their balanced ecology is our health. The greater earth and soils are just as dependent, at much longer time scales. Our farming for over 10,000 years has been responsible for 2/3rds of our excess greenhouse gases. This soil carbon, converted to carbon dioxide, Methane & Nitrous oxide began a slow stable warming that now accelerates with burning of fossil fuel.

Wise Land management; Organic farming and afforestation can build back our soil carbon,

Biochar allows the soil food web to build much more recalcitrant organic carbon, ( living biomass & Glomalins) in addition to the carbon in the biochar.

Modern Pyrolysis of biomass is a process for Carbon Negative Bio fuels, massive Carbon sequestration,10X Lower Methane & N2O soil emissions, and 3X Fertility Too.
Every 1 ton of Biomass yields 1/3 ton Charcoal for soil Sequestration, Bio-Gas & Bio-oil fuels, so is a totally virtuous, carbon negative energy cycle.

Biochar viewed as soil Infrastructure;
The old saw; "Feed the Soil Not the Plants" becomes;
"Feed, Cloth and House the Soil, utilities included !".
Free Carbon Condominiums with carboxyl group fats in the pantry and hydroxyl alcohol in the mini bar.
Build it and the Wee-Beasties will come.
As one microbiologist on the Biochar list said; "Microbes like to sit down when they eat".
By setting this table we expand husbandry to whole new orders of life.

[erich]

PRESIDENT OBAMA ISSUES PRESIDENTIAL DIRECTIVE TO USDA TO EXPAND ACCESS TO BIOFUELS

USDA, EPA and DOE form Biofuels Interagency Working Group to increase energy independence



President Obama issued a presidential directive today to Secretary Vilsack to aggressively accelerate the investment in and production of biofuels. On a conference call with Energy Secretary Stephen Chu and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson, Vilsack also announced that he will help lead an unprecedented interagency effort to increase America's energy independence and spur rural economic development.



Release No. 0145.09

[erich]

Hi List,

Here is the first report of the Congressional Briefing by members of the Soil Carbon Standards Committee.

If any members of the list are members of the groups that Gary has outreached to, please weigh in with them in addition to your Congressional Committees representatives and contacts you may have with USDA, EPA, NOAA and DOE.

Thanks for efforts
Cheers,
Erich



---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Gary DeLong <garyd@novecta.com>
Date: Wed, Jun 3, 2009 at 8:55 AM
Subject: Update on Standard

All,

I am sending a quick note to update everyone on the progress so far on the pubic comment period for our standard. I have also attached a brief summary of the congressional briefing we did on May 11 and 12. It included the appointments and the people seen.

Outreach information:

The groups that have been contacted so far are:

(Note: although the following groups have been contacted not all have responded)

World Wildlife fund

Nature Conservatory

Duck Unlimited

Key Stone Group

Voluntary Carbon Standard

Ag and Climate Initiative

TFI

NACD



Through news wires we heard from:

Australia

Italy

Germany

UK

Canada



Note: If any of our commodity groups or representative have comments and would like to make them in person please let me know. We would be happy to be on a conference call or set up a meeting to go over the standard with those groups.



Various members of the committee have made several contacts that I may be unaware of to date. If you have please let me know so I can add the names to the list or let me know so I may contact them for comment. We would like to have more comments and remember that the committee can make comments into the standard also. The comment period is not just for external groups or individuals.



Reminder-The comment period will end June 26th.



Thanks again for all your work on this standard.

Gary DeLong
Managing Director
Novecta, LLC
5505 NW 88th St., #100
Johnston IA 50131
Novecta - Charting a New Direction in Agriculture
515-334-7305 office
515-225-0781 fax
515-240-9586 cell



Congressional Briefing report:

May 11th and 12th 2009

The committee had a successful trip to Washington DC. I want to thank Dale Enerson, Patrick Splichal, and Doug Johnson for their time. Their trip was paid for (along with Novecta’s) out their own pockets so we own them a lot of gratitude.

On May 11th, Dale set up a meeting at 2:00 PM ET with the National Farmers Union:

We met with Roger Johnson, President and Sarah Gallo, Government Relations Representative and received an update on the proposed Waxman-Markey legislation.

Sara Brodnax from the Clark Group set up a meeting with Sally Collins at 3:00 PM ET.

We met with Sally Collins and Carl Lucero from the office of Ecosystem Service and Marketing and discussed the standard and ask for opinion on how we could interact. Sally recently introduced me to David Antonioli CEO of the VCS and Davis and I have a meeting in DC planned for the afternoon of June 18th.

Mike Parrish form Monsanto allowed us to meet from 4:00 – 6:00 at the Monsanto office to put the final touches to the presentation for the Congressional briefing. He gave us background and coached us on the presentation. We want to give a big thanks to Mike and his staff for all the time and contacts to set up the briefings. It would not have happen without their efforts.

Mike, Dale, Doug and Patrick went to supper and I attended a gathering with USDA people who knew Beth for a memorial.

Dana Stahl set up a meeting with USDA for 9:00 AM ET.

Patrick, Dale and myself went to meet the USDA while Doug went to the congressional briefing meeting location to set up and get ready for our 10 AM meeting.

For the USDA meeting we met with Jim Riva USDA ARC, Dave Shipman USDA AMS, William Hohenstein Director of Global Change Program for the USDA, Charles Martin Deputy Associate Administrator USDA AMS and Dana Stahl.

We briefed them on the content of the standard and took questions that they had. We had to cut the meeting short due to House Congressional Briefing.

The Senate Congressional Briefing had around 25 in attendance with both the majority and minority leaders aids present. The presentation lasted around 35 minutes and we took questions for another 30-40 minutes.

The House Congressional Briefing was the same numbers and questions. At the House we had press from Point Carbon, Kim Moore, who has covered this standard from last August. IMI Global had Jay Truitt attend from Policy Solutions LLC to ask questions from the audience and provide support.

Overall I sent out 12 presentation and a copy of the standard to press that was unable to attend the briefings and Dale reported that he did at least one press interview.

It was a successful trip for the committee and we had a lot of support and help from many members of the committee.

[erich]

Dear Group,
Here is a post I sent to Dr. Scherr after reading her report;
Farmers Poised to Offset One-Quarter of Global Fossil Fuel Emissions Annually | Worldwatch Institute
(and her reply, such replies give me warm fuzzy feelings inside.

I think we will be seeing much greater media attention for biochar as reports like her's come out linking the roll of agriculture and climate.

all good things,
Erich

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Erich Knight <erichjknight@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Jun 2, 2009 at 11:12 PM
Subject: Biochar Updates
To: "sscherr@ecoagriculture.org" <sscherr@ecoagriculture.org>


Dear Dr. Scherr,

I'm so glad to see your report include biochar. Farmers Poised to Offset One-Quarter of Global Fossil Fuel Emissions Annually | Worldwatch Institute

What the CFC/Ozone success story was for the atmospheric chemistry, I feel biochar will be for carbon soil chemistry, Mycology and Microbiology. The historical climate work of William Ruddiman at UVA showing the agricultural origin of most excess CO2 begs this anthropogenic solution of soil carbon sequestration.

Your point on CCS only reducing emissions can't be said enough, biochar systems draw down CO2 every energy cycle, closing a circle back to support the soil food web. The "capture" collectors are up and running, the "storage" sink is in operation under our feet. Pyrolysis conversion plants are the only infrastructure we need to build out.

This recent research on aerosols presents a counter intuitive double-bind, in that , as aerosols are reduced (NOX & SOX), less diffusion of light reduces photosynthesis, drawing down 20% less CO2 into biomass. Again, only a carbon negative system like biochar can address this double-bind of clean air.
physicsworld.com

Another significant aspect of bichar and aerosols are the low cost ($3) Biomass cook stoves that produce char but no respiratory disease. At scale, the health benefits are greater than ending Malaria.
A great example;
http://www.unccd.int/publicinfo/pozn...ft%20Stove.pdf
and, The Biochar Fund;
Biochar pot - terra preta stove - Home and village level systems Biochar Fund - fighting hunger, deforestation, energy insecurity and climate change - Home


I have focused on efforts to network the many disciplines and organizations researching and implementing biochar systems.

Key among these efforts has been recruiting input to the Soil Carbon Sequestration Standards Committee. Hosted by Monsanto, this group of diverse interests has been hammering out issues of definition, validation and protocol. The past week, this group have been pressing soil sequestration's roll for climate legislation to congress.
http://www.novecta.com/documents/Carbon-Standard.pdf

Along these lines internationally, the work of the IBI fostering the application by 13 countries for UN recognition of soil carbon as a sink with biochar as a clean development mechanism will open the door for programs across the globe.
The International Biochar Initiative (IBI).


I will be speaking at the first North American Biochar Conference, in Boulder Aug 12-15, about my efforts to network the many disciplines and organizations researching and implementing biochar systems.
Keynote speaker Secretary Tom Vilsack & Dr. Susan Solomon (NOAA's head atmospheric scientist).
North American Biochar Conference 2009 - 1 - powered by RegOnline

My attendance is thanks to the folks at EcoTechnologies Group .
( EcoTechnologies Group , they have also fully funded my field trials with Dr. Paul Hepperly at the Rodale Institute & JMU)


Carbon to the Soil, the only ubiquitous and economic place to put it.

(Below are two comprehensive biochar reports, by the CRS and CSIRO in Australia.)

Please call if you need any additional current research, clarification or documentation concerning these issues.

At your service,
Erich

Erich J. Knight
Shenandoah Gardens (Owner)
1047 Dave Barry Rd.
McGaheysville, VA. 22840
540 289 9750
Co-Administrator, Biochar Data base & Discussion list TP-REPP
Eco Technologies Group Technical Adviser ( EcoTechnologies Group )
University of California Riverside advisory board member


Reports:
This new Congressional Research Service report (by analyst Kelsi Bracmort) is the best short summary I have seen so far - both technical and policy oriented.
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/R40186_20090203.pdf .

This is the single most comprehensive report to date, covering more of the Asian and Australian work;
http://www.csiro.au/files/files/poei.pdf





Dr. Scherr's Reply;



Dear Mr. Knight,

Thanks very much for your note, and for all of the materials that you sent. Please do keep us on your mailing list.

Good luck with your work,

Sincerely,

Sara J. Scherr, President

Ecoagriculture Partners

[erich]

OFFICIAL TESTIMONY:

(I thought Danny Day had spoke to congress before , or maybe that was only the UN)

Erich


June 18, 2009: IBI Chairman of the Board, Dr. Johannes Lehmann, Invited to Testify on Biochar in the US House of Representatives
The Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming has invited Dr. Johannes Lehmann to testify at a hearing which will discuss how agriculture and forestry in the United States have and will be impacted by the effects of global warming. Dr. Lehmann's testimony will provide scientific information about biochar carbon sequestration for sustainable climate change mitigation and global soil enhancement.

The hearing, entitled "Global Warming's Growing Concerns: Impacts on Agriculture and Forestry" will take place Thursday June 18, 2009 at 9:30 a.m. in room 2175 Rayburn House Office Building. Click here to read the invitation as well as Dr. Lehmann's full written testimony.

Dr. Lehmann has been asked to cover the following questions:

* What is biochar?
* How does biochar sequester carbon?
* What are the climate benefits that can be achieved by the sequestration of carbon in biochar?
* How can biochar help farmers deal with the projected impacts of global warming on agriculture?

Dr. Lehmann's testimony represents the first official testimony on biochar before either House of the US Congress, and comes at a critical time during development of legislation to combat climate change. IBI is seeking carbon credits for measurable, reportable, and verifiable greenhouse gas emissions reductions achieved by biochar systems.
Biochar projects have been moving forward in many US States including Colorado, Washington, Oregon, California, South Dakota, Ohio, Iowa, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Virginia, Missouri, Hawaii, Georgia, and the Northeast.

[erich]

NEWS FLASH: WE CHAR Act:

I just received word that Senator Baucus co-sponsored a bill along with Senator Tester (D-MT) called WE CHAR. Water Efficiency via Carbon Harvesting and Restoration Act! It focuses on promoting biochar technology to address invasive species and forest biomass. It includes grants and loans for biochar market research and development, biochar characterization and environmental analysis. It directs USDI and USDA to provide loan guarantees for biochar technologies and on-the-ground production with an emphasis on biomass from public lands. And the USGS is to do biomass availability assessments

CALL YOUR SENATORS!!.....................................NOW !!!

Cheers,
Erich

[erich]

A newly introduced bill in the US Senate provides additional congressional support for biochar projects to qualify for carbon offsets, as well as R&D funding for the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) for biochar production and utilization projects.

The Clean Energy Partnerships Act of 2009 was introduced November 4, 2009 by Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, along with five cosponsors--Senators Max Baucus (MT), Amy Klobuchar (MN), Sherrod Brown (OH), Mark Begich (AK), and Tom Harkin (IA). The bill is designed to ensure that any US domestic cap-and-trade bill provides maximum incentives and opportunities for the US agricultural and forestry sectors to provide high-quality offsets and GHG emissions reductions for credit or financial incentives. Carbon offsets play a critical role in keeping the costs of a cap-and-trade program low for society as well as for capped sectors and entities, while providing valuable emissions reductions and income generation opportunities for the agricultural sector. The bill specifically identifies biochar production and use as eligible for offset credits, and identifies biochar as a high priority for USDA R&D, with funding authorized by the bill.

Importantly, the Clean Energy Partnerships Act of 2009 assigns jurisdictional authorities to the Secretary of Agriculture for offsets and emissions reductions opportunities in the agricultural and forestry sectors, with the EPA Administrator in charge of other offset and emissions reductions opportunities. Within 1 year of enactment, the USDA Secretary is authorized by the bill to establish an initial list of project types eligible for inclusion in the domestic offsets program; biochar production and use projects are identified on the initial project list specified by the Congress.

The bill establishes an advisory committee to jointly advise EPA and USDA on scientific and technical advice for offset projects, including agricultural and forestry offset projects. Besides creating offset opportunities for the agricultural sector, the bill establishes a program that utilizes the proceeds from 2% of the allowance allocations to incentivize additional emissions reductions and increased sequestration from the agricultural and forestry sectors. Projects identified for support under this program include projects that are not otherwise economically viable, or projects types not yet mature enough to qualify for offset credits.

One of the bill's subtitles also amends a bioenergy program from the 2002 Farm bill to provide additional opportunities for bioenergy projects to enhance rural economic development and national energy security. The title would utilize .7% of allowance allocation proceeds to fund projects that qualify as biorefineries under this provision; some biochar production facilities might qualify for this program, depending on the bioenergy characteristics of the system.

An R&D title would fund additional research and demonstration projects for agricultural mitigation and adaptation activities relative to climate change programs, using the proceeds from 1.1% of allowance allocations. Biochar production and use as a soil conditioner are specifically identified as high-priority R&D programs for the Secretary to pursue. Along with 6 farm groups, IBI endorses this bill.

To read the full text of the bill, go to: http://www.biochar-international.org...s/END09F94.pdf.