Carbon Sequestration Collaboration Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4824) to amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to require the Secretary of Energy to carry out terrestrial carbon sequestration research and development activities, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 4824, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4824, the Carbon Sequestration Collaboration Act.

Mr. Speaker, this commonsense legislation increases the coordination among Federal research entities that are focused on the topic of carbon sequestration.

Specifically, this bill improves the capacity to sequester carbon through land use activities by authorizing a coordinated research effort across the Department of Energy, the Department of the Interior, and the Department of Agriculture.

To date, most Federal research has been focused on large-scale carbon sequestration in geologic formations. That entails finding a specific spot deep in the Earth to trap carbon generated by large sources, like multiple power plants that supply an entire region.

This leaves a significant knowledge gap related to carbon storage potential at small-scale and everyday sites, like soils, rangelands, biochar, mine tailings, and forests. The USDA has already started to explore programs for farmers, ranchers, and landowners to generate carbon credits by adopting practices to reduce emissions or sequester carbon on their land.

Yet, I will be the first to admit that USDA is by no means an expert on quantifying amounts of carbon sequestered or tracking how it behaves over time. Therefore, we need to ensure that we have scientific support to develop tools that are needed to quantify, track, and verify carbon sequestration changes over time, especially in the short term.

By combining DOE expertise in fundamental research and carbon storage, DOI capacities in geologic mapping, and USDA knowledge in plant and crop interactions, we can rapidly develop the research to mature technologies and ensure scientific transparency.

Mr. Speaker, I introduced a similar bill in the last Congress to address these activities. I am very pleased with my colleague from Indiana (Mr. Baird), who has worked so hard on championing this issue.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Baird) to speak on his bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4824 is a practical bill that lets Federal agencies collaborate on this important issue.

Mr. Speaker, I would note that before my father's family lived in Oklahoma, we lived in Indiana. I would also note to my colleague on the other side of the aisle that before they lived in Indiana, they lived in Pennsylvania.

Nonetheless, this is an important piece of legislation, and we need to pass this.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to adopt it, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas) for yielding and for all the work done in committee to get this important piece of legislation to the floor.

Mr. Speaker, I also thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren), the ranking member of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, for her leadership and support on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of misconceptions about what this bill does, and, unfortunately, there are some who are intentionally spreading misinformation about this bill for political gain. Before I continue any further, let's put these rumors to rest by telling the American people what this bill does not do.

This bill does not give Federal agencies any authority to seize private property. I am a farmer and a private landowner, and I would never sponsor or support a bill that would give the Federal Government more power to seize private land.

This bill does not specify any land for carbon capture projects or undermine the property rights of American citizens.

This bill does not directly benefit or impact private companies with an interest in carbon sequestration.

The United States has been using carbon sequestration methods to store excess carbon emissions underground for over 50 years, and President Biden's Department of Energy is currently studying large- scale carbon sequestration at the Federal level. The problem is that our Federal agencies are not communicating properly about this technology, leaving a knowledge gap that wastes taxpayer dollars and could result in important findings falling through the cracks.

H.R. 4824 will force the executive branch to submit a plan to Congress and require Federal agencies to share research, data, and current sequestration technologies. Simply put, this bill puts guardrails on the administration's national energy plan by adding a reporting requirement to Congress and requires Federal agencies to talk to one another and share research in the most efficient way.

Mr. Speaker, I am sponsoring this legislation because I believe every Hoosier and every American, for that matter, should have the best information that is available when making informed decisions about their land and their community.

That is why, Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the Carbon Sequestration Collaboration Act. The bill amends the carbon storage provisions of the bipartisan Energy Act of 2020 to support research and development on ways to sequester carbon in terrestrial ecosystems, agriculture, and forestry.

Recent academic research has found that agricultural approaches that enhance the carbon uptake of soils have many potential benefits, including increased productivity and improvements in the stability of yields.

Mr. Speaker, this bill will help us better understand the potential short-term or long-term behavior of sequestered carbon and help identify any scientific barriers to the widespread deployment of these technologies.

This is not to mention the added benefit of removing carbon from the atmosphere, making this one of many solutions we need to advance if we are to slow down or even reverse the effects of climate change.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 4824, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 4824, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote during the week of April 29th through May 1st, as I was in the district recovering from a medical procedure.

Had I been present, I would have voted: YEA on H.R. 4866, Roll Call No. 153;

YEA on H.R. 4755, Roll Call No. 154;

YEA on H. Res. Roll Call No. 1173, Roll Call No. 163;

YEA on H.R 529, Roll Call No. 155;

YEA on H.R. 4824, Roll Call No. 156;

YEA on H.R. 4877, Roll Call No. 157;

YEA on H.R. 6093, Roll Call No. 158;

YEA ON H.R. 3738, Roll Call No. 159,

YEA on H.R. 4016, Roll Call No. 160;

YEA on H.R. 1767, Roll Call 161;

YEA on H.R. 3195, Roll Call No. 171;

YEA on H.R. 764, Roll Call No. 169;

YEA on H.R. 615, Roll Call No. 167;

YEA on H.R. 3397, Roll Call No, 165;

YEA on H. Res. 1112, Roll Call No. 176;

YEA on H.R. 6090, Roll Call No. 172; and

YEA on H.R. 6285, Roll Call No. 174.