[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 34 (Friday, February 18, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9534-9537]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-3731]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Development of Technical Guidelines and Scientific Methods for
Quantifying GHG Emissions and Carbon Sequestration for Agricultural and
Forestry Activities
AGENCY: Office of the Chief Economist, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
ACTION: Notice of project undertaken to develop technical guidelines
and scientific methods for quantifying greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
and carbon sequestration at the practice-, process-, farm- and entity-
scales.
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SUMMARY: Section 2709 of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008
states that: USDA shall prepare technical guidelines that outline
science-based methods to measure the carbon benefits from conservation
and land management activities. In accordance with Section 2709 of the
2008 Farm Bill, USDA is developing technical guidelines and science-
based methods to quantify greenhouse gas sources and sinks from the
agriculture and forest sectors at the entity-, process-, and practice-
scale. USDA intends to develop guidelines and methods that are
verifiable and that demonstrate scientific rigor, transparency,
scalability, and usability. USDA anticipates that the methods will be
used by farmers and by USDA to improve management practices and to
identify actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon
sequestration. The guidelines and methods could be used by farmers,
ranchers, and forest owners to facilitate their participation in
voluntary State and regional systems. In order to make the guidelines
and methods most useful to a broad audience, a Web-based, user-friendly
tool will be developed following the drafting of the guidelines and
methods.
In carrying out this project, USDA will consult with Federal and
State government agencies; farm, ranch, and forest producers; as well
as other interested parties. At the Federal level, this consultation
will minimize duplication of efforts and ensure consistency of the
products with other U.S. Government inventory and estimation
approaches. USDA anticipates that after they are developed, reviewed,
and published, the Technical Guidelines, combined with the user-
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friendly tool for GHG quantification, will assist farmers, ranchers,
and forest owners in improving management practices and identifying
actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon
sequestration, and could facilitate their participation in voluntary
State and regional systems.
Comments received under this notice will be used in determining the
scope of the effort, strengthening the proposed project approach,
ensuring that relevant information and data are considered, improving
the rigor of the guidelines, and enhancing the usability of the
methods. USDA is interested in your comments in response to the
numbered topics, categories and questions shown in the supplementary
information section of this notice. When submitting your responses,
please categorize your comments as per the section number designations
noted. Be specific and concise. All information received will be
included in the public docket without change and made available online
at http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information
provided.
Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by
the Government to form a binding contract or issue a grant. Information
obtained as a result of this request may be used by the government for
program planning on a non-attribution basis. Do not include any
information that might be considered proprietary or confidential.
DATES: Responses to this notice should be submitted by 11:59 pm Eastern
Time on April 19, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Responses to this notice must be submitted electronically
through the regulations.gov portal at http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. The http://www.regulations.gov Web site is an ``anonymous access'' system, which
means USDA will not know your identity or contact information unless
you provide it in the body of your comment. If you are unable to submit
your responses through the Web portal, then consider these alternative
delivery methods:
Via e-mail to [email protected];
Via fax to 202-401-1176; or,
Via hand or courier delivery to Marlen Eve, USDA Climate
Change Program Office, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., Room 4407 South
Bldg, Washington, DC 20250.
Responses submitted through e-mail, fax or courier will be recorded
in full, including any identity and contact information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any questions about the content of
this request should be sent to Marlen Eve, USDA Climate Change Program
Office, via E-mail [email protected], Telephone 202-401-0979, or
Fax 202-401-1176. Additional information on this request and the
project can be found at http://www.usda.gov/oce/climate_change/techguide.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Climate Change Program Office (CCPO)
operates within the Office of the Chief Economist at USDA and functions
as the Department-wide coordinator of agriculture, rural and forestry-
related climate change program and policy issues facing USDA. The CCPO
ensures that USDA is a source of objective, analytical assessments of
the effects of climate change and proposed response strategies. This
project addresses the need for a scientifically sound, Department-wide
guideline for quantifying GHG emissions and carbon sequestration at the
farm- and entity-scale. The products developed by this project will be
useful in assessing the carbon and GHG related environmental service
benefits of various agricultural and forestry management practices and
technologies. Supplementary information on the project is included
below.
1. Project scope. USDA is embarking on an effort to create a
``stand alone'' set of GHG inventory guidelines that builds upon
existing inventory efforts such as the Department of Energy's Voluntary
Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program 1605(b) Guidelines, with an aim of
providing simple, transparent and robust inventory and reporting tools.
As much as is possible, the guidelines, methods, and reporting tools
developed in this project will utilize and extend data and tools
currently available publically. The guidelines and methods are not
intended as an addition to or replacement of any current Federal GHG
reporting systems or requirements. The guidelines will be prepared for
direct greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration from
agricultural and forestry processes. USDA does not plan to develop
technical guidelines for indirect greenhouse gas emissions/
sequestration, or address issues related to crediting reductions such
as additionality or leakage under this effort. The guidelines being
developed by USDA will be used within the Department and by farmers,
ranchers, and forest land owners, and will be made publicly available.
To ensure the project deliverables are of benefit to the widest
possible set of stakeholders (including USDA, other Federal agencies,
private landowners, private and public GHG registries, NGO's, private
industry, policy-makers and others) the process of developing the
guidelines, methods, and reporting tools will emphasize scientific
rigor, transparency, internal consistency, and reducing uncertainty. We
anticipate that the guidelines will need to be reviewed and may need to
be amended before being adopted by other agencies or public or private
registries. Specific potential uses of the project deliverables include
aiding: (1) USDA in assessing GHG and carbon sequestration increases
and decreases resulting from current and future conservation programs
and practices; (2) USDA and others in evaluating and improving national
and regional GHG inventory efforts; and (3) landowners, NGOs, and other
groups assessing increases and decreases in GHG emissions and carbon
sequestration associated with changes in land management. The project
is planned for completion within the next three years.
Specifically, USDA requests comments on:
1.1 How may USDA best improve upon existing greenhouse gas
estimation guidelines for the agriculture and forestry sectors, while
at the same time simplifying input requirements and enhancing the ease
of use for individuals and entities?
1.2 USDA intends to develop a standard set of methods for practice-
, process-, farm- and entity-scale inventories which could provide a
technical basis for improved methods for current voluntary State and
regional systems. Are there specific areas where a USDA guideline would
be most useful to current State and regional systems? Are there
limitations to using the proposed quantification tools in the context
of State and regional systems?
2. Objectives. The guidelines will result in a methodology for an
integrated emissions inventory at the entity scale for all agricultural
(crop and livestock) and forest management activities, including (but
not limited to) those listed below:
2.1 Cropland Agriculture
2.1.1 Crop, residue and soil management practices and technologies
to increase carbon sequestration and reduce nitrous oxide emissions on
mineral and cultivated wetland soils, including tillage systems, crop
rotations, nutrient management, fertilizer technologies, liming, water
management, cover crops, agroforestry, wetland restoration, residue
removal and alternatives to biomass burning.
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2.1.2 Rice cultivation practices and technologies to reduce methane
emissions, including improved water table management, cultivation and
fertilizer management.
2.1.3 Are there specialty crops where specific changes in
management can greatly reduce GHG emissions or increase carbon
sequestration that should be considered to enhance completeness and
comprehensiveness of the guidelines, estimation and reporting tools?
2.1.4 Are there additional cropland activities, management
practices or technologies to be accounted for to enhance completeness
and comprehensiveness of the guidelines, estimation and reporting
tools?
2.2 Animal Agriculture
2.2.1 Management practices and technologies to reduce methane
emissions from enteric fermentation, including dietary modification,
additives, feeding management, and reproductive management (genetic
selection, gender differences, etc.).
2.2.2 Grazing land management practices and technologies to
increase carbon sequestration and reduce nitrous oxide emissions,
including rotational grazing and improved forage management.
2.2.3 Manure management practices and technologies to reduce
methane and nitrous oxide emissions, including digesters, lagoon
management, land application practices, and composting.
2.2.4 Are there additional grazing land and animal agriculture
activities, management practices or technologies to be accounted for to
enhance completeness and comprehensiveness of the guidelines,
estimation and reporting tools?
2.3 Forests and Afforestation
2.3.1 Afforestation practices and technologies to increase carbon
sequestration.
2.3.2 Forest management practices and technologies to reduce GHG
emissions or increase carbon sequestration, including stand thinning,
restoration, fertilization, and species selection.
2.3.3 Agroforestry practices and technologies to increase carbon
sequestration through windbreaks, riparian buffers and silvopasture.
2.3.4 Forest preservation to reduce the risk of GHG emissions from
fire, pests and disease.
2.3.5 Wood products management to reduce waste, increase product
longevity and reduce the risk of GHG emissions from fire or decay.
2.3.6 Are there additional forest activities, management practices,
equipment or technologies to be considered to enhance completeness and
comprehensiveness of the guidelines, estimation and reporting tools?
The methods and tools will quantify all significant emissions and
sinks associated with the management activities, thereby creating a
standardized way to document changes in emissions and carbon
sequestration resulting from conservation efforts and changing land and
forest management practices. We envision the methods and tools being
especially useful to USDA in evaluating the GHG-related environmental
services benefits of conservation and renewable energy programs.
2.4 Are there sources of information relevant to the objectives of
this project which can be made available to the author teams? If so,
please provide this information or the name and contact details for the
correspondent.
2.5 Are there opportunities to reduce GHG emissions and increase
carbon sequestration in the agriculture and forestry sectors that
should be reflected in the methods?
2.6 USDA intends to rely on engineering calculations, models, and
observations as primary methodological approaches. How can USDA balance
rigor while maintaining broad applicability, national consistency, and
user friendliness?
2.7 What models and tools currently exist for farm- or entity-
scale GHG inventory and reporting, and how might they be useful to the
current project objectives? For each model noted, provide a source
citation for information on the model.
3. Criteria. There are several key criteria that USDA will rely on
in preparing the GHG guidelines, including the following:
3.1 Transparency means that the assumptions and methodologies used
for an inventory should be clearly explained to facilitate replication
and assessment of the inventory by users of the reported information.
The transparency of inventories is fundamental to the success of the
process for the communication and consideration of information.
3.2 Consistency means that the methods used to generate inventory
estimates should be internally consistent in all its elements and the
estimates should be consistent with other years. An inventory is
consistent if the same methodologies are used for the base and all
subsequent years and if consistent data sets are used to estimate
emissions or removals from sources or sinks. Consistency is an
important consideration in merging differing estimation techniques from
diverse technologies and management practices.
3.3 Comparability requires that the estimates of emissions and
sequestration being reported by one entity are comparable to the
estimates being reported by others. For this purpose, entities should
use common methodologies and formats for estimating and reporting
inventories. Comparability is an important consideration in determining
whether the guidelines specifies one method (for any technology or
management practice) or allows users to select from a menu of methods.
3.4 Completeness means that an inventory covers all sources and
sinks, as well as all greenhouse gases. Completeness also means full
coverage of sources and sinks under the control of the entity.
Completeness is an important consideration to be balanced with ease of
use in reporting appropriately for an entity that may have a minor
activity or an activity with severely limited data availability.
3.5 Accuracy is a relative measure of the exactness of an emission
or removal estimate. Estimates should be accurate in the sense that
they are systematically neither over nor under true emissions or
removals, as far as can be judged, and that uncertainties are reduced
as far as practicable.
3.6 Cost effectiveness is a measure of the relative costs and
benefits of additional efforts to improve inventory estimates or reduce
uncertainty.
3.7 Ease of use is a measure of the complexity of the user
interface and underlying data requirements.
3.8 Are these appropriate criteria by which to formulate GHG
estimation and reporting guidelines, methods and tools? Are there other
criteria that should also be considered?
3.9 To the extent that there are tradeoffs, which criteria are more
important than others in ensuring the usefulness of the project
products for entity-scale estimation and reporting?
4. Expected outcomes and products. The project is expected to yield
the following products.
4.1 A review of techniques currently in use for estimating carbon
stocks and fluxes and GHG emissions from agricultural and forestry
activities;
4.2 A technical guidelines document outlining the approach or
approaches to conducting a farm-, ranch-, or forest-scale GHG
estimation;
4.3 Specific methods for each source/sink category that are
designed
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to be reliable and consistent with national inventory efforts;
4.4 A quantification where possible of uncertainties in estimation
at the entity scale; and
4.5 A user-friendly tool that integrates multiple sources of
entity-scale data to facilitate farm-, ranch-, and forest-scale
quantification of greenhouse gas emissions and sequestration in a
manner consistent with the methods and technical guidelines.
Timeline. The project is planned for completion over the next three
years. Implementation of the project will include development of the
draft guidelines and methods, technical and peer review, development of
estimation and reporting tools and associated documentation, beta
testing, solicitation of public comment, and publication of the final
guidelines document as well as the estimation and reporting tools.
USDA prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national
origin, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, or disability.
Additionally, discrimination on the basis of political beliefs and
marital or family status is also prohibited by statutes enforced by
USDA (not all prohibited bases apply to all programs). Persons with
disabilities who require alternate means for communication of program
information (braille, large print, audio tape, etc.) should contact the
USDA's Target Center at (202) 720-2000 (voice and TDD). USDA is an
equal opportunity provider and employer.
Joseph Glauber,
Chief Economist.
[FR Doc. 2011-3731 Filed 2-17-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-38-P