In September of 2022, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, proposed legislation, Senate Bill 4895, for the formation of the “Biochar Research Network Act of 2022.”
It has three sponsors — Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., and Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont.
The bill is well written. Its purpose is to assess the soil carbon sequestration potential of biochar, understand how to use biochar productively, and to deliver science-based, region-specific, cost-effective and practical information to farmers.
On March 17 in the House, Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, introduced a companion bill, H. R. 1645, which appears to be identical. It has five co-sponsors. These bills, although well written with lots of “wiggle room,” again put the emphasis on more research and not implementation. See the opinion on Page A8 of Lancaster Farming’s March 25 issue, “Help Farmers Implement Biochar.”
I propose here to amend the title to “Biochar Research and Implementation Network of 2022-23.”
I you are interested in the benefits of biochar in your farming system (increased cation exchange, anion exchange, water infiltration rate and water holding capacity) I would urge and inform your senators and representatives to become co-sponsors of these bills and add the word implement to the title. The bills amend the Agriculture Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 to form the above named act. Thus, it is not part of the Farm Bill and could pass this year, maybe even this spring, because they are bipartisan. It provides for 20 states to do the work and it would be an obvious advantage for your state to be one of the 20. In fact, not always are the director/deans of Extension and research aware what is imminent legislation-wise and would not hurt to inform them, and they will let their faculty know. Just a copy of this article would be enough.
— Walker Miller, The Happy Berry Six Mile, South Carolina