The Best Environmental Solution You’ve Never Heard Of
By Reps. Yvette Herrell & Bruce Westerman
There’s no denying that our world faces significant environmental issues. Look no further than the American West, where wildfires rip through communities every year and turn millions of acres into wastelands. The need to address this dire issue is something everyone can agree on; however, we’ve seen increasingly radical proposals come to light here in Congress. Our Democrat colleagues will often push the false premise that we must choose between a strong economy or a healthy environment. We believe you can have both, but it’s going to take innovative solutions.
Let’s use wildfires as an example. More than 10 million U.S. acres burned in 2020 alone. As we look for ways to scientifically manage our overgrown forests to reduce the threat of catastrophic wildfire, we must also find ways to utilize the excess fuels (think brush, dead timber, etc.) that need to come out of the forests.
This is why we’ve introduced the Biochar Innovations and Opportunities for Conservation, Health, and Advancements in Research (BIOCHAR) Act. It’s legislation that will lay the groundwork for biochar to reach its full environmental and agricultural potential by setting up research projects and providing valuable funding.
Of course, it’s important to first answer an important question: what is biochar? Think of it as the best environmental solution you’ve never heard of. In a nutshell, it’s very similar to charcoal, yet with a different use. It’s created through a process known as pyrolysis, where woody biomass, animal manure and other byproducts are heated at high temperatures in the absence of oxygen. This results in an ash-like substance that is almost pure carbon, and it will continue acting as a carbon sink for hundreds of years.
This is not a new process; pre-Columbian Amazonians used to produce a crude form of biochar by smoldering agricultural waste in pits. However, it’s only recently begun garnering attention from scientists as a means for carbon sequestration. The long-term benefits are numerous. Biochar can remain in soil for hundreds of years, and it will sequester carbon that entire time. It also has potential as a tool for reducing waste and producing energy as a byproduct. The question of what to do with excess low-value material removed as part of active forest management projects has always remained elusive. Biochar offers a game-changing solution to the challenge.
Enter the BIOCHAR Act. The legislation is simple, but essential. It directs the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct research on biochar uses and carbon sequestration potential and provide funding to land grant universities and historically black college and universities to conduct biochar research and development. It also instructs the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into cooperative agreements with other agencies, universities, national labs and private industry to establish demonstration projects in each United States Forest Service region that promotes the development of biochar. Finally, it requires that at least 50 percent of the feedstock come from thinning and forest health activities on federal lands.
In less technical terms, the BIOCHAR Act will kickstart widespread usage of this technology to make biochar into a powerful carbon sequestration tool. By empowering important university research and spurring private industry innovation, we will access a lot of untapped potential.
These are the kind of market-based, innovative solutions conservatism is all about. Instead of following the Democrat approach of regulating, banning or prohibiting energy development, we should be using creative, unique solutions that give us a strong economy and a healthy environment at the same time. Biochar is the perfect example of these ideas in practice. We look forward to making it a powerful solution to environmental issues.
