Oregon’s U.S.
Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced four Oregon based
organizations will be receiving awards totaling $100 million to
foster partnerships around Oregon to support the production and marketing
of climate-smart commodities. These projects are intended to expand
markets for commodities that are produced with smaller or no carbon
footprints, helping reduce the carbon pollution driving climate chaos and
supporting both Oregon climate-friendly agricultural producers and the
businesses that help producers with climate-smart systems.
“Agriculture
producers play a huge role in Oregon’s economy, and as the stewards of the land
and we need to help make sure they have the means and incentives to continue
producing and farming in a sustainable, climate-friendly way,” said Merkley.
“These climate-smart awards are an important step forward for Oregon’s
agriculture producers—and for our climate.”
“Oregon farmers,
ranchers and wood producers have long generated jobs statewide, as well as
quality goods sought after nationwide,” Wyden said. “This significant federal
investment ensures they can continue to produce those jobs and goods using
fresh strategies that fight the climate crisis in a smart and sustainable
manner.”
Projects and
recipients can be found below:
- $15 million to Oregon Climate Trust for its TRACT Program Traceable
Reforestation project: A project that addresses the need to expand and recover
the nation’s forest estate to balance the demand for wood products with the
increasing need for forests to serve as carbon reservoirs. Every acre planted
& the volume of forest products generated will have a quantified and
verified climate benefit in metric tons of CO2e. - $10 million to Sustainable Northwest for its Building a Regenerative
Ranching Economy in the West project: This project will implement climate-smart
grazing practices in beef production for 120 operations across thirteen states
and over 7 million acres of public and private rangelands, reducing greenhouse
gas emissions and increasing market returns for participants. - $50 million to Oregon State University (and other universities) for its
Climate Smart Potatoes project: This project will build climate-smart markets
and advance adoption of climate-smart management systems in the Pacific
Northwest states of Idaho, Washington and Oregon where more than 62% of U.S.
potatoes are grown and 15% of the domestic supply of seed potatoes are
produced. - $25 million to Sustainable Northwest for its Building the Climate Smart Wood
Economyproject: This project brings together Tribal, small family forest, and
nonprofit wood producers with data scientists and the design and construction
industry to manage and restore tens of thousands of acres in Oregon. The project
will quantify the positive impacts of climate-smart management on carbon
sequestration, wildfire intensity, and cultural values, and will also build
resources for project teams to navigate climate-smart markets through
pre-design, design, and construction phases and support sale.
Partnerships for
Climate-Smart Commodities is part of USDA’s broader strategy to position
agriculture and forestry as leaders in climate change mitigation through
voluntary, incentive-based, market-driven approaches. Visit usda.gov/climate-smart-commodities to learn more about
this effort, and usda.gov/climate-solutions for climate-related
updates, resources and tools across the Department.
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