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Josh Taulbee: Bipartisan bill will foster pro-growth climate solutions

Josh Taulbee
Special to The Star Press

It is refreshing to see forward-thinking conservative leaders like Senators Mike Braun and Todd Young working to advance commonsense, market-based climate solutions in Washington. As sponsor and co-sponsor, respectively, their support of and hard work to pass the bipartisan Growing Climate Solutions Act out of the Senate is a testament to how free-market principles can help address one of the defining issues of my generation: climate change.

The Growing Climate Solutions Act, once passed by the House and signed into law, would direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop and run a program aimed at helping farmers and foresters adopt sustainable, climate-friendly agricultural practices, such as planting cover crops to minimize erosion and trap carbon to prevent it from being released into the atmosphere.

Related:Ball State University sustainability project: Cover crops save money and the soil

This program would not only give farmers the information and resources they need to learn about and incorporate these carbon-cutting measures, it would also enable them to earn carbon credits as they do so. Then, the program would streamline the process of connecting farmers to certified third-party groups looking to purchase these credits in order to offset their own carbon footprint. In short, the Growing Climate Solutions Act would reduce carbon emissions while providing Indiana farmers with a new, stable source of revenue.

That means our environment would benefit from cleaner air and water, while our agricultural sector — and the many rural communities it supports — would be able to thrive. These are exactly the kinds of pro-growth solutions we need from our leaders in Washington if we are going to address the climate crisis in a way that avoids overregulation or government intervention into the private sector. 

Importantly, this bill has the backing of Republicans and Democrats alike in Congress, as well as major national environmental, business, and agriculture groups. It is exceedingly rare that a policy can attract so much support from so many varied interests — but not at all surprising given how beneficial this legislation would be for our carbon-reduction efforts, our farmers and our entire economy.

The city of Muncie and state of Indiana have been embracing clean energy technologies in recent years, working to expand solar power and other renewable energies here and across the state. The Growing Climate Solutions Act will enable us to continue building on the good progress we have made to build a cleaner, more sustainable, and more prosperous future for all Hoosiers.

As chair of the Delaware County Young Republicans, I am exceedingly grateful to both of Indiana’s senators for their support of the market-based Growing Climate Solutions Act. I am also hopeful that Representative Greg Pence will recognize what a smart, pro-growth solution this bill is and throw his support behind it in the House. The sooner Congress passes this bill, the better off our environment and our agricultural community will be.

Josh Taulbee is the chair of the Delaware County Young Republicans.