[Terrapreta] Let's Start a Critical Mass of Terra Preta discussion on Capital Hill!

[Shengar at aol.com]

What are the challenges of Terra Preta  


Here is my latest post to Rep. Bob Goodlatte (House  Agriculture committee) 
after speaking to him at his Agriculture Conference in  Staunton VA on Monday 
concerning issues for the up coming Farm bill.
 I also got to button hole Bruce Knight,USDA under  secretary for marketing 
and regulation, Arlen Landcaster, Chief of The National  Resource & 
Conservation Service (USDA), and John Bricker, Virginia State  Consevationist.




"Dear Mr. Goodlatte, Mr. Bricker and Mr.  Goldberg,

Thanks for hearing my concerns about regulations to support  validation of 
Carbon Credits for the Sequestration of Charcoal in the soils at  your Ag 
Conference Monday.

This soil technology could be the perfect  Republican environmental plank. A 
truly conservative position to take on the  stewardship of the planet , a real 
form of "Creation Care".


After  many years of reviewing solutions to anthropogenic global warming 
(AGW) I  believe this technology 
can manage Carbon for the greatest collective  benefit at the lowest economic 
price, on vast scales. It just needs to be seen  by ethical globally minded 
companies.

Below is my review of these efforts  in the Academic and private sectors, 
please forward this to all the experts you  know, if you think it merits their 
time and support.

Sen. Byrd and Sen.  Rockefeller of W VA and Rep. Udall had very positive 
responses to Terra Preta  soils technology proposals presented to them. 

Thanks for your attention  

Erich J. Knight 
Shenandoah Gardens
E-mail: _shengar at aol.com_ (mailto:shengar at aol.com) 
(540) 289-9750


Could you  please consider looking for a champion for this orphaned Terra 
Preta Carbon Soil  Technology.

The main hurtle now is to change the current perspective held  by the IPCC 
and others that the soil carbon cycle is a wash, to one in which  soil can be 
used as a massive and ubiquitous Carbon sink via Charcoal. Below are  the first 
concrete steps in that direction;

Tackling Climate Change in  the U.S.
Potential Carbon Emissions Reductions from Biomass by 2030
by  Ralph P. Overend, Ph.D. and Anelia Milbrandt
National Renewable Energy  Laboratory
_http://www.ases.org/climatechange/toc/07_biomass.pdf_ 
(http://www.ases.org/climatechange/toc/07_biomass.pdf) 


The  organization 25x25 (see 25x'25 - Home) released it's (first-ever, 
55-page  )"Action Plan" ; see 
_http://www.25x25.org/storage/25x25/d...ActionPlan.pdf_ (http://www.25x25.org/storage/25x25/d...ActionPlan.pdf)   
On page 31, as one of four foci for recommended RD&D, the plan lists:  "The 
development of biochar, animal agriculture residues and other non-fossil  fuel 
based fertilizers, toward the end of integrating energy production with  
enhanced soil quality and carbon sequestration."
and on p 32, recommended as  part of an expanded database aspect of 
infrastructure: "Information on the  application of carbon as fertilizer and existing 
carbon credit trading  systems."

I feel 25x25 is now the premier US advocacy organization for  all forms of 
renewable energy, but way out in front on biomass  topics.


There are 24 billion tons of carbon controlled by man in his  agriculture , I 
forgot the % that is waste, but when you add all the other  cellulose waste 
which is now dumped to rot or digested or combusted and  ultimately returned to 
the atmosphere as GHG, the balanced number is around 24  Billion tons. So we 
have plenty of bio-mass. 

Even with all the big  corporations coming to the GHG negotiation table, like 
Exxon, Alcoa, .etc, we  still need to keep watch as they try to influence how 
carbon management is  legislated in the USA. Carbon must have a fair price, 
that fair price and the  changes in the view of how the soil carbon cycle now 
can be used as a massive  sink verses it now being viewed as a wash, will be of 
particular value to  farmers and a global cool breath of fresh air for us 
all. 

If you have  any other questions please feel free to call me or visit the TP 
web site at  REPP-CREST I've been drafted to administer. _Terra Preta | 
Intentional use of charcoal in soil_ (http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org/?q=node) 
It  has been immensely gratifying to see all the major players join the mail 
list ,  Cornell folks, T. Beer of Kings Ford Charcoal (Clorox), Novozyne the 
M-Roots  guys(fungus), chemical engineers, Dr. Danny Day of G. I. T. , Dr. 
Antal of U. of  H., Virginia Tech folks and probably many others who's back round 
I don't know  have joined.

Here is my current Terra Preta posting which condenses the  most important 
stories and links; 

Terra Preta Soils Technology To Master  the Carbon Cycle; "
(you all have seen my post before , so I'll spare  you)
 
 
 
 
 
Also; 

My brother, Laird A. Knight, this week was  lobbing in DC for his issues of 
bicycle lanes & trails and stopped by Sen.  Byrd's and Sen. Rockefeller's 
offices and said they were left slack-jawed after  he presented them with the TP 
technology.

So all of you get busy, call  ,write and email your representatives and 
senators, maybe we can create a  critical mass of Terra Preta discussion on Capital 
Hill! 

Erich J. Knight  
Shenandoah Gardens
E-mail: _shengar at aol.com_ (mailto:shengar at aol.com) 
(540) 289-9750




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