[Terrapreta] Biochar included in U.S. Farm Bill

[lou gold]

I dunno?

On Mon, May 12, 2008 at 4:15 PM, Sean K. Barry <sean.barry at juno.com> wrote:

>  Hi Lou,
>
> Why don't they ask Clinton or Barrack?
>
> Regards,
>
> SKB
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> *From:* lou gold <lou.gold at gmail.com>
> *To:* Sean K. Barry <sean.barry at juno.com>
> *Cc:* Biopact <biopact at biopact.com> ; terra pretta group<Terrapreta at bioenergylists.org>
> *Sent:* Monday, May 12, 2008 1:28 PM
> *Subject:* Re: [Terrapreta] Biochar included in U.S. Farm Bill
>
> Hi Sean,
>
> For all practical intents and purposes, I left.
> But because I found something better for me
> and definitely not in anger. I love the US, vote
> for and support what I think are its highest
> aspirations while I do my work from afar
> where I find a tremendous attraction and
> affection for the US among Brazilians.
>
> There is also a strong prayer that we might
> be able to survive and recover from the Bush
> years. It used to be that the Brazilians asked
> me about Bush but now they only ask, "Hillary
> or Obama?" Of course, I ask them the same
> question. So far, I have managed to find only one
> person who knows someone who is for Hillary.
>
> There's an interesting transformation taking place.
> I really enjoy supporting it.
>
> hugs,  lou
>
>
>
> On Mon, May 12, 2008 at 2:59 PM, Sean K. Barry <sean.barry at juno.com>
> wrote:
>
> >  Hi Lou,
> >
> > Taking a quick look on your blog spot (
> > http://lougold.blogspot.com/2008/05/terra-preta-update-beyond-zero.html)
> > at that rolling total of US$ spent on that lame-ass "Iraqi Freedom War" of
> > ours, it takes like 15 minutes to burn threw only $3 million dollars.
> >
> > Pittance indeed!  This country has its priorities ALL SCREWED UP.  Kevin
> > Chisholm likes to call it "The American Way of Life".  Me, I'm ashamed of
> > it.  My answer to the next Putz that tells me to leave this "great" country
> > of ours, because I said that or feel this way, is obvious, right?
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > SKB
> >
> >
> >   ----- Original Message -----
> > *From:* lou gold <lou.gold at gmail.com>
> > *To:* Biopact <biopact at biopact.com>
> > *Cc:* terra pretta group <Terrapreta at bioenergylists.org>
> > *Sent:* Monday, May 12, 2008 12:06 PM
> > *Subject:* Re: [Terrapreta] Biochar included in U.S. Farm Bill
> >
> > Very good. # million USD per year is a pittance but it is an important
> > start. We should tip our cups to this one.
> >
> > hugs,  lou
> >
> > On Mon, May 12, 2008 at 1:51 PM, Biopact <biopact at biopact.com> wrote:
> >
> > >  Hi,
> > > on May 8, the U.S. Senate-House conference committee on the new Farm
> > > Bill announced its final farm bill conference agreement. The bill includes
> > > $3 million per year funding for biochar research, development &
> > > demonstration.
> > >
> > > I thought this was good news, and wrote a short press release on it
> > > (see attachment), to be published by the Biochar Fund.
> > >
> > > Comments and corrections are welcome. Please don't distribute this
> > > text yet.
> > >
> > > Best, Lorenzo
> > >
> > > Press release:
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > PRESS RELEASE (EMBARGOED UNTIL MAY 12, 2008 – 11.00 PM CET)
> > >
> > >
> > > *Biochar Fund Welcomes Inclusion of Biochar Research into U.S. Farm
> > > Bill*
> > >
> > > (BRUSSSELS - May 12, 2008) The U.S. Senate-House conference committee
> > > on the new Farm Bill, recently (May 8) announced its final farm bill
> > > conference agreement. The agreement will lead to a formal conference report,
> > > which will then be passed by the Senate and House before being sent to the
> > > White House.
> > >
> > > The House Bill contains a Senate amendment aimed at funding biochar
> > > research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) over the next four years.
> > > US$ 3 million will be granted to a variety of projects for each fiscal year,
> > > from 2008 through 2012. The Biochar Fund welcomes this initiative and
> > > recognizes that U.S. scientists are playing a leading role in exploring the
> > > many potential environmental benefits of the technology.
> > >
> > > Section 9012 of the Farm Bill's Title IX on Energy contains the
> > > amendment the purpose of which is to support RD&D of "biochar as a
> > > coproduct of bioenergy production, as a soil enhancement practice, and as a
> > > carbon management strategy." Biochar is defined as biomass-derived black
> > > carbon that is added to soil to improve soil fertility, nutrient retention,
> > > and carbon content.
> > >
> > > By producing energy from renewable biomass via pyrolysis and by adding
> > > the biochar generated during this process to (poor) agricultural soils, a
> > > truly carbon-negative energy technology can emerge. This integrated farming
> > > and bioenergy concept succeeds in actively removing carbon dioxide from the
> > > atmosphere. Several biochar trials have also shown a strong reduction in
> > > more potent greenhouse gas emissions from cropland, notably nitrous oxide
> > > and methane. That is why scientists believe it can play a crucial role in
> > > mitigating climate change.
> > >
> > > In order to study these effects more in depth, the amendment suggests
> > > the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to award competitive grants to eligible
> > > entities to support biochar RD&D projects on multiple scales, including
> > > laboratory research and field trials, and biochar systems on a single farm
> > > scale, local community scale, and agricultural cooperative scale.
> > >
> > > Eligible proposals include activities that involve:
> > >
> > > (1) the installation and use of biochar production systems, including
> > > pyrolysis and thermocombustion systems, and the integration of biochar
> > > production with bioenergy and bioproducts production;
> > >
> > > (2) the study of agronomic effects of biochar usage in soils,
> > > including plant growth and yield effects for different application rates and
> > > soil types, and implications for water and fertilizer needs;
> > >
> > > (3) biochar characterization, including analysis of physical
> > > properties, chemical structure, product consistency and quality, and the
> > > impacts of those properties on the soil-conditioning effects of biochar in
> > > different soil types;
> > >
> > > (4) the study of effects of the use of biochar on the carbon content
> > > of soils, with an emphasis on the potential for biochar applications to
> > > sequester carbon;
> > >
> > > (5) the study of effects of biochar on greenhouse gas emissions
> > > relating to crop production, including nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide
> > > emissions from cropland;
> > >
> > > (6) the study of the integration of renewable energy and bioenergy
> > > production with biochar production;
> > >
> > > (7) the study of the economics of biochar production and use,
> > > including considerations of feedstock competition, synergies of coproduction
> > > with bioenergy, the value of soil enhancements, and the value of soil carbon
> > > sequestration.
> > >
> > > Biochar can be added to most of the world's agricultural soils. But
> > > research is needed in order to understand how biochar works in different
> > > soil types and on different scales. The Biochar Fund specifically focuses on
> > > its application to nutrient-poor, degraded and highly weathered problem
> > > soils in the tropics, amongst farming communities living at the forest
> > > frontier. There, biochar potentially results in the greatest environmental
> > > and social benefits: vastly improved crop yields that allow poor farmers to
> > > improve food security, reduced deforestation, biodiversity loss and
> > > emissions from cropland, the maintenance of soil fertility for long
> > > periods of time, and the establishment of stable, permanent and easily
> > > manageable carbon sinks.
> > >
> > > Commenting on the inclusion of biochar into the U.S. Farm Bill,
> > > Laurens Rademakers, President of the Biochar Fund, said "the growing
> > > recognition of biochar as a key technology in the climate fight is good
> > > news. Biochar can transform agriculture and prepare it for the challenges of
> > > the 21st centuy. I would now urge America's counterparts in the EU and
> > > elsewhere to take similar steps to promote research into the concept. The
> > > potential of biochar is global, but for it to be applied on a large enough
> > > scale, research results from different parts of the world must first be
> > > compared. On this basis, the international community can then include
> > > biochar's ability to sequester carbon in formal mechanisms aimed at reducing
> > > global greenhouse gas emissions."
> > >
> > > *About the Biochar Fund*
> > >
> > > The Biochar Fund was established in 2008 as a social profit
> > > organisation with the aim to generate a synergy capable of solving some of
> > > the world's most pressing issues simultaneously: hunger, deforestation,
> > > energy poverty and climate change. The fund works with poor farmers at the
> > > tropical forest frontier, where biochar generated in small-scale pyrolysis
> > > plants can turn a destructive "slash-and-burn" cycle into a sustainable
> > > farming concept that boosts crop yields, limits pressures on forests,
> > > provides access to clean, renewable and decentralised electricity, and
> > > combats climate change by establishing stable carbon sinks.
> > >
> > > To the Biochar Fund: http://www.biocharfund.com
> > >
> > > To the U.S. Senate-House Conference Committee on the new Farm Bill:
> > > http://agriculture.senate.gov/
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Terrapreta mailing list
> > > Terrapreta at bioenergylists.org
> > >
> > > http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/biochar/
> > > http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org
> > > http://info.bioenergylists.org
> > >
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > http://lougold.blogspot.com
> > http://flickr.com/visionshare/sets
> > http://youtube.com/my_videos_______________________________________________
> > Terrapreta mailing list
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> > http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/biochar/
> > http://terrapreta.bioenergylists.org
> > http://info.bioenergylists.org
> >
> >
>
>
> --
> http://lougold.blogspot.com
> http://flickr.com/visionshare/sets
> http://youtube.com/my_videos
>
>


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