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Minnesota Senator shares carbon credit concerns

A member of the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee shares farmer concerns about emerging carbon markets.

Tina Smith is a Democrat from Minnesota.

“It feels like all of the power in this market is with the purchasers of the credit, and not enough with the farmers.”

She says farmers are telling her they’re being asked to sell credits as a new potential revenue stream without any market transparency.

“They don’t know whether they are entering into an agreement that’s going to make sense in a couple of years. They want to do the right thing, but it just feels like they’re not in control of the vertical. And that worries me a lot.”

Smith tells Brownfield the concept of carbon markets is sound, but federal legislation to bring more order is necessary.