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As someone who has spent many spring and fall days planting and harvesting potatoes here in The County, I can attest to the fact that farming is not easy work — particularly given everything that Maine’s farmers have been up against the past few years. That is why I’m particularly thankful for Sen. Susan Collins’ leadership on policies that would benefit our state’s agricultural industry and farmers nationwide.
This includes her work to help reintroduce and pass out of the Senate a bill called the Growing Climate Solutions Act. This bill would help farmers incorporate sustainable agricultural practices into their operations, and enable them to more easily participate in carbon credit markets by providing financial incentives for doing so.
This is a great way to encourage the adoption of climate-smart, pro-growth farming practices in a voluntary way that gives participating farmers a steady, stable source of income. This new revenue stream would go a long way in strengthening and revitalizing local economies, particularly in our many rural communities that have been hit hard by the challenges of the pandemic.
This bipartisan bill would also help bring farmers in Maine to the table when developing climate solutions that directly impact their lives, and their livelihoods. This is a commonsense policy that has the backing of national environmental and agricultural groups alike. I applaud Sen. Collins for her efforts and encourage her to keep pressure on her colleagues in the House to pass the Growing Climate Solutions Act without further delay.
Rep. Dustin White
Mars Hill