Grazing Lands and Soil Carbon Storage

On March 31, 2009, a draft discussion of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 was released to the public. The bill contains four sections addressing: clean energy; energy efficiency; reducing global warming pollution; and transitioning to a clean energy economy. Section 3 contains a description of the proposed cap-and-trade program designed to reduce industrial emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydro-fluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3). Agricultural sources, although largely diffuse and not regulated directly by the bill, account for 8 percent of U.S. annual GHG emissions (U.S. EPA, 2008). The agricultural community can address climate change by reducing its emissions and adopting management practices that enhance storage of carbon in soil. The objective of this article is to describe the effects of grazing land management on soil carbon storage