US Biochar Coalition (USBC)

This week in our USBC Weekly Policy Update (Members only): Though Congress is in recess and not generating any real news beyond campaign intrigue, policy that matters to the biochar industry is moving – worldwide. So as the Members of Congress with whom the USBC met at last month’s Fly-In are pounding the campaign trail for themselves or others, federal agencies are eager to round out the legacy of the Biden Administration by getting IRA funds out the door and policies at the intersection of clean energy and environmental responsibility implemented as expeditiously as possible. In the past week plus, we have seen USDA announce $7.7B in funding for climate-smart agricultural practices, DOE release its Carbon Management Strategy, and the Treasury lay a schedule for releasing guidance on a slew of clean energy tax credits. More on all of this, as well as exciting news from Denmark and a handful of news items about biochar from the past week is in our weekly USBC Weekly Policy Update that goes out to members every Friday. Let us know if you'd like to join!

🚨🇩🇰BREAKING: The world’s first government Biochar Carbon Removal (#BCR) strategy is out 🚨🇩🇰 🎯 #Denmark is at it. Again! After introducing the world’s first livestock emission tax (see comments), the Danish government just followed up with a strategy detailing what role exactly BCR will play in helping achieve its ambitious 2045 climate neutrality and 2050 net-negative target. 🔁 The Pyrolysis Strategy and Workplan is a cross-ministerial effort, led by the Ministry of Climate, Energy, and Utilities. It was just published. Here are the key takeaways from it: 🏭 Denmark estimates the carbon removal potential of BCR at 0.3Mt - 1.2Mt by 2035, and up to 38Mt in the long-term. As a reminder, the country’s overall emissions today are 40Mt. ⚡ Renewable energy production from BCR is a key focus, with production estimated to reach 680MW by 2030 and up to 3,400MW in the long-term. The country today produces around 17,000MW. 🧩 A top priority is the development of a BCR methodology for inclusion in the IPCC greenhouse gas inventory by 2027, a key missing building block affecting all countries focusing on BCR to achieve their climate targets. 💰 The government expects the price for carbon removal through BCR to range between DKK 1,400 (€187) and 4,000 (€536 EUR) per ton of CO2. 🤯 The BCR subsidy scheme of DKK 10b (€1.34b) will be phased in by 2027. Per capita, this is the equivalent of the United States investing $83b into BCR. 📋 A key short-term step is to establish the regulatory framework for BCR by mid-2026, including environmental studies and multi-year field trials to ensure safe agricultural application. 👀 You can check out the full strategy (in Danish) here: https://lnkd.in/d_zWsAPp 🖤 Also Mr. BCR in Denmark, Morten Heick, put together a very helpful summary in English here: https://lnkd.in/dB-5Chh7 📣 Huge shout-out to everyone involved, particularly folks at the Climate Ministry, Pyrolyse Danmark and Stiesdal. 🚀 This is incredibly exciting! BCR is slowly and steadily establishing itself as the most shovel-ready CDR technology out there. It is great to see a government recognising BCR’s potential and leading the way on creating both the necessary regulation and funding to scale BCR to climate relevance. ✉️ If you enjoyed this post, make sure to follow me here on LinkedIn (and turn on the 🔔) and do sign up to my monthly newsletter, the Gigaten: https://lnkd.in/d2BKe7gr #carbonremoval #netzero #climatepolicy

We are delighted to report major biochar systems industry regulatory news clearing the path through Clean Air Act incinerator regulations to expedite scale up. Wow, September was a big month for biochar and USBC! At our USBC Fall Fly-in two weeks ago, our top discussion point with US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) related to the erroneous classification of pyrolysis & gasification technologies used in biochar systems as incineration, putting biochar systems into a lengthy & expensive air permitting process, unnecessarily delaying project development. This issue and its chilling impact on industry growth was the very first regulatory barrier raised to us by our members. Under the tremendous leadership of regulatory & policy strategy expert, USBC Co-Founder, Board Chair & Policy Co-Chair Amy McCrae Kessler and government relations dynamo, USBC Executive Director and SMART Policy Group partner, Maureen Walsh, the powerhouse team that built the U.S. biogas industry, USBC began executing on a multi-tiered strategy to address it. Phase I: March Fly-In, we began the process of breaking down silos & building connections across EPA offices, bringing air, waste, regions, and our members together to discuss real world implications. Our policy team got to work behind the scenes, crafting our ask & laying the foundation for change. Phase II: September DC Fly-In. Expanded meetings with EPA air and waste program leadership, new departments, and our members to advance our request for exclusion of biochar systems from OSWI regs. In the interim, we requested that EPA issue guidance to provide a clear path through the air permitting process. This week we received the fantastic news that EPA issued guidance on the topic, unequivocally stating that clean cellulosic biomass used in pyrolysis & gasification systems to produce biochar would NOT be classified as solid waste under the CAA, moving biochar systems squarely outside of the OSWI rules! We have more work to do to remove biochar systems from association with the term incineration once and for all. For now, we’ve cleared the path for projects to move forward & neutralized a key barrier to growth brought to our attention by our members. For more on this exciting development and to be a part of our other advocacy efforts on behalf of the biochar systems industry led by the powerful USBC Policy & Government Relations Team that also includes talents Markus Videnieks & Sean Trambley, supported by Hailey Faust & Deirdre Seling and to receive our weekly newsletter that covering all things biochar news and information from a policy perspective, please ask us how your company can join USBC! #biochar #biocharsystems #cdr #biocharcdr #bioeconomy #industrycollaboration #policy #usbc

It's fantastic to see how Jason E. Dodier and Grain Ecosystem, in collaboration with the US Biochar Initiative, are spearheading such pivotal initiatives as the Biochar Carbon Revolution event during NY Climate Week. 🚀 Your passion and commitment to driving urgent action in the climate arena are truly commendable. We at the US Biochar Coalition are thrilled to be part of this journey and are eagerly looking forward to what’s next. The success of these events is a testament to the power of collaboration and innovation in tackling environmental challenges. 🌱 Thank you for pushing the boundaries and setting the stage for even greater achievements. Here’s to more groundbreaking work and making a substantial impact together! 🥂 Cheers to continued success and partnership! #NYClimateWeek #Biochar #CDR #RegenerativeAg

We are so excited to promote the amazing work our friends are doing at the International Biochar Initiative! 🌍 Don't miss the chance to join them in Italy for the upcoming #BiocharStudyTour co-hosted with ICHAR 🇮🇹. What a cool opportunity to explore innovative biochar projects on vineyards in Chiantishire! 🍇✨ From October 16–18, you’ll dive deep into biochar education, tour incredible projects, and connect with top experts in the field. Learn more and register now! 🇮🇹 #Biochar #CarbonRemoval #Sustainability #ItalyTour #ClimateAction

⚫ Black is the new green ⚫ 🧑🔬 Have you seen the latest academic paper on the permanence of biochar carbon removal (#BCR)? 🪨 The authors - many of whom would not have agreed even just one year ago - confirm biochar's stability in the environment making BCR one of the most credible CDR solutions available *today*. 🤔 So what makes BCR a CDR powerhouse? 🤯 Well, let’s start with the numbers. According to CDR.fyi 2024 Q2 saw record-shattering deliveries of 90K of which 99% came from BCR. ✅ BCR one of the few fully deployable CDR technologies that can provide verifiable, long-term carbon sequestration with a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 8-9. 🚜 Beyond carbon removal, BCR supports co-benefits such as enhancing soil health, promoting water retention, increasing crop resilience, while providing socio-economic advantages to rural communities through regenerative agriculture and sustainable land management. 🌍 With consensus growing within the scientific community, it is becoming increasingly clear that BCR should be a cornerstone of every CDR portfolio if we want to achieve a net-negative global carbon balance by 2050. 🪙🪙 My two cents: I see the main impact of this paper in the diversity of its authors. Creating consensus around the latest biochar permanence science is critical and this paper constitutes a big step in that direction. ❓ What do you think? Check it out for yourself here: https://lnkd.in/d2mKdy_c 👏 Huge shoutout the the authors David Chiaramonti, Johannes Lehmann, Franco Berruti, Paola Giudicianni, Hamed Sanei, and Ondrej Masek. #biochar #carbonremoval #netzero

🌍🌱 Last week, the US Biochar Coalition (USBC) was thrilled to be part of New York City Climate Week, where we attended the Biochar Carbon Revolution event hosted by USBC Member and Markets Committee Co-Chair Grain Ecosystem, US Biochar Initiative, and sponsored by USBC board member and Standards Committee Co-Chair, Pyreg GmbH. 🌿 The event was packed with insightful panels discussing key topics shaping the biochar ecosystem—ranging from financing projects to carbon credits, and innovations in biochar production. We are inspired and energized by our visionary USBC members work shaping the trajectory of the billion dollar industrial scale commercial grade biochar systems industry by leading our member led industry association, and leading the public dialogue around accelerating carbon removal and climate solutions at this pivotal moment for climate and our planet. ☕️ An example of the regenerative power of biochar in action, USBI treated guests to Tiolita Coffee’s Tiolita Coffee's special blend of toasted almond and dulce de leche coffee, cultivated in biochar-fertilized soil. Known as “Coffee Full of Life,” this exceptional low carbon Colombian coffee invests in product quality by returning biochar & nutrients back to the soil, enhancing its fertility, & returning carbon to the earth. ☕🌿 💫 A huge thank you to USBI and Grain Ecosystems for hosting, and to Pyreg for sponsoring, this fantastic event. Your industry leadership introducing biochar systems to new players eager to make an impact in the fight against global warming is vital to industry growth, to meeting Net Zero goals, and is deeply appreciated.🌎 #ClimateWeekNYC #BiocharRevolution #CarbonRemoval #Sustainability #ClimateAction #CoffeeFullOfLife #USBC #CDR #Biochar #BiocharCDR #BiocharSystems #Bioeconomy #ClimateSolutions

🌟 Huge congratulations to BluSky Carbon, one of US Biochar Coalition's Board Members, on their incredible news! They’ve just signed a $105 million biochar offtake agreement! 🎉 Deals of this scale are what will catapult biochar into the future, helping us scale the industry to the multi-billion dollar level it needs to reach to drive meaningful progress toward the U.S. ESG and climate goals. 🌍🌱 This is an exciting step forward for biochar, and I can’t wait to see the impact this will have on advancing sustainable solutions for carbon removal and soil health. Keep up the amazing work, BluSky Carbon, and congratulations to our board member Will Hessert! 🙌 To read more please click the link below: #Biochar #Sustainability #CarbonRemoval #ClimateAction #ESG #BiocharForTheFuture #USBC

We are immensely grateful for Myno Carbon's dedication and innovative efforts as a board member! 🌍 Dive deeper into the sustainable strides Myno Carbon is making in the latest Forbes article by Jennifer Kite-Powell. Thank you, Myno Carbon, for your commitment to a greener planet! 🌿

🌍 It's both National Clean Energy Week and New York Climate Week—a time to spotlight innovative solutions driving the clean energy transition! At the U.S. Biochar Coalition (USBC), we're excited to highlight how biochar and its production methods are contributing to a more sustainable, resilient future. ⚡️ Not only is biochar a powerful tool for carbon removal, soil health, water filtration, and decarbonized manufacturing but the pyrolysis & gasification systems that produce biochar are also a reliable, scalable source of carbon negative baseload green energy & zero emission fuels. These biochar systems generate renewable energy by thermally converting organic waste into its solid carbon, liquid, and gas constituents. Commercial grade industrial scale biochar systems capture heat and biomass gases that can be processed into: 💡electricity, 🚛 greener than green biohydrogen, 🚢 green methanol, 🛫 SAF, 🧳 green ammonia, 🚚 synthetic diesel, 🚍 RNG, and 🧣bio oil bunker fuel ⛑️ to help power communities, industries, transportation & the just energy transition with carbon-neutral solutions. ✨ As we celebrate these important weeks, we're committed to advancing biochar’s role in addressing the climate crisis and building a vibrant low-carbon bioeconomy through innovative, clean energy solutions. 🌱 Join us in recognizing #NationalCleanEnergyWeek #ClimateWeekNYC and the tremendous potential of biochar systems to power a brighter, greener future! #ClimateAction #Sustainability #Biochar #CarbonRemoval #USBC #CDR #BiocharCDR #CleanEnergy #BiomassWaste #Pyrolysis #Gasification #CarbonNegative #GreenEnergy #NetZero #ClimateSolutions #ClimateWeek