The Carbon Sequestration Act (LB957) was passed by the Nebraska legislature in April, 2000, forming a Nebraska Carbon Sequestration Advisory Committee. Committee members include representatives from the agricultural industry, ethanol industry, the University of Nebraska, the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, and others. NPPD serves the committee by representing the electric industry.

The Committee was charged with the task of producing two reports for the Nebraska Legislature. The first report includes information on: the potential for greenhouse gas regulation, a conceptual framework for greenhouse gas sequestration alternatives, the potential for market systems and trading, and agricultural practices and land uses that increase carbon storage and minimize carbon emissions. The second report details a technical assessment of the carbon sequestration potential in Nebraska. The Committee worked with the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory (NREL) in Fort Collins, Colorado, to complete this task. NREL first collected land use data from the local conservation districts on a county-by-county basis. NREL then used a computer model to assess the level of soil organic matter currently present in Nebraska soils as well as the potential for storing additional carbon.

The Committee continues to provide educational and advisory materials on carbon sequestration and storage in Nebraska land, and on the opportunities to participate in programs and/or carbon trading.

The Committee’s reports and more information on carbon sequestration can be found at the Nebraska Carbon Sequestration Committee’s website.