Tell Congress to cosponsor the Increased TSP Access Act (politely, of course)
TSPs can help protect over HALF of America’s forests 🌳
What is the Increased TSP Access Act? What even is a TSP?
Technical Service Providers, or TSPs, are certified to provide one-on-one advice and assistance that helps producers access USDA programs to manage carbon pollution while keeping their land strong and healthy. Right now, there is a major shortage of TSPs, meaning many farmers, ranchers and forest-owners cannot easily access these programs. This is an especially bad time to have a TSP shortage as producers are struggling with extreme heat and other weather events.
The Increased TSP Access Act would address this shortage by:
- Allowing organizations outside of the federal government, like agricultural retailers, conservation organizations, cooperatives, professional societies and service providers to certify TSPs. This will give people who want to be TSPs many options for organizations that will help them become certified.
- Streamlining the certification process for people who want to become TSPs and already hold specialty certifications in the field. This way they won’t have to spend extra time on duplicate training.
- Ensuring TSPs are paid fairly for their services.
This bill provides a simple way to empower producers to understand and put climate-smart policies into practice on their own land. We need cosponsors across the aisle to get it passed!
Watch our quick explainer video on the Increased TSP Access Act:
Frequently (and infrequently) asked questions 👇
Why do we need the Increased TSP Access Act?
There are two main reasons we love the Increased TSP Access Act: 1) To keep our forests healthy and 2) to promote climate-smart practices in our agricultural and food systems, even in the face of extreme weather.
- Keep forests healthy: Little known fact 👉 Over 50% of forests in the United States are privately owned. Without access to TSPs, it’s difficult for these private landowners to understand and use climate-smart forestry practices. We need to help people who own forests to protect and take care of America’s #1 carbon sequesterers, trees.
- Promote climate-smart agriculture: As we see more and more extreme weather (storms, tornadoes, hurricanes and heat), we see increasingly devastating impacts in our agriculture and food systems. Farmers and ranchers are on the front lines of climate change and can mitigate its effects through resilient and climate-smart practices —provided they have climate-resilient land and access to TSPs who can assist them.
Additionally, Congress recently approved a $20 billion investment in agricultural conservation programs and conservation technical assistance. TSPs are key to leveraging this investment to its fullest potential.
Who introduced the Increased TSP Access Act?
Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) and Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) introduced this bill in the Senate. Rep. James Baird (R-IN-04) and Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) introduced it in the House. It is a bipartisan bill with both Republican and Democrat support in both chambers of Congress that has a good chance of passing. Especially with strong support from a nationwide group of citizen climate lobbyists 💚
Why does CCL support this bill?
Not only is this bill bipartisan, it also falls directly in line with CCL’s healthy forests policy focus. To solve climate change, we need America’s forests doing what they do best: sucking carbon out of the air.
Cosponsoring the Increased TSP Access Act was a Supporting Ask in our June 13 lobby meetings – especially in districts and states that have a lot of agriculture. It’s a relatively small act, but it’s a foot in the door for future bipartisan climate legislation. And we like to keep our feet in every Congressional door we can find.
You can see a list of the other organizations that have signed on to support this bill here.
Will my members of Congress listen to me?
Yes! The idea that elected representatives don’t listen to their constituents is not true. Or at least, it’s highly unusual. In reality, congressional staffers take every call and voicemail and read every email their office receives and pass these onto their member of Congress in regular briefings. Congress works for you, and they want to know what their constituents care about. You may receive a generic email in response, but your message was still received loud and clear. And when you’re combining your voice with thousands of other CCLers across the nation, they tend to perk up even more.
How else can I help?
You only need to email your members of Congress once yourself. Then, share this page with any friends, family and coworkers who want to see healthy forests and climate-smart agricultural practices across the U.S.!
Who is Citizens’ Climate Lobby?
Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan grassroots advocacy climate change organization that exists to create the political will for climate change solutions by enabling individual breakthroughs in the exercise of personal and political power.
Our consistently respectful, nonpartisan approach to climate education is designed to create a broad, sustainable foundation for climate action across all geographic regions and political inclinations.
CCL empowers everyday people to work with their community and their members of Congress. Our supporters cover the political spectrum and work in more than 450 local chapters. Together, we’re building support for a national bipartisan solution to climate change.
