| creating revenue and protecting climate |
| The Michigan Conservation and Climate Initiative (MCCI) is a joint project between the Delta Institute, the Michigan Association of Conservation Districts, and the State of Michigan. The project allows farmers and landowners to earn greenhouse gas emissions credits when they use conservation tillage, plant grasses or trees, or capture methane with manure digesters. The Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) - a voluntary, member based market comprised of large companies, municipalities and institutions- allows greenhouse gas benefits from conservation practices to be qualified, credited and sold. The credits are aggregated, or pooled, from many different producers and landowners and sold to Climate Exchange members, who have made commitments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Chicago Climate Exchange members must reduce their emissions to meet legally binding targets or mitigate a portion of their emissions through the purchase of offset credits generated by eligible practices. The Delat Institute, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, aggregates and sells these credits on the Chicago Climate Exchange on behalf of the landowner. The revenue from the sale, minus aggregation and trading fees, is returned to the landowner. MCCI provides a financial incentive for farmers and landowners to use conservation practices. While the primary purpose of these conservation practices is to sequester carbon dioxide, they have secondary benefits, such as wildlife habitat and limiting soil and nutrient runoff to streams and lakes. The Michigan Association of Conservation Districts and the Michigan Department of Agriculture are helping the Delta Institute promote and coordinate this innovative initiative. |
Eligible Practices
Conservation Tillage*
Grass Plantings*
Tree Plantings*
Methane Digesters
*Contractual commitment through 2010
Conservation Tillage*
- No-till or strip-till
- Tillage practices are as defined by NRCS
- Must remain at least 66% residue
- Credited at 0.6 metric tons/acre/year
Grass Plantings*
- Plantings initiated on or after January 1, 1999
- Credited at 0.75 metric tons/acre/year
- Includes wildlife shrub plantings
Tree Plantings*
- Plantings initiated on or after January 1, 1990 on non-forested or degraded
forestlands. - Credited, on average, at 3 metric tons/acre/year, depending on species
Methane Digesters
- Operational after 1999 with biogas flow monitoring and/or electrical metering
equipment - Credited at 18.25 metric tons per year, for every 1 ton of methane destroyed
*Contractual commitment through 2010
Enrollment Process
- Complete enrollment package, including application, contract, obtain FSA maps and crop
certification form (FSA-578). If applicable, provide conservation practices documentation
(CCC-509 or AD-1026), CRP contracts, tree planting documentation and conservation
easement or letter of intent. Van Buren Conservation District can help you with your
application. Submit enrollment package to the Conservation District office or to the Delta
Institute. - Delta reviews the enrollment package to ensure completeness and countersigns the
contract. - Verification will occur in either spring or fall, depending on when the application is
submitted. At least 10% of all enrolled land will be verified. - Verification reports will be reviewed by the CCX. The CCX will then notify the Delta Institute
when credits can be sold. - Delta sells credits on the CCX and returns the landowner's portion of the sale, minus fees.
Payment occurs within a month of the sale. Sales occur once per year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I participate?
The MCCI rewards farmers and landowners for being good stewards of the land. By practicing
conservation tillage or planting grasses and trees, landowners are offsetting industrial air
pollution through carbon sequestration, a service for which companies are willing to pay. This
market-based approach pays landowners for providing a valuable ecosystem service-all without
government intervention.
Why should I participate?
The MCCI rewards farmers and landowners for being good stewards of the land. By practicing
conservation tillage or planting grasses and trees, landowners are offsetting industrial air
pollution through carbon sequestration, a service for which companies are willing to pay. This
market-based approach pays landowners for providing a valuable ecosystem service-all without
government intervention.
Can you clarify what types of land are eligible for this
program?
Land enrolled in MCCI must be capable of being
cropped-that is, the land could be used for a row crop
or small grain production. Prior to the conservation
practice eligibility dates, the land must have been in
either agricultural production or in a degraded state.
Are Christmas tree farms, nurseries or fruit
orchards eligible to earn offset credits? What about
pasturelands?
No. At this time, the Chicago Climate Exchange does
not credit Christmas tree farms, nurseries or fruit
orchards for the conservation benefits that those lands
provide. Likewise, the CCX does not accept
pasturelands, grazing lands or paddocks at this time.
Who verifies my land? Will every acre or manure
digester enrolled in the program be verified?
For conservation tillage, grass and tree plantings, the
verifier will be your local Conservation District office.
For cropland, Conservation District staff will not visit
every farm enrolled in the program. Rather, they will
randomly select a percent (not less than 10%) of the
farms and acreage enrolled in the program and only
conduct a site visit at those locations. For forestry
projects, verification is required for projects with
carbon stocks greater than 2,000 metric tons.
Every manure digester project enrolled in the program
will be verified by a third party verifier. In the first year of
the program, a representative of an approved
verification company will visit the factiliy to observe the
equipment and review pertinent records. A site visit is
not needed in subsequent years; however, the project
owner must provide pertinent records to a third party
verifier each year.
program?
Land enrolled in MCCI must be capable of being
cropped-that is, the land could be used for a row crop
or small grain production. Prior to the conservation
practice eligibility dates, the land must have been in
either agricultural production or in a degraded state.
Are Christmas tree farms, nurseries or fruit
orchards eligible to earn offset credits? What about
pasturelands?
No. At this time, the Chicago Climate Exchange does
not credit Christmas tree farms, nurseries or fruit
orchards for the conservation benefits that those lands
provide. Likewise, the CCX does not accept
pasturelands, grazing lands or paddocks at this time.
Who verifies my land? Will every acre or manure
digester enrolled in the program be verified?
For conservation tillage, grass and tree plantings, the
verifier will be your local Conservation District office.
For cropland, Conservation District staff will not visit
every farm enrolled in the program. Rather, they will
randomly select a percent (not less than 10%) of the
farms and acreage enrolled in the program and only
conduct a site visit at those locations. For forestry
projects, verification is required for projects with
carbon stocks greater than 2,000 metric tons.
Every manure digester project enrolled in the program
will be verified by a third party verifier. In the first year of
the program, a representative of an approved
verification company will visit the factiliy to observe the
equipment and review pertinent records. A site visit is
not needed in subsequent years; however, the project
owner must provide pertinent records to a third party
verifier each year.
Can I cancel my contract?
The project owner can cancel the contract through a
mutual agreement with the Delta Institute.
How frequently will I be paid?
The Delta Institute sells your credits once each year.
After I have submitted the enrollment package and
supporting documentation, will the Delta Institute
notify me when my application is accepted? Will I
receive a copy of my enrollment package?
The Delta Institute will notify you upon receipt of your
application. If the application is incomplete, Delta will
contact you immediately. Delta will return a copy of all
pertinent paperwork to you.
Once enrolled, will I need to submit any forms or
reports on an ongoing basis?
Yes. You must submit a yearly, one-page report
attesting conformance with the contract requirements,
verifying the number of enrolled acres, the project type
and the project location.
Is there an enrollment fee?
No. There are no upfront costs for the landowner.
The project owner can cancel the contract through a
mutual agreement with the Delta Institute.
How frequently will I be paid?
The Delta Institute sells your credits once each year.
After I have submitted the enrollment package and
supporting documentation, will the Delta Institute
notify me when my application is accepted? Will I
receive a copy of my enrollment package?
The Delta Institute will notify you upon receipt of your
application. If the application is incomplete, Delta will
contact you immediately. Delta will return a copy of all
pertinent paperwork to you.
Once enrolled, will I need to submit any forms or
reports on an ongoing basis?
Yes. You must submit a yearly, one-page report
attesting conformance with the contract requirements,
verifying the number of enrolled acres, the project type
and the project location.
Is there an enrollment fee?
No. There are no upfront costs for the landowner.
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
Quick links
Michigan Conservation & Climate Initiative
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
|
| This site and content are property of the Van Buren Conservation District. All Van Buren Conservation District programs and services are provided on a non-discriminatory basis. Van Buren Conservation District is an equal opportunity employer. |