Carbon cycle research

To the extent funds are made available for this purpose, the Secretary shall provide a grant to the Consortium for Agricultural Soils Mitigation of Greenhouse Gases, acting through Kansas State University, to develop, analyze, and implement, through the land grant universities described in subsection (b), carbon cycle research at the national, regional, and local levels. The land grant universities referred to in subsection (a) are the following: Land grant universities described in subsection (b) shall use funds made available under this section— to enter into partnerships to identify, develop, and evaluate agricultural best practices, including partnerships between— to estimate and develop mechanisms to measure carbon levels made available as a result of— to collaborate with the Great Plains Regional Earth Science Application Center to develop a space-based carbon cycle remote sensing technology program to— Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary, in cooperation with departments and agencies participating in the U.S. Global Change Research Program (which may use any of their statutory authorities) and with eligible entities, may carry out research to promote understanding of— Research under this subsection may be carried out through the competitive awarding of grants and cooperative agreements to colleges and universities (as defined in section 3103 of this title). Research conducted under this subsection shall encourage collaboration among scientists with expertise in the areas of soil science, agronomy, agricultural economics, forestry, and other agricultural sciences to focus on— There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this subsection for each of fiscal years 2002 through 2007. The Secretary, in cooperation with departments and agencies participating in the U.S. Global Change Research Program (which may use any of their statutory authorities), and local extension agents, experts from institutions of higher education that offer a curriculum in agricultural and biological sciences, and other local agricultural or conservation organizations, may implement extension projects (including on-farm projects with direct involvement of agricultural producers) that combine measurement tools and modeling techniques into integrated packages to monitor the carbon sequestering benefits of conservation practices and the exchange of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture which demonstrate the feasibility of methods of measuring and monitoring— The Secretary may disseminate to farmers, ranchers, private forest landowners, and appropriate State agencies in each State information concerning— There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this subsection for each of fiscal years 2002 through 2007. Not more than 3 percent of the funds made available for this section may be used by the Secretary to pay administrative costs incurred in carrying out this section. There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2012.