Michigan Conservation Climate Initiative

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*

* 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

1. 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.
2. Delta reviews the enrollment package to ensure completeness and countersigns the
contract.
3. 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.
4. Verification reports will be reviewed by the CCX. The CCX will then notify the Delta Institute
when credits can be sold.
5. 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.