Coastal Carbon Sequestration Dividend Act Pay the People Who Save Our Seas.
Fishermen, ranchers, and farmers already pull carbon out of the air and water every day. This bill pays them for it — turning their stewardship into income, no mandates, no new agencies, and nothing added to the national debt.
Our Oceans and Lands Are Pulling Carbon —
But Nobody's Getting Paid.
Kelp forests, shellfish beds, and healthy ranchland all pull carbon out of the air and water. They fight climate change for free. This bill changes that — and makes it worth it for the people doing the work.
If You Grow Kelp, Raise Shellfish,
or Ranch Responsibly — You Get a Check.
Right now, the atmosphere gets a free service from fishermen, ranchers, and farmers who grow kelp, raise shellfish, and build healthy soil. Kelp pulls carbon out of the ocean. Shellfish filter the water. Healthy ranchland stores carbon underground.
Nobody pays them for it. This bill changes that.
Instead of taxing people or making mandates, the Coastal Carbon Sequestration Dividend Act creates a voluntary program that pays working people for carbon they pull out of the environment. You measure it, you verify it, you get paid for it. Simple.
The money comes from offshore wind royalties, oil and gas royalties on federal land, and carbon credit sales — not from new taxes on working people. And every dollar spent has a hard cap. If the money isn't there, spending stops.
Three Groups. Real Money. All Voluntary.
Every payment is based on verified results — how much carbon you actually pulled out, not promises. Smaller producers get 75% of their verification costs covered so the paperwork doesn't eat the paycheck.
Point Reyes Ranchers Come First.
A $30 million private deal between a federal agency and a large nonprofit pushed 11 multi-generational ranching families off 12 ranches at Point Reyes — with no public hearing and no vote. Families who had worked that land for generations were displaced overnight.
These are exactly the kinds of ranches that practice regenerative grazing — the kind that builds carbon-rich soil, holds water during droughts, and provides real climate benefit. They were pushed out before anyone could pay them for it.
The Coastal Carbon Sequestration Dividend Act includes a Point Reyes Rancher Priority. Under the bill, every willing Point Reyes rancher gets priority enrollment in the regenerative grazing dividend program — within 18 months of the bill becoming law.
This isn't charity. It's recognition: that working ranchers who care for the land deserve to share in the value they create for all of us.
California's 2nd District Goes First.
The bill designates CA-2 as the "North Coast Carbon Stewardship Pilot" — the first region in the country to receive priority implementation. If it works here (and the bill has binding metrics to prove it), it expands nationally.
Tribal Nations Are Natural Stewards.
This Bill Pays Them Like It.
The Yurok, Karuk, Hoopa Valley, and other tribal nations in CA-2 have managed these lands and waters for thousands of years. Their Traditional Ecological Knowledge — how to burn the right areas at the right time, where fish spawn, how to keep a river healthy — is irreplaceable.
The bill gives this knowledge equal standing with Western scientific methods in all program decisions. Tribes aren't consultants. They're partners.
Three dedicated divisions of the bill (Divisions D, covering Titles VII–IX) are written specifically for tribal participation, with direct enrollment, self-determination contracts, and the 10% premium above all standard payment rates.
The bill also honors cultural burning — the practice of carefully setting controlled fires to restore habitat — as an eligible carbon stewardship activity. This is traditional knowledge that land managers are now re-learning.
No New Taxes. No Borrowed Money.
Hard Caps on Every Dollar.
The bill creates a Carbon Dividend Trust Fund with eight separate accounts, each with its own spending cap. If revenue comes in short, spending goes down automatically — nothing gets borrowed.
| Revenue Source | Est. Annual Range |
|---|---|
| Carbon credit sales from federal lands | $100–300M |
| Offshore wind revenue share (5%) | $50–150M |
| Oil & gas royalty allocation (1%) | $100–150M |
| Corporate carbon credit purchases | $50–100M |
| Private carbon credit market | $100–200M |
| Interest & voluntary contributions | $20–50M |
| Total estimated at program maturity | $420–950M/yr |
Revenue sources do not include new taxes on working families, farmers, or fishermen. The carbon border adjustment is listed as optional — only if separately enacted.
Every Credit Is Verified. Every Claim Is Proven.
The bill learned from 87% of carbon credits being fake. Here's how it makes sure every payment goes to real, verified carbon reduction — not paper promises.
We Graded Our Own Work. Here's the Score.
The bill was evaluated against constitutional law, fiscal design, and government overreach standards. Every number below is taken directly from the bill's own fiscal summary.
100% Voluntary. Zero Mandates.
Your Land Stays Yours.
The bill includes an entire division (Division J) dedicated to protecting constitutional rights. Here's what it guarantees — in plain English.
"The people who work the land and sea are our natural allies in addressing climate change. Pay them for the work they're already doing — and watch what happens to the ocean."— Gregory Burgess, Candidate for U.S. Congress · CA-2 · No Party Preference
Ready to Read the Full Bill?
The complete Coastal Carbon Sequestration Dividend Act — all 29 titles, all fiscal summaries, all constitutional analysis — is in the full platform download. Nothing hidden. Nothing vague.