COMPOST Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The COMPOST Act amends the Food Security Act conservation title so composting counts as both a conservation practice and a conservation activity. Composting includes producing compost from organic waste generated on a farm or brought from a nearby community to a farm, and actively managing compost on a farm to improve water retention and soil health. USDA, in consultation with EPA, must issue rules for determining when a community is nearby, with the condition that hauling community organic waste to the farm must result in a net greenhouse gas emissions reduction. The bill also adds composting practices to conservation stewardship and environmental quality incentive references and requires USDA to establish a composting practice standard.
Who Benefits and How
Farmers benefit because composting can qualify for USDA conservation practice treatment and related conservation program opportunities. Compost producers benefit because on-farm and nearby-community organic waste composting receives clearer federal conservation recognition. Communities with organic waste benefit if farms can use nearby organic waste in ways that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Soil health advocates benefit because compost use is linked to water retention and soil improvement in conservation law.
Who Bears the Burden and How
USDA conservation staff must issue regulations, update conservation program guidance, and establish a composting practice standard. EPA climate staff must consult on nearby-community rules and net greenhouse gas emissions reduction criteria. Farm operators using community waste must comply with federal, state, and local law and demonstrate qualifying composting use. Organic waste haulers may need to show that transporting waste to farms produces a net emissions reduction.
Key Provisions
- Requires USDA to define composting as a conservation practice and conservation activity.
- Adds on-farm organic waste and nearby community organic waste composting to the conservation framework.
- Directs USDA and EPA to set nearby-community rules tied to net greenhouse gas emissions reduction.
- Requires USDA to establish a composting practice standard and update conservation program references.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Requires USDA to treat composting as a conservation practice and activity, including on-farm organic waste and nearby community organic waste when greenhouse gas emissions are reduced.
Key Policy Areas
Agriculture, Conservation, Climate
Primary Purpose
Requires USDA to treat composting as a conservation practice and activity, including on-farm organic waste and nearby community organic waste when greenhouse gas emissions are reduced.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- Farmers
- Compost producers
- Communities with organic waste
- Soil health advocates
Identified Costs
- USDA conservation staff
- EPA climate staff
- Farm operators using community waste
- Organic waste haulers
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMs. Brownley (for herself and Ms. Pingree) introduced the following …
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
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