Title: COMPOST Act
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Cultivating Organic Matter through the Promotion Of Sustainable Techniques Act or the COMPOST Act
This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to issue regulations that designate composting as a conservation practice and a conservation activity.
USDA must also issue regulations for determining whether a community is nearby for purposes of ensuring that bringing organic waste from the community to the farm to produce compost results in a net reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6023 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6023

 To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to require the designation of 
 composting as a conservation practice and conservation activity, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 28, 2020

Ms. Brownley of California (for herself and Ms. Pingree) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to require the designation of 
 composting as a conservation practice and conservation activity, and 
                          for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Cultivating Organic Matter through 
the Promotion Of Sustainable Techniques Act'' or the ``COMPOST Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

     Congress finds the following:
            (1) Composting is one of the most environmentally friendly 
        means to dispose of food waste and other organic wastes.
            (2) Composting not only causes less nutrient pollution of 
        surface and ground water and emits a smaller quantity of 
        greenhouse gases compared to alternative disposal methods, but 
        also yields a valuable soil amendment that enhances soil health 
        and fertility and agricultural resilience to the impacts of 
        climate change.
            (3) It is critical for the Natural Resources Conservation 
        Service to provide technical and financial support to producers 
        in the on-farm production of compost from on-farm and off-farm 
        organic byproducts, and the utilization of compost in 
        accordance with sound soil health and nutrition management.

SEC. 3. COMPOSTING AS CONSERVATION PRACTICE.

    Section 1241(j) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 
3841(j)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraph (2) as paragraph (3); and
            (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following new 
        paragraph:
            ``(2) Composting as conservation practice and activity.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall by 
                regulation provide that composting is a conservation 
                practice and a conservation activity for the purposes 
                of this title.
                    ``(B) Composting defined.--
                            ``(i) In general.--For the purposes of this 
                        paragraph, the term `composting' means--
                                    ``(I) an activity (including an 
                                activity that does not require the use 
                                of a composting facility) to produce 
                                compost from organic waste that is--
                                            ``(aa) generated on a farm; 
                                        or
                                            ``(bb) brought to a farm 
                                        from a nearby community and 
                                        used to produce compost on that 
                                        farm; and
                                    ``(II) the use and active 
                                management of compost on a farm, in 
                                accordance with any applicable Federal, 
                                State, or local law, to improve water 
                                retention and soil health.
                            ``(ii) Determination of nearby 
                        communities.--The Secretary, in consultation 
                        with the Administrator of the Environmental 
                        Protection Agency, shall issue regulations for 
                        determining whether a community is nearby for 
                        purposes of clause (i)(I) which shall ensure 
                        that bringing organic waste from the community 
                        to the farm to produce compost results in a net 
                        reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.''.
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