In January 2021, Massachusetts passed Bill H.5250, “An act enabling partnerships for growth,” to finance and promote economic infrastructure and opportunities. Although the Governor pocket vetoed 11 sections of the bill, Amendment S.2404 was included in the passed legislation and created an act “promoting healthy soils for reducing greenhouse gases and the effects of climate change.” This act called for development of a Healthy Soils Program to improve soil quality across a variety of land uses and established the Healthy Soils Program Fund. The amendment also defined healthy soils practices:
Healthy soils practices are practices that:
– Improve measurable soil health on lands utilized for commercial farming; suburban and urban lawns, yards and gardens; public and private forests, parks and other open spaces; and non-paved outdoor areas of office complexes, mixed use facilities, businesses, industries, and colleges and other institutions;
– Provide one or more of the following benefits: improve food production; encourage the health, growth and biological diversity of plants and forests; increase water infiltration reducing stormwater runoff; provide drought and crop resilience, enhance water quality; and reduce the use of fertilizers and herbicides; and
– Provide greenhouse gas benefits
Timeline
An act to promote healthy soils in Massachusetts was first introduced during the 2017-2018 legislative session. In 2019, Massachusetts became the first US state to commission a Healthy Soils Action Plan. During the 2019-2020 legislative session, two bills S.438 and H.873, were redrafted as amendment S.2404 with an expanded scope and aligned to release alongside the Healthy Soils Action Plan, planned for the end of 2020. The Healthy Soils Action Plan was released in January 2023, setting a goal of no net loss of soil organic carbon between 2021 and 2050.
Healthy Soils Fund
The Healthy Soils Program Fund authorized spending to implement, administer, and develop the Healthy Soils Program. Funding may be used for program research and development, education and training on program policies and practices, and competitive grants for individuals, public and private entities, and charitable organizations. Spending from this Fund may not be used to replace existing local, state, private or federal funding for related healthy soils programs.
Impact on Composting in Massachusetts
A few months after passing the economic development bill that included the healthy soils program, $2.9 million in funding was designated to support farmers, municipalities, and other organizations in addressing climate change. Agricultural projects eligible for this funding include improvements to soil health, carbon sequestration, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. 2021 Climate change legislation resulted in the 2022 publication of the Clean Energy and Climate Plan for 2050.
The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) operates the Agricultural Composting Program, providing technical assistance and facilitating the Agricultural Composting Registration process, which exempts agricultural composting sites from Massachusetts’ Regulations for Solid Waste Facilities (310 CMR 16.03). Farmers can register to compost off-site organic materials and registration isn’t necessary if farmers only compost on-site materials. Both registered and exempt farmers are eligible for the Agricultural Composting Improvement Grant Program which provides funding for equipment and facility upgrades to improve agricultural composting operations.
MDAR regulations on agricultural composting were updated in 2020, with requirements as follows:
- Composting should occur 250 feet away from any wells and 100 feet away from the property line
- Compost volume is restricted to 5,000 cubic yards per acre of compost site, up to 15,000 cubic yards.
- Composting operations must occupy less than 10 acres of the farm and less than 10% of Commercial Production Area.
Healthy Soils Action Plan
Released in January 2023, The Healthy Soils Action Plan (HSAP) assessed and made recommendations for improving soil health on natural, working, and developed landscapes. The Plan emphasizes the importance and value of soil health not only for agricultural production, but also for carbon sequestration and climate resilience, recognizing the interconnectedness of land uses while highlighting soil health as the foundation for food systems, green spaces, water quality and biodiversity.
The Plan notes composting as a tool in maintaining the health of soils under various land uses:
- For Recreational and Ornamental landscapes, application of compost is a recommended soil health practice for community gardens, planting beds, turfgrass, and post-construction turf.
- Compost is recognized as one way to enhance soil organic carbon in turfgrass management. Lawn application of compost is limited to compost that is not rich in nitrogen due to risk of nutrient leaching.
- Soil and Land Management recommendations include expanding nutrient and organic waste recycling programs via new state and municipal policies, as well as research and development of regenerative soil health practices, specifically around the impact of compost use on turf for carbon sequestration.
- For Impervious landscapes, recommendations for post construction soil performance are based on examples from King County, Washington and Vermont policies, where compost amendment rates must be calculated based on soil type and testing based on a soil amendment calculator (see image below).
- Recommendations to enhance climate resilience since soils also regulate flooding, erosion, heat islands, and crop and plant productivity were present among all land types. Despite not explicitly including compost in those recommendations, appropriate compost application could be considered because it helps mitigate heat island effects, enhance resistance to drought, and reduce erosion.
More Information:
- Healthy Soils Action Plan – Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
- American Farmland Trust’s coverage of the Massachusetts Healthy Soils Action Plan
- The Massachusetts Healthy Soil Action Plan: Overview and Survey – Ecological Landscaping Alliance
- Guide to Agricultural Composting – MDAR
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Original post December 21, 2023
