{"id":17654,"date":"2021-07-16T12:03:38","date_gmt":"2021-07-16T16:03:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ilsr.org\/articles\/proposed-federal-compost-act-to-create-2-billion-in-funding-over-10-years\/"},"modified":"2024-05-07T19:03:03","modified_gmt":"2024-05-07T19:03:03","slug":"proposed-federal-compost-act","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/ilsr.org\/es\/article\/composting-for-community\/proposed-federal-compost-act","title":{"rendered":"Proposed Federal Compost Act to Create $2 Billion in Funding over 10 Years"},"template":"","class_list":["post-17654","article","type-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","article_type-article","initiatives-composting-for-community","topics-farming","topics-infrastructure","topics-on-farm-composting","impact_areas-climate-and-environmental-justice","impact_areas-rural-vitality","authors-brenda-platt","authors-sophia-jones"],"acf":{"details":{"featured_image":2094,"background_color":"","article_type":[134],"initiative":15,"display_event_fields":false,"start_date":null,"end_date":null,"start_time":null,"end_time":null,"time_zone":"America\/New_York","virtual_event":false,"location":"","topics":[76,89,99],"impact_areas":[16,23],"abstract":"

Currently, no federal policy exists that encourages or provides resources to mobilize a national composting effort, though several states do have policies that support and recognize the benefits of composting. The Cultivating Organic Matter through the Promotion of Sustainable Techniques (COMPOST) Act is a newly-proposed federal bill that aims to proactively advance composting infrastructure and support across the country. … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","authors_tax":[601,629]},"sidebar":{"title":"\u00cdndice"},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_wysiwyg","_acfe_flexible_toggle":null,"component_wysiwyg":{"content":"

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Currently, no federal policy exists that encourages or provides resources to mobilize a national composting effort, though several states do have policies that support and recognize the benefits of composting. Furthermore, The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) does not yet recognize composting as an approved conservation practice, thus rendering composting ineligible for <\/span>USDA conservation program<\/span><\/a> funding and support. Federal policy that accelerates national composting efforts will play a critical part in meeting the <\/span>U.S.\u2019 net-zero emissions goals<\/span><\/a> by 2050. <\/span>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On July 16, 2021, <\/span>Congresswoman Julia Brownley<\/span><\/a> (D-CA26) introduced the Cultivating Organic Matter through the Promotion of Sustainable Techniques (COMPOST) Act<\/a> in the U.S. House of Representatives. This new federal bill aims to proactively advance composting infrastructure and support across the country.<\/span><\/p>\n

The bill\u2019s co-sponsors include Representatives <\/span>Chellie Pingree<\/span><\/a> (D-ME01), <\/span>Ann Kuster<\/span><\/a> (D-NH), and <\/span>Scott H. Peters<\/span><\/a> (D-CA52).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

El <\/span>US Composting Infrastructure Coalition<\/span><\/a> (USCIC), of which the Institute for Local Self-Reliance is a founding member, played a pivotal role in the development of the bill.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cA massive investment in composting infrastructure is needed for rural and urban America. Composting can restore depleted soils, protect the climate and create thousands of new jobs. We won\u2019t see these benefits if we don\u2019t help farmers, entrepreneurs, and local governments build needed systems and programs.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

– Brenda Platt, Director of ILSR\u2019s Composting for Community Project, and member of the USCIC<\/span><\/h5>\n

 <\/p>\n

Leer ILSR\u2019s full press statement<\/a> on the COMPOST Act.<\/span><\/p>\n

Leer USCIC\u2019s press release<\/a> on the COMPOST Act.<\/span><\/p>\n

Support the COMPOST Act<\/span><\/a> by communicating directly with your elected officials.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The COMPOST Act<\/b><\/h2>\n

The main purpose of the COMPOST Act is:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo require the designation of composting as a conservation practice and activity, and to provide grants and loan guarantees for composting facilities and programs, and for other purposes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This bill would amend section 1241(j) of the <\/span>Food Security Act of 1985<\/span><\/a> to officially define and designate composting as a conservation practice and activity. It would further add specific language on composting throughout the Food Security Act\u2019s text.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSec. 2. Composting as a Conservation Practice.\u00a0<\/span><\/h6>\n
(2) Composting as a conservation practice and activity.-<\/span><\/h6>\n
1. In general, the Secretary shall by regulation provide that composting is a conservation practice and a conservation activity for the purposes of this title.<\/span><\/h6>\n
2. Composting defined.-<\/span><\/h6>\n
(i) In general.- For the purposes of this paragraph, the term \u2018composting\u2019 means-\u00a0<\/span><\/h6>\n
(I) an activity (including an activity that does not require the use of a composting facility) to produce compost from organic waste that is-<\/span><\/h6>\n
(aa) generated on a farm; or<\/span><\/h6>\n
(bb) brought to a farm by a nearby community and used to produce compost on that farm<\/span><\/h6>\n
(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.\u201d<\/span><\/h6>\n

It would also add a section (310J) to the <\/span>Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act<\/span><\/a> on establishing a grants and loan guarantees program for projects that expand access to food waste composting. This section allocates $200 million per year over the course of a decade in grants and loan guarantees for composting facilities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSec. 310J. Grants and Loan Guarantees for Composting Programs.<\/span><\/h6>\n
1. In general.- The Secretary, in consultation with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, shall establish and carry out a program to award grants and loan guarantees, on a competitive basis, for projects that expand access to food waste composting.\u201d<\/span><\/h6>\n

 <\/p>\n

Funding for Projects of All Sizes<\/span><\/h3>\n

ILSR pushed for the COMPOST Act to ensure flow of funding to compost sites and programs of all sizes, and not just large-scale, centralized facilities. As a result, the COMPOST Act includes the following stipulations on eligible projects, key requirements, and priority factors:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n