[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3272 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3272

To 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.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 8, 2025

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To 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.

    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. COMPOSTING AS CONSERVATION PRACTICE.

    (a) Conservation Standards and Requirements.--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.''.
    (b) Conservation Stewardship Program.--Section 1240I(2)(B)(i) of 
the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa-21(2)(B)(i)) is amended 
by inserting ``and composting practices'' after ``agriculture drainage 
management systems''.
    (c) Environmental Quality Incentives Program.--Section 
1240A(6)(A)(ii) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa-
1(6)(A)(ii)) is amended by inserting ``, including composting 
practices'' before the semicolon at the end.
    (d) Delivery of Technical Assistance.--Section 1242(h) of the Food 
Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3842(h)) is amended by adding at the 
end the following:
            ``(5) Development of composting practice standard.--In 
        addition to conducting a review under this subsection of any 
        composting facility practice standard established before the 
        date of enactment of this paragraph, the Secretary shall 
        establish a composting practice standard under the process 
        developed under paragraph (3).''.
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