Converting Our Waste Sustainably (COWS) Act of 2023

Summary

Converting Our Waste Sustainably (COWS) Act of 2023 This bill establishes an alternative manure management program for eligible dairy and livestock producers and provides specified funds to the program for FY2024 through FY2028. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must establish an alternative manure management program to award producers contracts to support carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions reductions. Producers must implement management measures that include adopting   pasture-based management; alternative manure treatment and storage practices; a solid separation system (or installing a new, higher efficiency solid separation system); or scrape technologies, including vacuum technologies. USDA may provide a 100% federal cost share. Further, the bill caps the maximum payment to a person or legal entity in any five-year period at $825,000. USDA must prioritize contracts to entities that address public health concerns (e.g., air quality and water quality) associated with dairy and livestock operations located near low-income or underserved communities. Further, USDA must ensure geographical diversity when awarding contracts. USDA must also use a majority of the program's funds for small and mid-sized dairy and livestock operations, including beginning, limited resource, and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. The bill also includes composting practices as eligible projects under USDA's Environmental Quality Incentives Program and Conservation Stewardship Program. Finally, USDA must review practice standards for composting facilities and soil carbon amendments (e.g., compost) and develop and implement a new conservation practice standard for the on-farm production of compost. 

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Timeline

1. 25 July 2023

   Introduced

   Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S3525-3526)

   Source: IntroReferral

2. 25 July 2023

   Introduced

   Introduced in Senate

   Source: IntroReferral

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

• Introduced in Senate · 25 July 2023 · Download file

Documents

3 official files

• Introduced in Senate (text)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 25 July 2023

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Introduced in Senate (PDF)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 25 July 2023

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

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• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 25 July 2023

  Open at official source

  Leesvertaling

  Vertaal dit document naar jouw taal. PoliticalRepo bewaart geen aparte kopie per EU-taal.

  Vertaal naarNL · DutchDE · GermanFR · FrenchES · SpanishIT · ItalianPL · PolishPT · PortugueseSV · SwedishDA · DanishFI · FinnishEL · GreekCS · CzechHU · HungarianRO · RomanianBG · BulgarianHR · CroatianSK · SlovakSL · SlovenianLT · LithuanianLV · LatvianET · EstonianGA · IrishMT · Maltese

  Vertaal document

  Documentvertaling op verzoek met downloadbare PDF (logo + link naar de officiële bron). Het bronbestand blijft leidend.

Sponsors

• Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Brown, Sherrod [D-OH] · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] · D · Cosponsor
• · ssaf00 · Standing

Related records

• related to → Converting Our Waste Sustainably (COWS) Act of 2023
• related to → Agriculture Resilience Act of 2023