Plain English Breakdown
The source states the bill authorizes the State Air Resources Board to incorporate findings into planning documents, but does not mandate that they must do so.
AB-2100: Manure Management Task Force and Project Approval
This law requires the Department of Food and Agriculture to create a task force that studies better ways to handle farm manure for climate goals, and sets up a new process to approve projects that compost or move this waste.
What This Bill Does
- Requires the Department of Food and Agriculture to form an interagency task force on alternative manure management practices.
- Directs the task force to study how different methods can help meet groundwater protection, water quality, working lands climate goals, nature-based solutions, and sustainability plans.
- Allows the State Air Resources Board to use the task force's findings in updates to its comprehensive strategy for short-lived pollutants and the 2027 scoping plan update.
- Requires agencies to create a clear process for approving new projects that compost manure on farms or send it off-site.
Who It Names or Affects
- The California Department of Food and Agriculture
- State Air Resources Board
- Dairy and livestock farm operators
- Other state agencies involved in environmental planning
Terms To Know
- Interagency task force
- A group made up of people from different government departments, external scientific experts, technical experts, and other stakeholders who work together on a specific issue.
- Alternative manure management practices
- New or different ways to handle animal waste instead of traditional methods, such as composting or anaerobic digestion.
Limits and Unknowns
- The bill does not list specific funding amounts for the task force or new projects.
- It is unclear exactly which external experts or stakeholders must join the task force beyond general categories mentioned in the text.
- The text does not state when the new project approval process will begin.