Plain English Breakdown
The official text states the strategy must be consistent with specified publications, but does not list those publications here.
AB-2112: Soil Carbon Sequestration and Compost Strategy
This law requires state agencies to create a strategy by January 1, 2028, that links waste goals with soil health practices on farms and grasslands to store carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
What This Bill Does
- Adds an expert in soil carbon sequestration to the existing climate advisory committee.
- Establishes the Climate-smart Organics Management for Protecting Our Soil and Terrain (COMPOST) Act of 2026.
- Requires the Natural Resources Agency to develop a strategy by January 1, 2028, linking waste diversion goals with soil health practices on natural and working lands.
- Mandates recommendations and incentives to increase compost production and use on farms, grasslands, and priority rangelands for carbon storage.
- Sets a goal for these strategies to help reduce at least 5 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually in the state.
- Updates local waste management annual reports starting August 1, 2027, to include locations for new or expanded small and medium compostable material handling facilities.
Who It Names or Affects
- The California Natural Resources Agency
- Local cities, counties, and regional agencies that manage waste plans
- Farmers and land managers on working lands, grasslands, and priority rangelands
Terms To Know
- Soil carbon sequestration
- The process of storing atmospheric carbon dioxide in the soil through plant growth and organic matter.
- Nature-based climate solutions
- Actions that use natural ecosystems, such as healthy soils or forests, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or store carbon.
- Integrated waste management plan
- A required local government document outlining how a city or county will handle recycling, composting, and solid waste reduction.
Limits and Unknowns
- The bill requires the state to reimburse local agencies for costs only if the Commission on State Mandates determines that new expenses are mandated.
- Specific details of how incentives for compost production will be funded or distributed are not defined in this text.