(1)The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 establishes the State Air Resources Board as the state agency responsible for monitoring and regulating sources emitting greenhouse gases. The act requires the state board to adopt rules and regulations to achieve the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective greenhouse gas emissions reductions to ensure that the statewide greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to at least 40% below the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit, as defined, no later than December 31, 2030. Existing law requires the state board to prepare and approve a scoping plan for achieving the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, as provided, and to update the scoping plan at least once every 5 years.

Existing law requires the state board to develop a comprehensive strategy to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants in the state. Existing law requires the state board, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, to adopt regulations to reduce methane emissions from livestock manure management operations and dairy manure management operations by up to 40% below the dairy sectors and livestock sectors 2013 levels by 2030.

This bill would require the Department of Food and Agriculture to convene an interagency task force to evaluate the role of alternative manure management practices in achieving certain goals and to make specified findings and recommendations based on its evaluation. The bill would require the task force to include representatives from specified state agencies, external scientific and technical experts, and other stakeholders, as provided. The bill would require the task force to coordinate scenario modeling of alternative manure management practices adoption within the dairy and livestock industry under different policy and funding conditions, assess how alternative manure management practices can help the state meet groundwater protection strategies, sustainability plans, water quality plans, and working lands climate goals, nature-based climate solutions, and facilitate interagency data sharing, technical consultation, and identification of research needs, as provided. The bill would authorize the state board to incorporate the task forces findings and recommendations into updates to the above-described comprehensive strategy, the 2027 update to the scoping plan, and other planning documents as appropriate.

(2)Existing law requires the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, in partnership with various government agencies, to identify and recommend actions to address, with regard to both state agencies and the federal government, the permitting and siting challenges associated with composting and anaerobic digestion, and to encourage the continued viability of the states organic waste processing and recycling infrastructure.

This bill would require the Department of Food and Agriculture to convene relevant government agencies, with input from the regulated community, to create an efficient and effective process for approving new projects that manage livestock and dairy manure through on-farm composting or by selling or transferring manure to offsite users.

(1)The California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 establishes the State Air Resources Board as the state agency responsible for monitoring and regulating sources emitting greenhouse gases. The act requires the state board to adopt rules and regulations to achieve the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective greenhouse gas emissions reductions to ensure that the statewide greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to at least 40% below the statewide greenhouse gas emissions limit, as defined, no later than December 31, 2030. Existing law requires the state board to prepare and approve a scoping plan for achieving the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, as provided, and to update the scoping plan at least once every 5 years.

Existing law requires the state board to develop a comprehensive strategy to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants in the state. Existing law requires the state board, in consultation with the Department of Food and Agriculture, to adopt regulations to reduce methane emissions from livestock manure management operations and dairy manure management operations by up to 40% below the dairy sectors and livestock sectors 2013 levels by 2030.

This bill would require the Department of Food and Agriculture to convene an interagency task force to evaluate the role of alternative manure management practices in achieving certain goals and to make specified findings and recommendations based on its evaluation. The bill would require the task force to include representatives from specified state agencies, external scientific and technical experts, and other stakeholders, as provided. The bill would require the task force to coordinate scenario modeling of alternative manure management practices adoption within the dairy and livestock industry under different policy and funding conditions, assess how alternative manure management practices can help the state meet groundwater protection strategies, water quality plans, and working lands climate goals, and facilitate interagency data sharing, technical consultation, and identification of research needs, as provided. The bill would authorize the state board to incorporate the task forces findings and recommendations into updates to the above-described comprehensive strategy, the 2027 update to the scoping plan, and other planning documents as appropriate.

(2)Existing law requires the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery, in partnership with various government agencies, to identify and recommend actions to address, with regard to both state agencies and the federal government, the permitting and siting challenges associated with composting and anaerobic digestion, and to encourage the continued viability of the states organic waste processing and recycling infrastructure.

This bill would require the Department of Food and Agriculture to convene relevant government agencies, with input from the regulated community, to create an efficient and effective process for approving new projects that manage livestock and dairy manure through on-farm composting or by selling or transferring manure to offsite users.

Date of Hearing: April 29, 2026

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Buffy Wicks, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 2100

Author:(Connolly) – As Amended Ver:March 25, 2026

Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: No Reimbursable: No

SUMMARY:

This bill requires the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to convene an interagency task force to evaluate the role of alternative manure management practices (AMMP) in achieving the state’s greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals and requires CDFA to create an efficient and effective process for approving projects that manage livestock and dairy manure.

Specifically, this bill, among other things:

1. Requires CDFA to convene an interagency task force to evaluate the role of AMMP in achieving the goals identified in the short-lived climate pollutant (SLCP) strategy, developed pursuant to existing law, and in related state mandates, and to make findings and recommendations based on its evaluation.
2. Requires the task force to include representatives from the Air Resources Board (ARB), the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board), the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), the California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA), and external scientific and technical experts and other stakeholders, as specified.
3. Requires the task force to: (a) coordinate scenario modeling of AMMP adoption within the dairy and livestock industry under different policy and funding conditions; (b) assess how AMMP can help the state meet groundwater sustainability plans, water quality plans, and nature-based climate solutions; (c) facilitate interagency data sharing, technical consultation, and identification of research needs; and (d) advise ARB on updates to its quantification methodology for the AMMP program, considering the most recent relevant data and research and impacts on equitable access.
4. Authorizes ARB to incorporate the task force’s findings and recommendations into updates to the SLCP strategy, the 2027 Scoping Plan Update, and other planning documents.
5. Requires CDFA to convene relevant government agencies, as specified, with input from the regulated community, to create an efficient and effective process for approving new projects that manage livestock and dairy manure through on-farm composting or by selling or transferring manure to offsite users.

FISCAL EFFECT:

1) Assuming a three-year timeframe (in line with the state’s 2030 SLCP targets), CDFA estimates annual costs of approximately $325,000 (Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) or General Fund) for one senior environmental scientist, contract costs, and equipment for three years to convene, support, and participate in two interagency efforts. CDFA notes it does not currently have permanent, baseline funding for staff overseeing the AMMP program in its Office of Agricultural Resilience and Sustainability, and that it has historically relied on one-time funding to support the program; therefore, the department contends it cannot absorb the additional workload created by this bill within existing resources.

2) ARB estimates ongoing annual costs of approximately $779,000 (GGRF or General Fund) for about four new staff to represent ARB in, and support the work of, the task force; develop scenario modeling of AMMP adoption within the dairy and livestock industry under different policy and funding conditions; develop assessments of how AMMP can help meet the state’s working lands climate goals; incorporate the task force’s findings into various documents and plans; review and update quantification methodologies, calculator tools, and reporting templates for the AMMP program to better analyze and quantify additional co-benefits like water quality and groundwater protections; consult with subject matter experts; and other related tasks.

3) The State Water Board estimates ongoing annual costs of approximately $2.3 million (Waste Discharge Permit Fund, GGRF, or General Fund) to hire staff within the State Water Board and the Regional Water Quality Control Boards (Regional Water Boards) to participate in and support the efforts of the task force and model, assess, and share data regarding AMMP. The State Water Board notes its estimate is based on costs associated with its and the Regional Water Boards’ participation in the Manure Recycling and Innovative Products Task Force (MRIP).

CDFA convened the MRIP to develop recommendations on how to recapture and enhance the value of dairy manure while supporting healthy soils, protecting water quality, and reducing agriculture’s carbon footprint in California. The MRIP met between late 2021 and 2022, producing its final report in December 2022. According to the CDFA website, “the task force resolved to continue periodic meetings to monitor progress and efforts following the recommendations, share information on new opportunities, and to broaden the conversation.” Given some of the overlap in subject matter, the timing of the MRIP’s work (which largely concluded in 2022), and the State Water Board’s largely consultative role in this bill (with CDFA taking the lead), it is worth considering whether the State Water Board may be able to repurpose and utilize some of its existing staff resources for some or all of the implementation workload associated with this bill.

4) Costs of an unknown amount, likely ranging from minor and absorbable to the low hundreds of thousands of dollars, for CNRA and CalRecycle to participate in the task force (GGRF or General Fund).

The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) recently warned of General Fund structural deficits of around $35 billion per year in the 2027-28 fiscal year (FY) and ongoing.

Department of Finance and LAO do not anticipate GGRF will have adequate revenues in FY 2026‑27 to support all the statutory priorities and allocations approved as part of last year’s legislative package that extended and made various changes to the state’s cap‑and‑invest program, including creating new funding allocation tiers.

COMMENTS:

1) Purpose. According to the author:

AB 2100 directs CDFA to convene an interagency taskforce to evaluate alternative manure management practices, identify research needs, recommend program updates, and improve coordination among the agencies that oversee related programs and regulations. This bill bridges that gap in demand by taking steps to improve state planning and support for alternative manure management strategies while addressing barriers to project approvals. Through this taskforce, the state can better understand and support multi-benefit manure management strategies that will help California reach important emission reduction targets and protect natural resources.

2) Background. SLCP Strategy. 1383 (Lara), Chapter 395, Statutes of 2016, requires ARB to approve and implement a comprehensive SLCP strategy to achieve, by 2030, the following reductions from 2013 levels: a 40% reduction in methane, a 40% reduction in hydrofluorocarbon gases, and a 50% reduction in anthropogenic black carbon. Methane is a powerful SLCP that is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year timescale.

Dairy and Livestock Methane. According to the Assembly Natural Resources Committee, animal agriculture in California generates more than 300 million pounds of manure every day, and dairies and livestock are responsible for over half of the state’s methane emissions. Manure methane emissions can be reduced through two primary methods – installation of an anaerobic digester and AMMP.

AMMP Program. CDFA’s AMMP program, which has historically received funding from the General Fund and GGRF, provides financial incentives to dairy and livestock operations for the implementation of manure management practices (excluding anaerobic digestors) that result in long-term methane emissions reductions and maximize environmental benefits. Eligible practices include pasture-based management, alternative manure treatment and storage, solid separation, and conversion from flush to dry-scrape manure collection.

Since 2017, CDFA has awarded $127 million through the AMMP program to 200 projects. There is currently no AMMP funding available, and during the last solicitation in 2024, AMMP funding was oversubscribed by 233%.

According to supporters of this bill, without access to funding support, many dairies will not have the resources necessary to improve manure management, especially as the “industry faces an increasingly challenging economic climate marked by low milk prices that fall well below rising input costs and growing fees, fines, and restrictions due to implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.” Supporters contend this bill improves interagency coordination for AMMP practices by (a) convening a task force to analyze the role of AMMP in California’s climate and environmental goals and recommend improvements to state planning, incentive programs, regulations, and implementation and (b) convening relevant permitting agencies to develop a clearer and more efficient process for approving new and expanded projects that manage livestock and dairy manure.

Analysis Prepared by: Nikita Koraddi / APPR. / (916) 319-2081

Date of Hearing: April 13, 2026

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES

Isaac G. Bryan, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 2100 (

Author:Connolly) – As Amended Ver:March 25, 2026

SUBJECT: Organic waste: manure management: interagency task force: project approval

SUMMARY: Requires the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to convene an interagency task force to evaluate the role of alternative manure management practices in achieving the state’s greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals and to make findings and recommendations based on the evaluation. Authorizes the Air Resources Board (ARB) to incorporate the task force’s findings and recommendations into updates to the Short-Lived Climate Pollutants Strategy (Strategy), the 2027 Scoping Plan Update (Scoping Plan), and other planning documents as appropriate.

EXISTING LAW:

1. Requires ARB, in consultation with CDFA, to adopt regulations to reduce methane emissions from livestock manure management operations and dairy manure management operations by up to 40% below the dairy and livestock sectors’ 2013 levels by 2030. (Health and Safety Code (HSC) 39730.7)
2. Requires ARB, in consultation with CDFA, to analyze the progress the dairy and livestock sectors have made in achieving the state’s methane reduction goals. Requires the analysis to determine if sufficient progress has been made to overcome technical and market barriers. If not, authorizes ARB, in consultation with CDFA and stakeholders, to reduce the methane reduction goal, as specified. (HSC 39730.7)
3. Requires ARB to approve and implement a comprehensive strategy to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants (SLCP). Requires the Strategy to achieve a reduction in SLCP emissions by 40%, hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) gases by 40%, and anthropogenic black carbon by 50% below 2013 levels by 2030. (HSC 39730.5)
4. Requires the Strategy to include the goals of reducing methane emissions by 50% below 2014 levels by 2020 and 75% below 2014 levels by 2025. (HSC 39730.7)
5. Requires ARB to develop a Scoping Plan to achieve the maximum technologically feasible and cost-effective GHG emissions reductions. Requires the Scoping Plan to be developed in consultation with relevant state agencies. Requires the Scoping Plan to identify and make recommendations on direct emissions reduction measures, alternative compliance mechanisms, market-based compliance mechanisms, and potential monetary and non-monetary incentives for sources that ARB finds necessary or desirable to facilitate the achievement of the maximum feasible and cost-effective GHG emissions reductions. (HSC 38561)
6. Establishes the policy of the state to achieve net zero GHG emissions as soon as possible, but no later than 2045, and to achieve and maintain net negative GHG emissions thereafter and to ensure that by 2045, statewide anthropogenic GHG emissions are reduced to at least 85% below the 2020 statewide GHG emissions limit. Requires ARB to ensure that the Scoping Plan identify and recommend measures to achieve these policy goals. (HSC 38562.2)

THIS BILL:

1. Requires CDFA to convene an interagency task force to evaluate the role of alternative manure management practices in achieving the goals identified in the Strategy and in related state mandates and to make findings and recommendations based on the evaluation.
2. Requires the task force to include representatives from the ARB, the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB), the Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle), the Natural Resources Agency (NRA), and other stakeholders, including producers and dairy industry representatives.
3. Requires the task force to:
   1. Coordinate scenario modeling of alternative manure management practices [by] adoption within the dairy and livestock industry under different policy and funding conditions;
   2. Assess how alternative manure management practices can help the state meet groundwater sustainability plans, water quality plans, and nature-based climate solutions; and,
   3. Facilitate interagency data sharing, technical consultation, and identification of research needs, and advise the ARB on updates to its quantification methodology for the Alternative Manure Management Program, considering the most recent relevant data and research and impacts on equitable access.
4. Authorizes ARB to incorporate the task force’s findings and recommendations into updates to the Strategy, the 2027 Scoping Plan Update, and other planning documents as appropriate.

FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown

COMMENTS:

1. Background. SB 1383 (Lara), Chapter 395, Statutes of 2016, requires ARB to approve and implement the comprehensive SLCP strategy to achieve, from 2013 levels, a 40% reduction in methane, a 40% reduction in HFCs, and a 50% reduction in anthropogenic black carbon, by 2030. SB 1383 establishes specific procedures to regulate dairy sources of methane. Specifically, regulations to reduce methane emissions from dairy and livestock manure management operations are subject to the following conditions:
   • • Reductions are limited to 40% below 2013 levels by 2030;
     • Requires emission reduction regulations to be implemented on or after 2024;
     • ARB must first complete specified steps, including stakeholder consultation, public meetings, and research;
     • ARB must determine the regulations are technologically feasible, economically feasible, cost-effective, and minimize and mitigate potential leakage;
     • Requires ARB to analyze progress toward the targets and authorizes ARB to reduce the 40% by 2030 goal if the analysis determines that progress has not been made due to insufficient funding, technical or market barriers;
     • Requires ARB and the Public Utilities Commission to establish energy infrastructure development and procurement policies for dairy biomethane projects, including directing gas utilities to implement at least five dairy biomethane pilot projects; and
     • Enteric emission reductions shall be achieved only through incentive-based mechanisms until ARB determines that a cost-effective, considering the impact on animal productivity, scientifically proven means of reducing enteric emissions is available and that adoption of the enteric emissions reduction method would not damage animal health, public health, or consumer acceptance.

Animal agriculture in California generates more than 300 million pounds of manure every day. Dairy and livestock methane GHG emissions originate from two primary sources, manure management, and enteric fermentation. Manure methane emissions can be reduced through two primary methods – installation of an anaerobic digester and alternative manure management practices.

Dairies and livestock are responsible for over half of California’s methane emissions. Improved dairy manure management offers significant, near-term potential to achieve reductions in the state’s methane emissions, and potential dairy and livestock enteric emissions reduction technologies offer longer-term potential for additional GHG emission reductions. 

CDFA convened the Manure Recycling and Innovative Products Task Force (MRIP) in 2021 to develop recommendations on how to capture and enhance the value of dairy manure while supporting healthy soils, protecting water quality, and reducing GHG emissions from agricultural sources. MRIP released its final report in December 2022, which focused on recommendations for strategies for manure management. Conventional strategies were considered to reduce and better use nitrogen surplus with technology and equipment already widely available in the commercial market. Compost strategies were considered to determine how the nitrogen surplus could be used by expanding composting of surplus manure and examining the permitting requirements and likely environmental outcomes of increasing dairy compost production, export, and use in non-dairy agriculture or other uses. Denitrification and treatment strategies were discussed to facilitate the removal or conversion of nitrogen in manure or manure effluent through physical, chemical, or biological processes that primarily convert reactive nitrogen to stable nitrogen gas. Finally, nitrogen capture was evaluated to help address nitrogen surplus on dairies by capturing an deconcentrating nutrients in a form that can be easily transported and sold for use as crop nutrients.

CDFA’s Alternative Manure Management Program provided financial assistance for the implementation of non-digester manure management practices on dairy and livestock operations in California that reduce GHG emissions. Eligible practices include pasture-based management, alternative manure treatment and storage, solid separation, and conversion from flush to dry scrape manure collection. These practices are intended to provide accessible, cost-effective alternatives to anaerobic digestions that can be scaled to facilities of different sizes, management styles, and locations. The program awarded $127 million in incentives in 2024 and 2025, but is currently closed due to lack of funding.

1. This bill. This bill is intended to foster alternative manure management practices in the state by improving interagency coordination and recommending program updates by establishing the task force and encouraging ARB to incorporate the task force’s recommendations into its GHG emissions reduction efforts. The author may wish to with the affected state departments and stakeholders to determine whether a new task force is needed, or if the goals of the bill could be accomplished through the MRIP.
2. Author’s statement:

AB 2100 directs CDFA to convene an interagency taskforce to evaluate alternative manure management practices, identify research needs, recommend program updates, and improve coordination among the agencies that oversee related programs and regulations. This bill bridges that gap in demand by taking steps to improve state planning and support for alternative manure management strategies while addressing barriers to project approvals. Through this taskforce, the state can better understand and support multi-benefit manure management strategies that will help California reach important emission reduction targets and protect natural resources.

1. Suggested amendment. The committee may wish to amend the bill to correct a drafting error by inserting the word “for” after “practices” on page 5, line 18.
   

REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:

Support

A Voice for Choice Advocacy
American Farmland Trust
California Climate & Agriculture Network
California Dairy Campaign
California State Grange
Californians Against Waste
Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District
Marin Resource Conservation District
Sonoma County Farm Bureau
Straus Family Creamery
The Climate Center

Opposition

None on file

Analysis Prepared by: Elizabeth MacMillan / NAT. RES. /