{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heinrich.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/heinrich-cosponsors-cows-act-to-reduce-greenhouse-emissions-support-sustainable-waste-practices", "Heinrich Cosponsors COWS Act to Reduce Greenhouse Emissions, Support Sustainable Waste Practices", "2026-08-07", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "Senate", "NM", "Martin Heinrich", "H001046", "www.heinrich.senate.gov", "heinrich", "https://www.heinrich.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) a member of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development and Food and Drug Administration today cosponsored the Converting Our Waste Sustainably Act (COWS Act) reintroduced by U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), a member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. The COWS Act would help producers reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air and water quality, and implement more sustainable alternative manure management practices. U.S. Representative Jim Costa (D-Calif.) introduced companion legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.\n\n\u201cNew Mexico is the ninth-largest dairy milk producer in the country, and fifth in cheese production. It\u2019s important that our dairy and livestock producers have access the innovative alternative manure management tools they need to be resilient, support our local economies, and help us keep healthy and nutritious food on our tables,\u201d said Heinrich. \u201cThe COWS Act will help equip New Mexico producers with cost-effective sustainable manure management practices that protect our air and water while strengthening their operations for years to come.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs California continues to provide food for families across the country, it\u2019s critical we equip our producers with resources and tools to ensure sustainable and cost-effective practices,\u201d said Padilla. \u201cYet, today\u2019s climate crisis demands that we adopt a more sustainable agricultural model. This bill would invest in long-term and low-cost pasture management treatments \u2013 ultimately supporting our family dairies, improving the quality of the air we breathe, protecting our environment, and keeping California\u2019s cows happy.\u201d\n\nThe COWS Act supports the adoption of manure management conservation practices, that will help the New Mexico livestock industry achieve three goals: (1) modernize technologies for manure management that help boost profitability; (2) improve water and soil quality; and (3) reduce methane and nitrogen oxide emissions by fostering climate-smart farming. The legislation also directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to prioritize awards for underserved communities and beginning farmers or ranchers.\n\nSpecifically, the COWS Act would:\n\nThis legislation is based on California\u2019s Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP), which was established in 2017 to support non-digester approaches to manage manure. The program has since supported 198 projects that are estimated to reduce 1.6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent over five years.\n\nIn addition to Heinrich, this bill is cosponsored by U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).\n\nThe COWS act is also similar to Section 505 of Senator Heinrich\u2019s Agricultural Resilience Act, which proposes to create a stand-alone alternative manure management program at the USDA, as part of a larger more comprehensive package of programs and policies intended to help reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in U.S. agriculture by 2040.\n\nThe COWS Act is endorsed by California Dairies, California Dairy Campaign, Environmental Working Group, National Farmers Union, National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, Milk Producers Council, and the National Milk Producers Federation.\n\n\u201cThe COWS Act gives dairy farmers of all sizes practical tools to cut methane emissions, improve water quality, and generate valuable compost as an alternative to synthetic fertilizers. At a time when California dairies are under real economic pressure due to low milk prices and high input costs this kind of flexible, EQIP-backed support is exactly what family dairies need. The California Dairy Campaign is proud to support Senator Padilla\u2019s leadership on this bill,\u201d said Lynne McBride, Executive Director of California Dairy Campaign.\n\n\u201cMilk Producers Council strongly supports the COWS Act,\u201d said Kevin Abernathy, General Manager of Milk Producers Council. \u201cThe science has shown that the implementation of post-conservation practices in the dairy ecosystem helps improve soil health, provides cleaner air and water, and leads to healthier animals. California\u2019s Alternative Manure Management Program has been a model for smart conservation practices, and the COWS Act would help expand this model nationwide.\u201d\n\n\u201cDairy farmers do exceptional work on their farms to practice sound manure management, a critical conservation priority for maintaining healthy operations and protecting local land and water resources,\u201d said Gregg Doud, President and CEO of National Milk Producers Federation. \u201cYet despite that leadership, oversubscribed conservation programs limit farmers\u2019 access to the tools and support they need. Expanding these opportunities will recognize the great work farmers are already doing and improve their ability to innovate on a much greater scale. We thank Sens. Padilla, Schiff, and Heinrich for introducing the COWS Act, which will support the variety of manure management systems dairy farmers rely on.\u201d\n\nA one-pager of the bill is available here.\n\nFull text of the bill is available here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-08-13T06:17:16Z", "2026-08-13T06:18:13Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.heinrich.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/heinrich-cosponsors-cows-act-to-reduce-greenhouse-emissions-support-sustainable-waste-practices"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.8004779014736414, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}