The Washington State Conservation Commission implemented a portion of the funding from a one-time proviso focused on Climate-Smart Livestock Management appropriated during the 2023 legislative session. A summary of implementation of these funds through Sustainable Farms and Fields (livestock-specific), Alternative Manure Management, and Research and Demonstration project funding is available in this Report to the Legislature from Dec. 2024 titled: Impact of Climate-Smart Livestock Management Proviso Funding in Washington. The projects listed in this report will finish in June 2025.
Other portions of the funding were reappropriated during the 2025 legislative session. These are summarized below.
Alternative Manure Management Funding
SCC secured a technical correction in 2023-2025 proviso language that prevented the agency from fully spending the alternative manure management funding. This fix results in $2,900,000 in reappropriated funding available in the 2025-2027 biennium to support alternative manure management activities. This funding is from the Climate Commitment Account
SCC will be working with districts that had unfunded projects from the previous alternative manure management funding round to determine whether those projects are ready to move forward and expects to announce an additional application round for Alternative Manure Management in the summer of 2025.
Anaerobic Digester Funding
SCC was appropriated $22,000,000 in the 2023-2025 biennium to fund anaerobic dairy digesters. The proponents of the proviso funding wanted this program to contract directly with farmers. SCC is structured to work with conservation districts rather than to contract with producers directly. This appropriation was moved to the Department of Commerce for the 2025-2027 biennium. Please stay tuned to news from the Department of Commerce regarding the next steps for this funding.
Proviso language for the Department of Commerce
The appropriation in this section is subject to the following conditions and limitations:
- $13,200,000 of the appropriation in this section is provided solely for grants for cost-share agreements regarding anaerobic digester development and maintenance projects at dairies. Grants awarded must have at least a 15 percent nonstate match and be awarded through a competitive process that considers:
- The amount of greenhouse gas reduction expected to be achieved by the proposal; and
- The amount of untreated effluent expected to be reduced by the proposal.
- $500,000 of the appropriation in this section is provided solely for the department to contract with the Washington State University energy extension program to provide technical assistance in the administration of the competitive grant process and to provide ongoing support to dairies and digester operators regarding opportunities to enhance digester function, advance nutrient recovery, and improve the economic sustainability of on-farm digesters.
To learn more about Sustainable Farms & Fields Climate-Smart Livestock, visit www.scc.wa.gov/programs/sff-climate-smart-livestock.
