Blogs

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will host the Clean Fuels & Products Shot™ Summit on April 8, 2024, from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. (EDT), and April 9, 2024, from 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. (EDT). The virtual event will gather stakeholders across government, industry, academia, and non-profit organizations to engage on the objectives, progress, priorities, and future plans for the seventh DOE Energy Earthshot™. According to DOE, the Clean Fuels & Products Shot aims to lower carbon...

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) announced on February 13, 2024, their intent to issue funding to support research and development (R&D) projects for converting algae and other wet waste feedstocks to low-carbon fuels, chemicals, and agricultural products. DOE states that the intended Mixed Algae Conversion Research Opportunity (MACRO) funding would address gaps in the use of carbon dioxide...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a Constituent Update on March 4, 2024, that updates its “List of Select Chemicals in the Food Supply Under FDA Review.” FDA states that the intent of this update is “…to provide more insight on the status of the FDA’s post-market assessments of chemicals in the food supply.” The information posted today includes many chemicals that FDA has been actively engaged in reviewing for the past several years. The Update also explains the...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced on March 4, 2024, that it received a petition from Bayer U.S.-Crop Science seeking a determination of nonregulated status for maize (corn) event MON 95379 that has been developed using genetic engineering to produce two insecticidal proteins to protect against feeding damage caused by target lepidopteran pests. 89 Fed. Reg. 15542. APHIS is making the petition available for review and...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on February 28, 2024, that it is seeking public comment on the candidates under consideration for selection as ad hoc peer reviewers to assist the Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC) with its peer review of the Agency’s evaluation of the risks from formaldehyde being conducted to inform risk management decisions under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). 89 Fed. Reg. 14648. The SACC peer review will take place during a...

EuropaBio, the European Association for Bioindustries, announced on February 21, 2024, the release of a position paper calling for “bold ambition, and five core principles to ensure impactful industrial growth.” According to the position paper, “EC Initiative on Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing: Principles for an impactful Europe,” the European Commission’s (EC) forthcoming Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative “is a unique opportunity for the [European Union (EU)] to build...

On March 1, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) announced a new webinar series, “Pollution Prevention in Action.” On the second Wednesday of the month, Jennie Romer, EPA Deputy Assistant Administrator for Pollution Prevention, will host webinars featuring businesses, Pollution Prevention grantees, and other experts about innovations and successes in implementing source reduction strategies to advance...

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced on February 27, 2024, that it received a petition requested that iso-butanol (also known as isobutanol, iso butyl alcohol, 2-methyl propan-1-ol, or 2-methyl-1-propanol) be added to the list of taxable substances under Section 4672(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. 89 Fed. Reg. 14558. OQ Chemicals Corporation, an exporter of iso-butanol, filed the petition. The notice states: According to the petition, iso-butanol is an isomer of n-butanol. Iso-butanol...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has posted a February 2024 guidance entitled “Foods Derived from Plants Produced Using Genome Editing: Guidance for Industry.” According to FDA, one purpose of the guidance is to clarify how its 1992 policy statement “Statement of Policy: Foods Derived from New Plant Varieties” (NPV policy) (57 Fed. Reg. 22984) applies to foods derived from NPVs produced using genome editing. The NPV policy provides scientific and regulatory guidance on foods...

On February 7, 2024, the Library of Congress posted an article entitled “South Korea: Act to Promote Green Bio Industry Published.” According to the article, South Korea published the Act on Promoting the Green Bio Industry (Green Bio Act) on January 2, 2024. The Green Bio Act, which will enter into force on January 3, 2025, “aims to promote the application of biotechnology to agricultural bioresources and increase the added value of agriculture, develop the green bio industry, and realize...