The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBCS), an agency of the Rural Development mission area within U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), issued a proposed rule on January 24, 2024, that would adopt changes from the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill). 89 Fed. Reg. 4770. The changes include merging the Guidelines for Designating Biobased Products for Federal Procurement (7 C.F.R. Part 3201) and the Voluntary Labeling Program for Biobased Products (7 C.F.R. Part 3202) into one...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched enhancements to an online search tool for its Recommendations of Specifications, Standards, and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing on January 30, 2024. According to EPA, the search tool makes it easier to view and sort standards and ecolabels that EPA recommends U.S. federal government purchasers use to meet sustainable acquisition goals and mandates. The search tool allows users to identify the types of products or services covered by an...
February 1, 2024
EuropaBio Publishes Biomanufacturing Global Series Reports on the United States, India, and Japan
EuropaBio, the European Association for Bioindustries, has begun publishing a Biomanufacturing Global Series. To date, EuropaBio has published the following one-page summaries, providing information on a country’s policies, targets, and investments: US in Focus: According to EuropaBio, the United States has a comprehensive approach, targeting challenges such as climate change or national security, and sectors, including chemical, agriculture, and health. EuropaBio states that the Biden...
January 31, 2024
USDA Awarding $19 Million in Grants to U.S. Business Owners to Increase Access to Clean, Affordable Domestic Biofuels
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on January 11, 2024, that it is awarding $19 million in grants to U.S. business owners to increase the availability of domestic biofuels in 22 states and provide “cleaner, more affordable fuel options at gas station pumps as part of President Biden’s Bidenomics agenda to lower costs and invest in America.” USDA is making the awards through the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP), made possible with funding from...
January 16, 2024
Law Library of Congress Publishes Report on Selected Issues in Biotechnology Regulation
The Law Library of Congress published a November 2023 report entitled Selected Issues in Biotechnology Regulation: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, England, European Union, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan that provides an overview of the main statutes and policies governing selected issues on the development of biotechnology products, particularly those derived from genetically modified organisms (GMO) and genetic engineering....
January 8, 2024
BETO Releases Summary Report Following Transition to Sustainable, Circular Economy for Plastics Workshop
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced on December 20, 2023, that it released a summary report following its June 8-9, 2023, Workshop: Transitioning to a Sustainable, Circular Economy for Plastics. The workshop, hosted by BETO in partnership with DOE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office and the Climate Pledge coalition, brought together stakeholders from industry, academia, national laboratories, and non-profit organizations...
January 5, 2024
Treasury Department and IRS Issue Guidance on SAF Credit
On December 14, 2023, the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Notice 2024-06 for the new Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) credit created by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA). According to the IRS’s December 15, 2023, press release, the SAF credit applies to a qualified fuel mixture containing SAF for certain sales or uses in calendar years 2023 and 2024. The SAF credit is $1.25 for each gallon of SAF in a qualified mixture. The IRS states that to qualify...
January 3, 2024
APHIS Reopens Comment Period on Proposed Additional Exemptions for Plants Modified or Produced Through Genetic Engineering
As reported in our November 16, 2023, blog item, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) proposed on November 15, 2023, five new types of genetic modifications a plant can contain and be exempt from the regulations for the movement of organisms modified or produced through genetic engineering because such modifications could otherwise be achieved through conventional breeding methods. 88 Fed. Reg. 78285. Comments were due December 15,...
December 29, 2023
OSTP Publishes Report on Vision, Needs, and Proposed Actions for Data for the Bioeconomy Initiative
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) published on December 20, 2023, a report on Vision, Needs, and Proposed Actions for Data for the Bioeconomy Initiative. As reported in our September 13, 2022, blog item, on September 12, 2022, President Joseph Biden signed an Executive Order creating a National Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Initiative that establishes a Data for the Bioeconomy Initiative (Data Initiative) to ensure that biotechnology developers have streamlined...
December 7, 2023
Bipartisan House Legislation Would Support Biofuels and Biomanufacturing Innovation
On November 14, 2023, Representatives Nikki Budzinski (D-IL) and Zach Nunn (R-IA) introduced bipartisan legislation that would increase biofuel production and reduce energy costs. The Agricultural Biorefinery Innovation and Opportunity (Ag BIO) Act (H.R. 6413) would increase funding for grants to support innovation in the biofuels and bioproducts industry. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance program offers...