On October 19, 2015 the Federal Register published a correction to the due date for comments for the Notice of Opportunity To Comment on an Analysis of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Attributable to Production and Transport of Jatropha Curcas Oil for Use in Biofuel Production. The October 15, 2015, Biobased and Renewable Products Update included the article EPA Issues Draft GHG Analysis For Production and Transport of Jatropha Oil that listed the incorrect date for comments to be received. The...
October 23, 2015
Public Meeting Announced To Discuss Modernizing the Regulatory System For Biotechnology Products Mem
On October 16, 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), along with the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced in the Federal Register a public meeting Clarifying Current Roles and Responsibilities Described in the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology and Developing a Long-Term Strategy for the Regulation of the Products of Biotechnology. The meeting is...
October 22, 2015
Ethanol Mandates under RFS and EPA’s Lifecycle GHG Analysis
In a settlement with the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) and the American Petroleum Institute (API), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) agreed to set renewable fuel obligations for calendar years 2014 and 2015 by November 30, 2015, under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The RFS requires annual increases in the amount of renewable fuel that must be blended into the total volume of gasoline refined and consumed in the U.S. A current TV ad featured...
October 20, 2015
EPA’s Office of Inspector General Orders New Ethanol Emissions Study
In a memorandum dated October 15, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG) stated that it plans to begin preliminary research on the lifecycle impacts of EPA’s renewable fuel standard (RFS). The stated objectives from the memorandum are to determine whether EPA: (1) complied with the reporting requirements of laws authorizing the RFS; and (2) updated the lifecycle analysis supporting the RFS with findings from the...
October 19, 2015
Recorded Webcast Available – Leveraging Synthetic Biology’s Promise and Managing Potential Risk
On October 15, 2015, Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (Wilson Center) hosted “Leveraging Synthetic Biology’s Promise and Managing Potential Risk,” a panel discussion featuring Lynn L. Bergeson, Sheryl Lindros Dolan, and Richard E. Engler, Ph.D., of B&C, and Todd Kuiken, Ph.D., Senior Program Associate, Synthetic Biology Project, Wilson Center. The event coincided with the release of “The DNA of...
On October 7, 2015, California Governor Jerry Brown signed S.B. 350, The Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act of 2015 (the Act). The law will require the percent of electricity produced from renewable sources to increase over stages until 2030 when 50 percent of electricity used in California will be produced using renewable sources. While the majority of renewable electricity is expected to come from solar and wind power, the Act encourages use of diverse energy sources, including biomass,...
October 16, 2015
WEBINAR – Bioproducts In The Federal Bioeconomy Portfolio, 10/26/15
On October 8, 2015, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy announced the upcoming Bioproducts in the Federal Bioeconomy Portfolio Webinar. Bioenergy Technologies Office Technology Manager Nichole Fitzgerald, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) BioPreferred Deputy Program Manager Kate Lewis, and the Ohio State University Bioproducts Innovation Center's Director Dennis Hall will discuss how the federal government supports bioproducts...
October 16, 2015
EPA Safer Choice Partner And Stakeholder Summit Announced
On October 7, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the first ever Safer Choice Partner and Stakeholder Summit. The summit will be the first of several meetings intended to explore topics of importance to stakeholders and the Safer Choice Program. The Safer Choice label was created to help consumers identify products with safer chemical ingredients, previously known as the Design for the Environment (DfE) label. Over 2,000 products are qualified to carry the Safer Choice...
On October 13, 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a notice inviting comments on its analysis of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions attributable to the production and transport of jatropha curcas (jatropha) oil feedstock for use in making biofuels such as biodiesel, renewable diesel, jet fuel, naphtha, and liquefied petroleum gas. This notice was issued as a result of two petitions: (1) Global Clean Energy Holdings’ and Emerald Biofuels, LLC’s petition...
October 9, 2015
Highlights From ABO Summit, Regulatory And Policy Panel
The Algae Biomass Summit, held in Washington, D.C. last week and claimed by organizers as the largest algae gathering in the world, featured the announcement of a new X-Prize to incentivize development of zero-carbon energy technologies, and some very honest and illuminating plenary sessions featuring leaders of algae businesses. More reports can be found on the Algae Biomass Organization's blog and by perusing the crowd-sourced reporting at Twitter #ABS15. BRAG's Dr. Richard E. Engler...