The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced on May 30, 2024, that it recently reviewed the following plants modified using genetic engineering to determine whether they pose an increased plant pest risk relative to non-modified comparators: APHIS states that it found that “these modified plants were unlikely to pose an increased plant pest risk compared to other cultivated plants.” As a result, they are not subject to regulation...
June 4, 2024
National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology Announces Introduction of Agricultural Bills
On May 23, 2024, the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB) issued a press release applauding its Congressional Commissioners — Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Todd Young (R-IN) and Representatives Stephanie Bice (R-OK) and Ro Khanna (D-CA) — for introducing the legislative recommendations from its first report. The press release states that recognizing that food security and agricultural supply chains are key elements of national security, NSCEB developed...
On June 12, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office’s (BETO) Chemical Catalysis for Bioenergy Consortium (ChemCatBio) will hold a webinar on artificial intelligence (AI) for catalysis. BETO states that “AI has the potential to play a crucial role in accelerated catalyst design, discovery, and optimization of chemical processes for decarbonization.” Using AI tools such as machine learning, deep learning, and large language models, “researchers can uncover...
May 30, 2024
BETO Releases Report Summarizing Findings of RFI on Building Supply Chains to Meet SAF Grand Challenge Goals
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced on May 23, 2024, that it released a Summary Report from a September 2023 Request for Information (RFI) on building supply chains to meet Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Grand Challenge goals. The RFI requested input from industry, academia, national laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders to identify opportunities for developing effective supply chains capable of meeting the SAF Grand...
May 24, 2024
DOE Announces Additional Projects to Help Industry Address Bioenergy and Bioproduct Challenges
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced on May 22, 2024, that it awarded $2.18 million in funding to four additional projects as part of the Feedstock-Conversion Interface Consortium (FCIC) 2023 Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) call. BETO states that the FCIC, funded and led by BETO, is a consortium of researchers at nine national laboratories dedicated to reducing the technical risks of biorefinery scale-up. BETO notes that...
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced on May 7, 2024, the release of the “Progression of Net-Zero Emission Propulsion Technologies for the Off-Road Sector Request for Information” (RFI). Jointly released with DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) and Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO), the purpose of the RFI is to understand the off-road sector alternative propulsion technology preferences, technologies that seem most...
On April 22, 2024, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), General Services Administration (GSA), and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) issued a final rule amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to restructure and update the regulations to focus on current environmental and sustainability matters and to implement a requirement for agencies to procure sustainable products and services to the maximum extent practicable. 89 Fed. Reg. 30212. The final rule adds several...
May 6, 2024
USDA Will Fund More Than 700 Clean Energy Projects, Expanding Access to Domestic Biofuels
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on April 23, 2024, that it is funding more than 700 clean energy projects to lower energy bills, expand access to domestic biofuels, and create jobs and new market opportunities for U.S. farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers. According to USDA, many of the projects are funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, “the nation’s largest-ever investment in combating the climate crisis.” USDA is providing $238 million in...
The Chemical Catalysis for Bioenergy Consortium (ChemCatBio), a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) consortium, wants to hear questions, comments, or concerns to help find ways to increase the benefits and decrease the burden of new industry on communities. ChemCatBio states that to be successful in its mission, it needs to reduce barriers to deployment of new technologies and build or update chemical manufacturing. In alignment with government objectives, it...
On April 10, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) announced the MACRO: Mixed Algae Conversion Research Opportunity funding opportunity announcement (FOA). According to BETO, the FOA will award up to $18.8 million to address research and development (R&D) challenges in converting algae, such as seaweeds and other wet waste feedstocks, to biofuels and bioproducts that can decarbonize domestic...