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Biofuels supporters and opponents remain heavily engaged in RFS policy issues. Last week, we reported on a news report that one advanced biofuels trade association, the Advanced Biofuels Association (ABFA), may be working with the American Petroleum Institute (API) on potential legislative language that would provide additional RIN credit for advanced biofuels under the federal RFS program. Since then, ABFA and API have both denied the accuracy of the story. In addition, DuPont announced that it...

Last week, part of EPA's much anticipated 2014 proposed RFS rule, or at least a draft of the rule, was leaked and widely disseminated. If the text of the leaked proposed rule is representative of the actual proposed rule, the oil and gas industry would likely view it more favorably than would the biofuels industry. In the leaked version of the proposal, EPA would use its authority under the RFS to adjust downward the cellulosic, advanced, and overall renewable fuel volume requirements for...

On October 1, 2013, U.S.-based INVISTA and UK-based industrial biotechnology company Ingenza Ltd. announced they are partnering on the development of new technologies to enable bio-derived processes for the production of industrial chemicals. A copy of INVISTA's press release is available online.

All legislative and regulatory efforts on the federal RFS are at a standstill until the government re-opens. RFS legislative and regulatory efforts, however, were strong in the days before the government shutdown. Last week, the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) sent a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy urging EPA to deny the joint petition by the American Petroleum Institute and American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers requesting EPA grant a partial waiver of the 2014 RVOs...

The American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Environment, Energy and Resources has published the third edition of "The RCRA Practice Manual." The Manual focuses on the "cradle-to-grave" program for managing hazardous wastes under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and is a comprehensive yet easy-to-use guide to an extraordinarily complex area of environmental law. Each chapter of this updated edition has been re-written to reflect the numerous developments and changes that have...

Renewable chemicals are emerging at a fast pace, paving the way for new, innovative, and sustainable biobased products. The renewable chemicals’ market is estimated to reach $83.4 billion by 2018 in applications ranging from transportation and agriculture to textiles and cosmetics. In addition to all the elements great companies need to succeed -- a great product, a great brand, inspiring leadership, and vision -- biobased product companies need to understand how the U.S. Environmental...

This week, Brazilian biotechnology company GranBio and Solvay Group company Rhodia announced they have signed an agreement to partner to produce bio n-butanol, used to manufacture renewable chemicals and biobased products, including paint. Under the agreement, the companies intend to build the first biomass-based n-butanol plant in Brazil, with operations planned to come online in 2015. The press release is available online.

Renewable chemicals are emerging at a fast pace, paving the way for new, innovative, and sustainable biobased products. The renewable chemicals’ market is estimated to reach $83.4 billion by 2018 in applications ranging from transportation and agriculture to textiles and cosmetics. In addition to all the elements great companies need to succeed -- a great product, a great brand, inspiring leadership, and vision -- biobased product companies need to understand how the U.S. Environmental...

Washington, D.C. (June 24, 2013): The Biobased Products Advocacy Consortium (B2PAC) debuted today a new name, logo, and web address to describe more fully and descriptively the wide range of industrial biotechnology products made by its member companies. The consortium is now known as the Biobased and Renewable Products Advocacy Group, or BRAG. The new name and logo were previewed last week at the 2013 Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology...

The Biobased Products Advocacy Consortium (B2PAC), an affiliate of Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C), and the Society for the Commercial Development of Industrial Biotechnology (SCD-iBIO), an affiliate of the Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates (SOCMA), announced on February 14, 2013, the formation of a new alliance to advance the commercialization of industrial biotechnology and biobased products. According to a recently...

Washington, D.C. (February 14, 2013) -- The Biobased Products Advocacy Consortium (B2PAC), an affiliate of Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C), and the Society for the Commercial Development of Industrial Biotechnology (SCD-iBIO), an affiliate of the Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates (SOCMA), announced today the formation of a new alliance to advance the commercialization of industrial biotechnology and biobased products. According to a recently released report from Lux...

Washington, D.C., December 4, 2012 -- B&C Consortia Management, L.L.C., an affiliate of Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. and The Acta Group, is pleased to announce the formation of the Biobased Products Advocacy Consortium (B2PAC), an organization that brings together leading innovators in the biobased chemical, biofuel, and renewable energy fields to pursue regulatory and policy advancement. Companies working to produce biobased chemical feedstocks and products have heretofore been...

On November 20, 2012, Lux Research Inc. released a report entitled Bridging the Divide between Demands and Bio-Based Materials, in which the properties and commercial attractiveness of 38 applications and 21 conventional and bio-based polymers were assessed on 13 criteria, with three demand areas promising opportunity, according to Lux. Lux states that materials that fail to connect with end-user demands never reach the commercialization stage. Lux recommends that developers target large,...

The dual national goals of reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil and greening the economy converge in biobased chemicals, the promising and rapidly evolving field of technology that produces commercial chemicals from renewable feedstocks. Although biobased chemicals have a long history, increasing sensitivity to reliance on nonrenewable feedstocks and the environmental impact of petroleum-derived chemicals have hastened the commercialization of biobased chemicals, and today they are in...

The California Nanotechnology Industry Network (CalNIN) wishes to inform you of an important upcoming workshop, "Challenges and Opportunities for Businesses Engaged in Nanotechnology."  The workshop, scheduled for September 25, 2012, is organized by B&C Consortia Management, L.L.C. (BCCM) and CalNIN, and is hosted by the UCLA Center for the Environmental Implications of Nanotechnology (UC CEIN).  The workshop will be held at the California NanoSystems Institute Building...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C) wishes to remind the firm's clients and friends that effective April 6, 2012, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires all chemical manufacturers or importers that submit a Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Pre-manufacture Notice (PMN), a Microbial Commercial Activities Notification (MCAN) or other biotechnology notice for genetically modified microorganisms, a Notice of Commencement of Manufacture or Import (NOC), Significant New Use...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C) and its consulting affiliates, B&C Consortia Management, L.L.C. (BCCM) and The Acta Group, L.L.C. (Acta), are pleased to announce the expansion of their capabilities in Asia. The Acta Group China, L.L.C. has formed a joint venture with Pacific Life Sciences Co. Ltd. (PLS), a leading Chinese firm serving the chemical industry with offices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Tanjin, China. This partnership broadens the firms' global capabilities in product...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. and its consulting affiliates, B&C Consortia Management, L.L.C. (BCCM) and The Acta Group, L.L.C. (Acta), are pleased to announce that John H. Thorne, Ph.D., has joined our public policy practice as Senior Government Affairs Counsel for B&C and Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs for Acta. Dr. Thorne is a leader in the areas of agricultural and pesticide industries, and brings extensive experience with related regulatory, legislative, and policy...

The NanoBusiness Commercialization Association, North Carolina Department of Commerce, and Center of Innovation for Nanobiotechnology will co-host the Nanotech Commercialization Conference on April 4-5, 2012, in Research Triangle, North Carolina. Lynn L. Bergeson will speak at the Conference, which will include: National-level keynote speakers; Sessions, workshops, and exhibits showcasing the latest advances in the field; Discussions on financing, licensing, and business...

Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C) is pleased to announce that, in light of the growing significance of emerging chemical technologies, its Nanotechnology Law Blog has been renamed the Nano and Other Emerging Chemical Technologies Blog and will now report on federal, local, and international regulatory, legal, and policy developments involving nanotechnologies and other emerging chemical technologies. The blog is available at nanotech.lawbc.com. Users may sign up to receive e-mails of...