On June 20, 2014, the White House issued a “Presidential Memorandum -- Creating a Federal Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators.” The strategy is directed to all federal agencies and is designed to “expand Federal efforts and take new steps to reverse pollinator losses and help restore populations to healthy levels.” The text of the memorandum lists a number of goals and comments on pollinator health, and has a focus on setting up a government-wide...
Category: USDA
On June 20, 2014, the White House issued a "Presidential Memorandum -- Creating a Federal Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators." The strategy is directed to all federal agencies and is designed to "expand Federal efforts and take new steps to reverse pollinator losses and help restore populations to healthy levels." The text of the memo lists a number of goals and comments on pollinator health, and has a focus on setting up a government-wide task force, along with...
On December 2, 2014, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced over $9 million in grants to support advanced biofuel production and the bioeconomy. More than $5 million in grants awarded to 220 producers nationwide are provided through USDA's Advanced Biofuel Payment Program, which was established in the 2008 Farm Bill. Other awards were from USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), the Biodiesel Fuel Education Program, the Sun Grant Program, and the Critical Agricultural...
November 25, 2014
USDA Announces Release of Report Charting Path to Commercialization of Cellulosic Nanomaterials
On November 24, 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) has released a report that details the pathway to commercializing affordable, renewable, and biodegradable cellulose nanomaterials from trees. The report, entitled Cellulose Nanomaterials — A Path Towards Commercialization, is the result of a May 2014 workshop that brought together a wide range of experts from industry, academia, and government to ensure that commercialization...
November 14, 2014
EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy Announces Small Business Awards
On November 12, 2014, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy held a press conference to announce the recipients of the Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards. In her comments, Administrator McCarthy stated that "a strong, world-leading economy requires a clean environment," and noted that under the Obama Administration the production of wind energy has tripled, and solar energy has increased ten-fold. Joining Ms. McCarthy at the press conference were representatives from...
November 7, 2014
Agencies Request Public Comment On Collection Of Biobased Procurement Product Types And Value Dat
In the October 30, 2014, Federal Register, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), the General Services Administration (GSA), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) issued a notice of request for public comments regarding an extension of a previously approved information collection requirement regarding Biobased Procurements. The original notice was published in the Federal Register on August 20, 2014, and no comments were received. Comments are now due on December 1, 2014....
On October 27, 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposed to amend the regulations for the Voluntary Labeling Program for Biobased Products under USDA's BioPreferred Program. As explained in the Federal Register notice, the proposed amendments are needed to address certain legislative requirements in the 2014 Farm Bill that cannot be implemented without further guidance. Specifically, the proposed amendments allow for USDA promotion of biobased products regardless of date of...
October 10, 2014
Biobased Mulch Added To USDA National Organic Program
USDA has amended the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances maintained by the National Organic Program (NOC) to allow biodegradable biobased mulch film to be used in organic production with restrictive annotations. To be used in organic production, the mulch must be produced in accordance with NOC's rules for organic production. This rule becomes effective on October 30, 2014. More information about the amendment is available online.
October 10, 2014
$91 Million Loan Guarantee To Louisiana Biofuel Plant
On October 3, 2014, Agriculture Secretary Vilsack announced that USDA reached an agreement with Silicon Valley Bank to provide a $91 million Biorefinery Assistance Program loan guarantee to Cool Planet for a biofuel plant in Rapides Parish, Louisiana. The money will help finance construction of the Cool Planet advanced biofuel plant. The USDA press release is available online. More information is available here and here.
October 10, 2014
“Why Biobased?” Report Released by USDA
On October 7, 2014, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released "Why Biobased?," a report that comprehensively synthesizes findings from the existing government, academia, and non-governmental organizations on bioeconomy opportunities. The report is a precursor for another study to be issued in the near future by the USDA BioPreferred program on the economic impacts of the biobased products industry. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack stated "[t]his new report presents the...