B&C® Biobased and Sustainable Chemicals Blog

On March 31, 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it will release obligated funding under the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP) for 543 projects totaling $537 million in 29 states. According to the press release, USDA is “aggressively exploring additional ways to unleash American energy and incentivize the production and use of homegrown U.S. biofuels, including working alongside the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop Renewable...

The European Commission (EC) began a public consultation on March 31, 2025, on the upcoming European Union (EU) Bioeconomy Strategy. The EC states in its March 31, 2025, press release that the Strategy “marks a significant step forward in harnessing the opportunities of the bioeconomy to support European businesses and drive progress towards the EU’s environmental, climate and competitiveness objectives.” According to the call for evidence, the Strategy’s main aims include: The EC...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced on March 27, 2025, that it will no longer use the process it outlined in 2012 for reviewing petitions seeking a determination that a modified plant should not be subject to the regulations for the introduction of organisms altered or produced through genetic engineering (modified organisms) that are plant pests or that there is reason to believe are plant pests. On...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a final rule on March 14, 2025, extending the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) compliance reporting deadline for the 2024 compliance year. 90 Fed. Reg. 12109. As reported in our January 8, 2025, blog item, EPA published a proposed rule on December 12, 2024, that would partially waive the 2024 cellulosic biofuel volume requirement and revise the associated percentage standard under the RFS program due to a shortfall in...

On March 14, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order (EO) 14236, rescinding 19 executive actions, including former President Biden’s September 2022 EO 14081, “Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American Bioeconomy.” 90 Fed. Reg. 13037. According to the White House’s March 14, 2025, fact sheet, EO 14081 “funneled Federal resources into radical biotech and biomanufacturing initiatives under the guise of environmental...

The Council of the European Union (EU) announced on March 14, 2025, that the Committee of the Permanent Representatives of the Governments of the Member States to the EU (Coreper) endorsed the Council’s negotiating mandate on the regulation on plants obtained by new genomic techniques (NGT) and their food and feed. The regulation proposed by the European Commission (EC) would create two ways for NGT plants to be placed on the market: The proposed regulation...

On January 16, 2025, Senators Jerry Moran (R-KS), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Joni Ernst (R-IA) reintroduced the Farm to Fly Act (S. 144), which would help accelerate the production and development of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) through existing U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs to allow further growth for alternative fuels to be used in the aviation sector and create new markets for American farmers. According...

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced on February 7, 2025, that its 2025 Project Peer Review, initially planned for April 22-25, 2025, is postponed until a future, yet to be determined, date. According to BETO, approximately 200 projects in its research, development, and demonstration portfolio “will be presented to the public and systematically reviewed by experts from industry, academia, and federal agencies.” BETO notes that the 2025...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced on February 27, 2025, that it will begin to accept petitions for nonregulated status according to APHIS biotechnology regulations at 7 C.F.R. Part 340 (2019) on March 3, 2025. APHIS notes that its biotechnology regulations enable developers to petition for a determination that an “article” is not regulated. The petition process applies only to plants that meet the regulatory definition...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on January 21, 2025, the availability of a final document entitled “Biofuels and the Environment: Third Triennial Report to Congress” (Third Report). 90 Fed. Reg. 7135. The document was prepared by EPA’s Offices of Research and Development (ORD) and Air and Radiation (OAR), in consultation with the U.S. Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Energy (DOE). The Third Report builds on the first and second triennial reports, released in...

On January 17, 2025, the Biden U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued an interim final rule with a request for comment that establishes technical guidelines for quantifying, reporting, and verifying the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions associated with agricultural production of biofuel feedstock commodity crops grown in the United States in the context of environmental service markets. 90 Fed. Reg. 5497. The rule establishes guidelines for the reporting and verification of practices and...

The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology will hold a hearing on February 5, 2025, on “The State of U.S. Science and Technology: Ensuring U.S. Global Leadership.” According to the Hearing Charter, the purpose of the hearing is “to assess the current condition of the United States’s science and technology enterprise and its vital role in the global innovation race.” By examining public and private investments in the United States, the Committee will also...

The European Commission (EC) announced on January 29, 2025, that it launched a Biotech and Biomanufacturing Hub to support companies — particularly start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) — in bringing innovative products to the European Union (EU) market and increase their competitiveness. According to the EC, the Hub will also help companies identify available support at the EU level and how to access this support to help them expand and grow. The EC...

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office’s (BETO) Chemical Catalysis for Bioenergy Consortium (ChemCatBio) will hold a webinar on January 29, 2025, on programmable catalysis for chemical energy technology. ChemCatBio states that catalysis enables new frontiers in energy, such as converting biomass to high-value products and storing energy from abundant renewable energy. Challenges remain, however, when catalysts are slow, expensive, or produce too many side...

On January 8, 2025, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $6 million in funding for three projects that will advance biofuel development and support U.S. leadership in energy and emissions innovation. According to BETO, the projects will support research to improve performance and reduce costs of high-impact biofuel production technologies; scale up production systems with industry; and support...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a proposed rule on December 12, 2024, that would partially waive the 2024 cellulosic biofuel volume requirement and revise the associated percentage standard under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program due to a shortfall in cellulosic biofuel production. 89 Fed. Reg. 100442. As a result of this proposed change, EPA proposes to extend the RFS compliance reporting deadline for the 2024 compliance year. According to the proposed rule,...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on December 20, 2024, that the United States prevailed in its dispute under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) challenging certain Mexican biotechnology measures concerning genetically engineered (GE) corn. Under a February 2023 presidential decree, Mexico banned immediately the use of GE corn in dough and tortillas and instructed government agencies to eliminate gradually the use of GE corn for other food uses and in animal...

The National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology announced on December 18, 2024, that the fiscal year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act includes “a suite of recommendations designed to galvanize action on biotechnology” for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). According to the Commission, the bill includes new authorities and requirements — derived from its May 2024 proposals — that will position DOD and the intelligence community (IC) to maximize the benefits of...

On December 19, 2024, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) announced the availability of the Federal Sustainable Chemistry Strategic Plan (Strategic Plan). As reported in our January 19, 2021, memorandum, Subtitle E of TII of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (NDAA for FY2021) includes the text of the bipartisan Sustainable Chemistry Research and Development Act of 2019. Subtitle E establishes an interagency working group led by OSTP...

As reported in our December 5, 2024, blog item, on December 4, 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced that it acknowledges the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California’s December 2, 2024, ruling prospectively vacating USDA’s May 2020 final rule for organisms developed using genetic engineering. National Family Farm Coalition, et al. v. Vilsack (No. 3:21-cv-05695-JD). As reported in our May 18, 2020,...

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced on December 16, 2024, its intent to fund research and development (R&D) projects in two priority areas, sustainable propane and renewable chemicals, and algal system cultivation and preprocessing: The SPARC and MASY funding opportunities support government-wide targets of DOE’s Clean Fuels and Products ShotTM and Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge. They also align with BETO’s strategic goals to...

The Rural Business-Cooperative Service (RBCS), an agency of the Rural Development mission area within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), issued a final rule on December 9, 2024, that adopts changes from the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 Farm Bill) that apply to the Biobased Markets (BioPreferred) Program. 89 Fed. Reg. 97459. RBCS notes that these changes include the merger of the Guidelines for Designating Biobased Products for Federal Procurement and the Voluntary Labeling...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on December 5, 2024, that it published updates to its Recommendations of Specifications, Standards and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing (Recommendations). EPA notes that this is the first time in almost ten years that it has comprehensively evaluated private-sector standards and ecolabels and expanded the Recommendations. According to EPA, the Recommendations “help buyers cut through the clutter to identify thousands of products and...

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) posted a November 30, 2024, update to its report entitled “Gene-Edited Plants: Regulation and Issues for Congress.” Gene-edited plants are regulated under the U.S. Coordinated Framework for Regulation of Biotechnology, which coordinates how the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulate biotechnology products to ensure their safety. Over time, the...

On December 4, 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced that it acknowledges the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California’s December 2, 2024, ruling prospectively vacating USDA’s May 2020 final rule for organisms developed using genetic engineering. National Family Farm Coalition, et al. v. Vilsack (No. 3:21-cv-05695-JD). As reported in our May 18, 2020, memorandum, the final Sustainable, Ecological,...

On December 11, 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Idaho National Laboratory (INL) will hold a webinar on its Bioenergy Feedstock Library, “a cornerstone database resource funded by DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO), and how it supports bioenergy research.” According to DOE, the Bioenergy Feedstock Library provides information and knowledge on over 100,000 bioenergy feedstock samples, supporting U.S. bioeconomy development by providing standardized data on biomass...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced on November 13, 2024, that it added modifications a plant may contain and qualify for exemption from regulations governing movement of organisms modified or produced using genetic engineering because the modifications are achievable through conventional breeding. 89 Fed. Reg. 89569. As reported in our November 16, 2023, blog item, APHIS had proposed five types of modifications: According to...

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced on November 13, 2024, the release of its latest Pathways to Commercial Liftoff report, “Pathways to Commercial Liftoff: Sustainable Aviation Fuel,” which analyzes the technical and commercial readiness of several sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) production pathways and highlights steps that both the public and private sector can take to make the United States a global leader in SAF production as soon as 2030. According to DOE, key findings...

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) will host the next Project Peer Review from April 22-25, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia.  During the 2025 Project Peer Review, around 200 projects in BETO’s research, development, and demonstration portfolio will be presented to the public and systematically reviewed by external subject-matter experts from academia, industry, and federal agencies. BETO notes that the Project Peer Review will have several simultaneous...

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced on November 20, 2024, the release of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Grand Challenge Roadmap Implementation Framework. Developed by an interagency team led by DOE, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the framework is a supplemental document to the roadmap. Whereas the roadmap identified the actions needed to...

On November 15, 2024, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released a report by the Biomanufacturing Interagency Working Group entitled “Building a Vibrant Domestic Biomanufacturing Ecosystem.” The Working Group includes representatives from the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of State, the...

On October 28, 2024, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) announced that a new NASEM initiative, the International Bioeconomy Forum, will launch in early 2025. According to NASEM, its International Bioeconomy Roundtable and the Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises (ABLE) met on September 13, 2024, during the Global Bio-India 2024 conference in New Delhi, India, to discuss the scope of the International Bioeconomy Forum. NASEM states that the forum will...

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced on October 7, 2024, that researchers at its Agile BioFoundry (ABF) and Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts Process Development Unit (ABPDU) successfully scaled up a biobased process that converts ethanol into “a valuable precursor for consumer products, such as paints, coatings, and diapers.” The researchers worked with industry partner Industrial Microbes to develop the process. Although acrylic acid is...

On November 6, 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) announced the completion of the final version of the Guide to Submitting Data for Reports and Notices in APHIS eFile and the Response to Comments: Guide to Submitting Data for Reports and Notices in APHIS eFile. In October 2023, to clarify and streamline its biotechnology regulations further, BRS published for comment a draft guide...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has opened registration for the 101st Agricultural Outlook Forum. The event, entitled “Meeting Tomorrow’s Challenges, Today,” will be held at the Crystal City Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Virginia, on February 27-28, 2025. Additionally, USDA will livestream all Forum sessions on a virtual platform. According to USDA, the program will feature a presentation on the 2025 outlook for the U.S. agricultural economy and trade by USDA Chief Economist...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on October 29, 2024, that it is awarding $39 million in grants to U.S. business owners to increase the availability of domestic biofuels in 18 states and provide cleaner, more affordable fuel options. USDA will also make $200 million available through the new Biobased Market Access and Development Grants made possible by Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funds. According to USDA, the awards and funding are made possible through...

In October 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reviewed the following plants modified using genetic engineering to determine whether they posed an increased plant pest risk relative to non-modified comparators: APHIS states that it found 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 under 7 C.F.R. Part 340. APHIS...

On October 18, 2024, the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury Department) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued Notice 2024-74 for the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) credit created by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). According to the IRS’ October 18, 2024, press release, the SAF credit ranges from $1.25 to $1.75 for each gallon of SAF in a qualified mixture. To qualify for the credit, the SAF must have a minimum reduction of 50...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) will hold its annual stakeholder meeting on November 14, 2024. The meeting will take place in person at the USDA Center at Riverside, 4700 River Road, Riverdale, Maryland, with an option for virtual attendance. The meeting agenda includes the following items: Registration is open....

On October 2, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the release of a new web-based tool on the Unified Website for Biotechnology Regulation for companies that develop microbial biotechnology products. EPA notes that biotechnology products include plants, animals, and microorganisms developed through genetic engineering or the targeted manipulation of genetic information. According to EPA,...

On September 26, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the winners of the 2024 Green Chemistry Challenge Awards for new and innovative green chemistry technologies. According to EPA, the winners have developed chemical products and processes that reduce or eliminate the generation and use of hazardous substances, use less energy, and are more sustainable. An independent panel of technical experts convened by the American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute...

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Biotechnology Regulatory Services (BRS) announced on September 12, 2024, the availability of the following updated resources to help developers more efficiently prepare and submit APHIS BRS permit applications: According to APHIS, these resources deliver some of the commitments identified in the May 2024 Plan for Regulatory Reform that USDA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the 2024 Safer Choice Partner of the Year award winners on September 24, 2024. EPA recognized the 43 award winners for their achievements in the design, manufacture, promotion, selection, and use of cleaners, detergents, and other products with safer chemicals. EPA notes the following achievements among the winners: The winners include: American Cleaning Institute Apple Blueland Bona US Booyah Clean Case Medical Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma,...

On September 13, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began a public comment period on a proposed update to its Recommendations of Specifications, Standards, and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing (Recommendations) that help federal government purchasers and other buyers use private sector standards and ecolabels to buy products that are more sustainable and climate-friendly and contain safer chemical ingredients. 89 Fed. Reg. 74940. In its September 10, 2024, press release, EPA...

The Biotechnology Risk Assessment Grants (BRAG) program supports the development of new information that will assist federal regulatory agencies in making evidence-based decisions about the effects of genetically engineered organisms on the environment. BRAG is co-administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and jointly funded by NIFA, ARS, and USDA’s Forest Service. NIFA announced on...

On August 20, 2024, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) announced seven additional awards to bioindustrial firms via the Distributed Bioindustrial Manufacturing Program (DBIMP), bringing the DBIMP to 13 awards to date totaling $23 million. The following companies will receive funding to produce business and technical plans that detail construction of domestic bioindustrial manufacturing production facilities: Successful projects that were selected under the competitive announcement can receive...

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced on September 4, 2024, that its Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) is overseeing a call for industry partnerships to connect industry stakeholders with the capabilities of the Feedstock-Conversion Interface Consortium (FCIC). According to DOE, the funding opportunity will provide resources that allow partners to collaborate with FCIC researchers to address the cost and risk impacts of feedstock and process variability across the bioenergy and...

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on August 29, 2024, that it is now accepting nominations for the 2025 Green Chemistry Challenge Awards from companies or institutions that have developed a new green chemistry process or product that helps protect human health and the environment. According to EPA, its “efforts to speed the adoption of this revolutionary and diverse discipline have led to significant environmental benefits, innovation and a strengthened economy.” EPA...

On August 27, 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced that it recently reviewed the following plants modified using genetic engineering to determine whether they posed an increased plant pest risk relative to non-modified comparators: APHIS states that it found 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 under...

The National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Biomaterials Program published a request for information (RFI) on August 20, 2024. NSF requests input from stakeholders on opportunities, challenges, emerging areas, and frontiers in biomaterials research. 89 Fed. Reg. 67498. According to NSF, the RFI will help inform future program directions, new initiatives, and potential funding opportunities. The Biomaterials Program supports fundamental materials research related to biological materials;...