| Biobased and Renewable Products Update |
| August 15, 2019 |
Federal
DOE Issues SBIR/STTR FOA
On August 12, 2019, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
announced its Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Phase I Release 1 funding opportunity for the Small
Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer
(STTR) programs. In its announcement, DOE encourages small
businesses with strong research capabilities in science or engineering to
apply. DOE’s Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) includes participation from
its Advanced Scientific Computing Research, Basic Energy Sciences, Biological
and Environmental Research, and Nuclear Physics program offices. On August 19, 2019, DOE
will host a webinar to provide an overview of the SBIR/STTR technology areas,
application process, and award process. Interested parties can register for the
webinar here. Additional important dates are listed
below.
- September 3,
2019 — Letters of Intent (LOI) Due
- September
24, 2019 — Non-responsive LOI Feedback
Provided
- October 15,
2019 — Full Applications Due
- January 6,
2020 — Award Notification
- February 18, 2020 — Project Grant Start Date
The full FOA and its topics can be accessed on
DOE’s Office of Science webpage.
EPA OIG Publishes Report On
Its Compliance With The Law
On August 9, 2019, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) published a report on its compliance with the law titled EPA Exceeded the Deregulatory Goals of
Executive Order 13771. Executive Order 13771, titled Reducing Regulation and Controlling
Regulatory Costs, includes regulatory savings goals for FYs 2017
and 2018, EPA’s deregulatory actions, and its compliance with the Office of
Management and Budget’s (OMB) goal-setting requirements. EO 13771 was issued to
manage costs associated with existing and new regulations established by
federal agencies. Commonly referred to as the “two-for-one” EO, it required
that “for every one new regulation issued, at least two prior regulations be
identified for elimination.” The report addresses EPA’s regulatory compliance
with the aforementioned EO, stating that “[i]n FYs 2017 and 2018, the EPA
exceeded its deregulatory expectations” and exceeded the savings goal as well.
EPA clearly adds in the report that it did not develop internal guidance or
management controls to implement the EO. Instead, EPA relied solely on OMB
guidance. In the report, EPA recommends the enhancement of transparency
regarding EO 13771 decision-making and outreach.
FDA Announces Biosimilar
User Fee Rates For FY 2020
On August 2, 2019, the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS)’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced via the Federal Register the rates
for biosimilar user fees for FY 2020. The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
(FFDCA) authorizes FDA to assess and collect user fees for certain activities
in connection with biosimilar biological product development; review of certain
applications for approval of biosimilar biological products; and each
biosimilar biological product approved in an application. The established fees
will apply to the period from October
1, 2019, through September
30, 2020.
Events
WBC To Host Small Business
Awards Ceremony — Applications Open
On September 18, 2019, the D.C. Women’s Business Center (WBC) and the National
Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) will host the 2019 Just Ambitious Small
Business Awards. The awards honor woman entrepreneurs who have
demonstrated achievements, innovation, and vision in support of the District of
Columbia’s small business community and economic vitality. WBC and NCRC are now
accepting applications for the 2019 awards in the following categories:
- NCRC Community Engagement of
the Year
- NCRC Youth Entrepreneur of the
Year
- Environmental Entrepreneur of
the Year
- Start-Up of the Year
- Veteran Woman-Owned Business of
the Year
- Woman Empowerment Entrepreneur
of the Year
- Womanpreneur Under 40 of the Year
Businesses can be nominated for multiple awards.
WBC and NCRC encourage self-nominations. To qualify for the award, applicants
must either be or nominate a registered business entity that has been in
business for at least one full year. The business must be at least 51 percent
woman-owned. Non-profits that devote a significant portion of time to assisting
entrepreneurs may also apply. The deadline for application submissions is September 4, 2019, by
close of business.
ELI To Host The GreenTech
Conference, October 2-3, 2019, Seattle, WA
Bergeson & Campbell, P.C. (B&C®) is a proud sponsor of the
Environmental Law Institute’s (ELI) GreenTech Conference, bringing together
leaders from some of the world’s most innovative companies to engage with
policymakers, lawmakers, technologists, and non-governmental organizations
(NGO) to explore environmental protection in an era of transformative
technological change. Dr. Andrey J. Zarur, CEO and President of
GreenLight Biosciences, will discuss using targeted biocontrol of RNA
interference to increase yields during the Food for the Future panel on October 2, 2019. Join B&C, ELI, Intel, Amazon, and Google, among
others, in Seattle, Washington, from October
2-3, 2019, for this exciting
conference.
Other News
| ■ |
Redshift, “Bamboo Transcends the Tropics for Carbon-Negative
Construction” |
| ■ |
New Age, “Trump’s EPA Grants 31 Refinery Waivers from Biofuel
Laws, Angering Corn Lobby” |
| ■ |
Plastemart.com, “New Bio-Based Thermoplastic Adhesive for the Bonding of
Compostable Plastic Coating” |
| ■ |
AgWeek, “EPA Official Talks about Future of Biofuels and Carbon
Sequestration” |
| ■ |
FoodBev Media, “Unilever Debuts Magnum Tubs Created from Recycled
Plastic” |
| ■ |
Tech Explorist, “Solar Energy Turns into Biofuel without Solar Cells” |
| ■ |
Fast Company, “This Startup Created Compostable Plastic Wrap That’s
Made from Shellfish Shells” |
| ■ |
newsnow, “New Zealand’s Gene Editing Laws Need an Overhaul,
Country’s Top Scientific Body Says” |
| ■ | Food Processing, “USDA Mulls Organic Gene-Altered Crops” |
Biobased and Renewable
Products Advocacy Group
2200 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
Suite 100W
Washington, D.C. 20037
(202) 833-6580
www.braginfo.org