| Biobased and Renewable Products Update |
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August 22, 2019 |
Federal
DOE Announces Funding For
H2@Scale Concept
On August 15, 2019, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
announced approximately $40 million in funding for 29 projects to advance the
H2@Scale concept. H2@Scale is a concept that explores the
potential for wide-scale hydrogen production and utilization in the United
States to enable resiliency of the power generation and transmission sectors
while also aligning diverse domestic industries, competitiveness, and job
creation. Funded through DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
(EERE) and the Office of Nuclear Energy, the 29 selected projects will advance
hydrogen storage and infrastructure technologies.
DOE Announces Funding For
Advanced Vehicle Technologies R&D
On August 16, 2019, DOE Under Secretary of Energy Mark W.
Menezes announced funding for new and innovative advanced vehicle technologies
research. DOE’s EERE is providing $59 million to 43 projects dedicated to advanced batteries
and electric drive systems, co-optimized engine and fuel technologies, materials
for more efficient power trains, and alternative fuels and new energy-efficient
mobility systems.
FDA Announces Collection Of
Information Submission To OMB
On August 19, 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) announced in the Federal
Register that a proposed collection of information on the Review
Transparency and Communication in Reviews of 351(k) Biologics License
Applications in Biosimilars User Fee Act has been submitted to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This
information collection supports the review program under the Prescription Drug
User Fee Act (PDUFA), which allows FDA to collect user fees for the review of
human drug and biologics applications for fiscal years 2013 through 2021. OMB is now
accepting comments on the collection of information until September 18, 2019.
EPA IG Asked To Investigate
Exemptions From RFS
On August 21, 2019, Iowa Democratic Representative Cindy Axne asked the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Inspector General (IG) to investigate
how EPA decided to grant the exemptions from the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)
requested by oil refiners. EPA approved 31 petitions for waivers from the 2018
requirements. Lawmakers are not pleased at what appears to be EPA favoring
the oil industry. Hence, Representative Axne’s call for an IG investigation
into how EPA decided to expand the number of waivers it issued since President
Trump came into office. Representative Axne held a press conference on August
21, 2019, at Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy, an ethanol producer in
Iowa. This is the same plant where Trump touted his action expanding
sales of 15 percent ethanol.
According to Reuters, Trump is seeking to mollify corn
farmers who are incensed over the exemptions. He personally approved EPA’s
decision to go ahead with the waivers, but in a cabinet meeting, Trump told his
staff to figure out a way to pacify the farmers. Alarmingly, and
according to a refinery industry source, the President also asked EPA
Administrator Andrew Wheeler if he could take the exemptions back; he was told
he could not.
Citing data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), EPA stated the
United States had been setting records for both ethanol production and exports.
“There is zero evidence that EPA’s Congressionally mandated small refinery
exemption program, which provides regulatory relief to small refineries around
the country, has had any negative impact on domestic corn ethanol producers,”
EPA said in a statement. Nonetheless, POET, the largest U.S. ethanol producer,
has idled an Indiana plant due to the waivers. “Our industry invested billions
of dollars based on the belief that oil could not restrict access to the market
and EPA would stand behind the intent of the Renewable Fuel Standard,” POET CEO
Jeff Broin said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the oil industry is
manipulating the EPA and is now using the RFS to destroy demand for biofuels.”
International
Brazilian Research
Institute Partners With Government To Evaluate Bio-Agricultural Inputs
On August 16, 2019, the Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica
Aplicada (Ipea – Institute of Applied Economic Research) announced its
partnership with the Ministério da Agricultura, Pecuária e Abastecimento (Mapa
– Brazilian Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply Ministry) to develop indicators
to evaluate the implementation of the Programa Nacional de Insumos para
Agricultura Orgânica (Bioinsumos – National Input for Organic Agriculture
Program). The objective is to organize the sector’s milestones to
facilitate rural producers’ access to organic inputs and expand the use of
biobased substances or organisms in farming. Three researchers were selected to
act directly within Mapa to assist in the implementation of an analytical
method to measure indicators. These measurable indicators are being developed
by a Mapa group, and a detailed report on the research results will be released
in November 2019.
Events
FDA Science Forum 2019
On September 11, 2019, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:40
p.m. (EDT), and September 12, 2019,
from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (EDT), FDA will host a public workshop titled “FDA Science
Forum 2019.” To be held in Silver Spring, MD, the workshop will
focus on sharing FDA’s unique scientific research and collaborative efforts
with the public.
NEB To Host Free Workshop
For Fuel Retailers
On August 28, 2019, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30
p.m. (CDT), the Nebraska Ethanol
Board (NEB) will host a free workshop for fuel retailers across the state to
demonstrate the benefits and ease of offering ethanol-15 (E15) fuel to
customers. The one-day workshop will cover misconceptions about the
cost of offering E15, best practices, and resources to make implementing and
labeling infrastructure easy and affordable. Space is limited, and interested
parties must register by August 23, 2019.
Other News
| ■ |
Business Times, “Trump Intervention Triggered EPA’s Surprise Biofuel
Waiver Decision: Sources” |
| ■ |
newelectronics, “Greener and Cheaper Way to Make Patterned Metals for
Electronics” |
| ■ |
TechXplore, “Researchers Turn Plastic Water Bottles into Prosthetic
Limbs” |
| ■ |
Wisconsin State Journal, “Wind, Solar Developers Say Transmission Line Key to
Achieving Tony Evers’ Clean Energy Goal” |
| ■ | npr, “U.S. Recycling Industry Is Struggling to Figure Out a Future Without China” |
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