By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton
 
On August 29, 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced that through the funding opportunity entitled “Accelerating Innovations in Biomanufacturing Approaches through Collaboration Between [the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)] and the DOE BETO funded Agile BioFoundry (ABF),” researchers will collaborate with the ABF consortium’s synthetic and bioengineering research projects. BETO and NSF have selected the following projects:

• Enabling Scalable Redox Reactions in Biomanufacturing (University of California, Irvine, and University of California, Davis): This project will enhance the carbon and energy efficiency of a biomanufacturing process by upgrading carboxylic acids into precursors for biofuels and chemicals used in industry. The goal is to create a more efficient process for carboxylic acid reduction that does not release any carbon into the atmosphere. The team will work to identify the principles necessary to enhance efficiency in the enzymes used in the process. Through outreach efforts, the researchers will provide hands-on exposure to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields for largely Hispanic populations and women, both groups underrepresented in science and engineering.
   
• A Synthetic Biology Toolbox for Studying Bacterial Transporters (University of Wisconsin -- Madison): This project will develop and use tools to close knowledge gaps surrounding transporters in Gram negative bacteria to facilitate the development of superior biomanufacturing hosts. Specifically, they will work to identify proteins that enhance the uptake of nutrients into the cells of microbes and the removal of toxic products. The work will enable the development of superior biomanufacturing microbial hosts and support translational research. Activities that teach biomanufacturing concepts to K-8 students and recruitment of underrepresented researchers will broaden the impacts of the work.
   
• Leveraging the Unique Metabolism of Megasphaera elsdenii for Metabolic Engineering to Medium and Long Chain Organic Acids for Use in Jet Fuels and Biomaterials (University of Georgia): The project will work to increase understanding of the metabolic pathways that allow the microorganism Megasphaera elsdenii to produce hexanoic acid, that can be engineered to create sustainable aviation fuel among a host of other products. Understanding how octanoic acid is created in this organism will enable scientists better to convert plant sugars to longer chain molecules and will provide paths for alternative approaches to bioprocessing. The team will recruit students from underrepresented groups and create classroom resources for use in elementary schools.

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By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton
 
On July 12, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a final rule establishing the applicable volumes and percentage standards for 2023 through 2025 for cellulosic biofuel, biomass-based diesel (BBD), advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel. 88 Fed. Reg. 44468. The final rule also establishes the second supplemental standard addressing the judicial remand of the 2016 standard-setting rulemaking. Finally, according to EPA, the rule makes several regulatory changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program, including changes related to the treatment of biogas and other modifications to improve the program's implementation. As reported in our June 28, 2023, blog item, the final volume targets (billion Renewable Identification Numbers (RIN)) are as follows:
 

 
^a BBD is given in billion gallons.
 
The rule will be effective September 11, 2023, except for amendatory instruction 30, which will be effective February 1, 2024, and amendatory instructions 41 and 42, which will be effective April 1, 2024.

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By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton
 
On July 27, 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) announced that its Feedstock-Conversion Interface Consortium (FCIC) recently published eight new technical reports and case studies. According to BETO, the publications examine the environmental and economic impacts of a variety of feedstock characteristics and processing techniques:

• Life-Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emission Impacts of Forest Residue Preprocessing with Wet Milling;
• Comparative Techno-Economic Analysis of Available Feedstocks for High-Temperature Conversion: Whole Tree Thinning’s and Mature Pine Residues;
• Techno-Economic Case Study: Low-Temperature Conversion Performance Based on Isolated Anatomical Fractions of Corn Stover;
• Value Proposition of Coatings or New Alloys on Hammer Wear;
• Air Classification of Forest Residue for Tissue and Ash Separation Efficiency;
• Failure Mode and Effects Analysis Summary Report (FY22);
• Impact of Anatomical Fractionation of Corn Stover on Hammer Mill Throughput and Energy Consumption; and
• Particle Scale Impacts on Deconstruction Energy of Pine Residues.

BETO states that the FCIC “is an integrated and collaborative network of nine DOE national laboratories dedicated to addressing the technical risks that integrated pioneer biorefineries face.” According to BETO, the goal of the FCIC “is to develop science-based knowledge and tools to understand biomass feedstock and process variability, improving overall operational reliability, conversion performance, and product quality across the biomass value chain.”

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By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton
 
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) hosted its 2023 Project Peer Review on April 3-7, 2023. During the event, more than 280 projects in BETO’s research, development, and demonstration portfolios presented their progress and accomplishments to the public and were reviewed by more than 50 external subject-matter experts from industry, academia, and federal agencies. The 2023 Project Peer Review included presentations in 11 technology areas:

• Advanced Algal Systems Program;
• Biochemical Conversion and Lignin Utilization;
• Agile BioFoundry Consortium;
• Catalytic Upgrading;
• Carbon Dioxide Utilization;
• Data, Modeling, and Analysis Program;
• Performance-Advantaged Bioproducts, Bioprocessing Separations, and Plastics;
• Organic Waste Conversion;
• Feedstock Technologies Program;
• Feedstock-Conversion Interface Consortium; and
• Systems Development & Integration Program.

The presentations are now available for download from BETO’s Project Peer Review web page.

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By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton
 
On June 27, 2023, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) announced the release of a new action plan intended to “rapidly and equitably expand biotechnology and biomanufacturing education and job training programs in the United States.” According to OSTP, biomanufacturing “is a critical aspect of advanced manufacturing that can drive new, sustainable alternatives across industries” and “can unlock new solutions in health, climate change, clean energy, food security, agriculture, supply chain resilience, and national and economic security.” OSTP states that the action plan will help propel continued investment in the bioeconomy and maintain America’s leadership in this sector by preparing more Americans for these jobs and build a diverse pipeline that includes women, people of color, people living in rural communities, and others underrepresented in emerging fields.
 
The action plan includes the following core recommendations, along with select new and ongoing actions that the Biden Administration is taking and will take -- in collaboration with employers, unions; state, local, and Tribal governments; high schools; institutions of higher education; industry associations; and other stakeholders:

• Expand and diversify the talent pool for biotechnology and biomanufacturing jobs and careers to promote innovation and advance equity;
• Strengthen worker-centered sector strategies and other partnerships between employers, labor organizations, community colleges, and other training providers to grow and diversify the bioworkforce;
• Develop and rigorously evaluate innovative approaches to education and training for biotechnology and biomanufacturing jobs and careers, scaling and promoting those found to be most effective;
• Partner with state, local, and Tribal governments, education and training providers, bioscience associations, unions and other worker-serving organizations, and other stakeholders to raise awareness about the promise and potential of careers in the bioworkforce; and
• Improve data and analytic capacity and cross-sector collaboration to advance equity and support effective workforce development -- including the development of industry-recognized credentials and competency models.

According to OSTP, the Biden Administration is already beginning to implement the action plan by taking the following actions:

• The National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will take action to expand partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU), and Minority Serving Institutions (MSI);
• The U.S. Department of Education will create cross-sector collaborations through the Unlocking Career Success Initiative and launch a professional learning series focused on bioworkforce needs and the role of K-12 schools and postsecondary institutions;
• The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is prioritizing advanced manufacturing, including biomanufacturing, in key grant programs, such as the State Apprenticeship Expansion Formula grant;
• The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) will support a National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals pilot program designed to attract high school students into biopharmaceutical manufacturing career pathways; and
• NSF, in partnership with DOL, DOC, and other agencies, will convene a forum to build alignment on recognized competency models, development of new competency models where needed, and exploration of credentialing mechanisms for the bioworkforce.

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By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton
 
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced on June 26, 2023, that it plans to invest up to $500 million from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act to increase the availability of domestic biofuels and “give Americans additional cleaner fuel options at the pump.” USDA notes that in December 2022, it made available $50 million in Inflation Reduction Act funding to expand the use and availability of higher-blend biofuels through the Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program (HBIIP). On June 26, 2023, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the first awardees of 59 infrastructure projects that will receive a total of $25 million. In addition, USDA announced that in July 2023 it will begin accepting applications for $450 million in grants through HBIIP. These grants will continue to support the infrastructure needed to lower out-of-pocket costs for transportation fueling and distribution facilities to install and upgrade biofuel-related infrastructure such as pumps, dispensers, and storage tanks.

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By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton
 
On June 21, 2023, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a final rule under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program that will establish the biofuel volume requirements from 2023 to 2025. According to EPA, the final rule “builds on the RFS program’s progress over the previous two years and reflects the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to strengthen the nation’s energy independence, advance low-carbon fuels, and support agricultural communities.” EPA states that the final rule strengthens U.S. energy security by reducing reliance on foreign sources of oil by roughly 130,000 to 140,000 barrels of oil per day over the time frame of the final rule, 2023-2025. The final rule also discusses EPA’s intent to monitor the ongoing implementation of the RFS program and its impacts on domestic refineries, “which have a critical role to play in our energy security.”
 
The final rule will establish the biofuel volume requirements and associated percentage standards for cellulosic biofuel, biomass-based diesel (BBD), advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel for 2023-2025. EPA notes that the final rule also completes its response to a court remand of the 2016 annual rule by establishing a supplemental volume requirement of 250 million gallons of renewable fuel for 2023. The final volume targets (billion Renewable Identification Numbers (RIN)) are as follows:
 

 ^a BBD is given in billion gallons.
 
According to EPA, the final rule includes steady growth of biofuels for use in the nation’s fuel supply for 2023, 2024, and 2025. EPA notes that the Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) of 2007 does not specify statutory volumes after 2022, and EPA in this rule will establish final biofuel volume targets for all categories under the “set” authority provided by the Clean Air Act. When determining biofuel volumes for years after 2022, EPA states that it must consider a variety of factors specified in the statute, including costs, air quality, climate change, implementation of the program to date, energy security, infrastructure issues, commodity prices, water quality, and supply.
 
In addition to setting the volume requirements, EPA will make several regulatory changes intended to expand the use of biogas under the program while, at the same time, putting in place provisions that will improve the operation of the RFS program.

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By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton
 
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced on May 24, 2023, the launch of the Clean Fuels & Products Shot^TM, a new initiative that aims to reduce significantly greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from carbon-based fuels and products. DOE notes that this is its seventh DOE Energy Earthshot, which focuses on reducing carbon emissions from the fuel and chemical industry through alternative, more sustainable sources of carbon to achieve a minimum of 85 percent lower GHG emissions as compared to fossil-based sources by 2035. According to DOE, the Clean Fuels & Products Shot^TM supports the national goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 by developing the sustainable feedstocks and conversion technologies necessary to produce crucial fuels, materials, and carbon-based products that are better for the environment than current petroleum-derived components. It aims to meet projected 2050 net-zero emissions demands for 100 percent of aviation fuel; 50 percent of maritime, rail, and off-road fuel; and 50 percent of carbon-based chemicals by using sustainable carbon resources.
 
DOE notes that a ribbon-cutting took place on May 30, 2023, for the Biofuels National User Facility, a $15 million, three-year-long facility upgrade at Idaho National Laboratory funded by DOE’s Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and an important asset to reach the goals of the Clean Fuels & Products Shot^TM. According to DOE, the facility “is designed to solve critical biofuels production challenges associated with the feeding, handling and preprocessing of diverse biomass and waste materials.” DOE states that industry use of the facility “will enable rapid technology development and large-scale commercialization of biofuels and bioproducts, an important component of the Biden-Harris Administration’s goals related to clean fuels and products.”

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By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton
 
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on April 28, 2023, that it issued an emergency fuel waiver to allow E15 gasoline -- gasoline blended with 15 percent ethanol -- to be sold “during the summer driving season.” EPA states that this action will provide relief from ongoing market supply issues “created by Russia’s unprovoked war in Ukraine by increasing fuel supply and offering consumers more choices at the pump.” According to EPA, the waiver will help protect Americans from fuel supply crises by reducing reliance on imported fossil fuels, building U.S. energy independence, and supporting American agriculture and manufacturing. EPA notes that current estimates indicate that, on average, E15 is about 25 cents a gallon cheaper than E10.

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By Lynn L. Bergeson and Carla N. Hutton
 
On April 11, 2023, a bipartisan group of legislators led by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) sent a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), urging it to strengthen the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) by maintaining the blending requirements for 2023; denying all pending Small Refinery Exemptions (SRE); eliminating proposed retroactive cuts to the renewable volume obligations (RVO); and setting RFS volumes at the statutory levels. According to Klobuchar’s April 14, 2023, press release, the letter states that the RFS “creates competition in the marketplace, keeping fuel costs low for consumers while bringing down carbon emissions.” By taking the suggested steps, EPA “can set the RFS on a path that provides stability and growth for the U.S. biofuel sector.” This would guarantee that this “essential program” continues to function as intended by reducing emissions, driving economic growth in rural communities, keeping gas prices low, and “bolstering national security by promoting an essential homegrown energy source.”

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