Abstract
I started at what was then the Biotechnology Industry Organization in March 2000. The Energy Policy Act of 2005—the legislation which would contain the first Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS)—was half a decade from legislation. The Farm Bill had no energy title. The industrial biosciences industry was in its infancy.
For the past 19 years, I have been privileged to lead the efforts of what is now the Biotechnology Innovation Organization's (BIO) Industrial and Environmental Section. In the inaugural year of the section, there were only a handful of industry pioneers as founding members. Today, the section has swelled to more than 65 companies spanning from advanced biofuel producers to renewable chemical manufacturers to developers of food ingredients and biobased consumer products.
During my tenure our BIO team has built not only a robust membership but helped to advance the industry impressively.
Because of BIO's leadership and advocacy, we have successfully advocated for the enactment of policies that foster industrial biotechnology innovation and established the biobased economy, contributing millions of jobs and hundreds of billions of dollars in annual economic activity.
The RFS is one of the core policy achievements that has been vital to the growth of the biobased economy. Not only has the RFS increased investment and growth of the advanced and cellulosic biofuels industry, it has stimulated more research and development and commercialization of technology beyond biofuels, enabling the United States to become a leader in the development and deployment of new technologies. As a result, the industrial biotechnology sector has been a leader in addressing the challenges with climate change by bringing low carbon biofuels to market, reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation fuel sector.”
Building on processes learned from biofuels production, BIO's member companies are developing new agricultural and low-carbon feedstocks, industrial enzymes, and biological catalysts for the conversion of biomass and waste feedstocks into advanced biofuels, alternative jet fuels, renewable chemicals, and biobased products. These industry advancements are significant contributors to the biobased economy.
At the end of last year, Congress passed the 2018 Farm Bill—the fourth Farm Bill that BIO's Industrial and Environmental Section has lead advocacy efforts on to advance the industry.
The Farm Bill energy title was first included in the 2002 legislation. In the last 17 years, BIO and its member companies have worked closely with Congress to ensure the title's evolution continued to strengthen support for new innovative technologies and rural America. Since the first energy title, the biobased economy has become a significant piece of our nation's economy. Because of the supportive policies in the energy title a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture report found that biobased products contributed $393 billion to the U.S. economy and generated more than 4.2 million jobs – a significant portion coming from agriculture and manufacturing.
The Farm Bill's energy title provides necessary support to the companies and manufacturers in key sectors that drive the biobased economy: renewable chemicals, advanced biofuels, and many other biobased products throughout the value chain. Thanks to BIO's advocacy, the 2018 Farm Bill included many improvements in its energy title, including to USDA's BioPreferred Program, the Biorefinery Assistance Program, and the Biomass Crop Assistance Program.
In addition to BIO's leadership in advocacy and communication on the benefits of industrial biotechnology, we developed the BIO World Congress to enable the industry to convene and foster business partnership and thought leadership. Recognizing the importance of the biobased economy to these sectors, BIO is bringing the World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology to the epicenter of this industry this summer in Des Moines, Iowa July 8-11.
I started the Bio World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology from scratch. Our theme for the conference has always been “bringing biotechnology, chemistry and agriculture together to create new value chains.” The first BIO World Congress was held in 2004 in Orlando. At the time, BIO partnered with the American Chemical Society and the National Agricultural Biotechnology Council to showcase the biobased economy—a new term at the time.
There were a few hundred attendees, about ten tabletop exhibitors and the partnering platform consisted of Post-it notes on a whiteboard.
The annual event is now known as the world's largest conference on industrial biotechnology, drawing close to 1,000 attendees each year. The partnering system, now known as BIO's One-on-One Partnering, can be accessed on a phone and serves as your own personal scheduler. This journal has become the official publication of the event.
The BIO World Congress has become the premier event on industrial biotechnology, convening company executives, innovators, researchers, investors and academics. Last year's event saw 40% of its attendance come from outside the United States. That type of partnering and investment exposure has become invaluable to the advancement of the industry.
As we quickly approach the end of the first quarter of the new millennium, there is an energized focus on biobased products to help address climate change and develop a healthier environment through a sustainable supply chain.
The production of biobased products encompasses a complex value chain, from agriculture through the manufacture of consumer goods, that provides an alternative to the petroleum-based value chain and brings environmental benefits.
Because the inputs and technologies are domestically developed, this sector will boost the incomes of America's farmers, revitalize rural communities, create high-skilled jobs in the manufacturing sector, and provide sustainable employment.
The industry is on the cusp of creating a robust biobased economy through U.S. biobased production. A strong biobased economy is a good indicator of industry strengthen. All indicators show the industry has advanced impressively.
It's because of BIO there is an established Renewable Fuel Standard, which has significantly grown the biofuels industry and ignited the advancement of clean fuels laws in some states. It's because of BIO the 2018 Farm Bill is supporting the companies and manufacturers driving the biobased economy and strengthening rural economies more than ever before. It's because of BIO, the industry has advanced to the point, new biobased products are being researched as a solution to climate change.
I depart the Biotechnology Innovation Organization proud of the accomplishments of the Industrial and Environmental Section and with bright outlook on the future of the industry. I am honored and privileged to have worked with so many fine people at BIO and so many smart and great people in the biotech sector. I leave with a full heart and with confidence that the future leaders of the section and the industry will continue to build a robust biobased economy. I am confident that the BIO Industrial and Environmental Section will continue to be the industry convener and thought leader in addressing the policy, regulatory, and advocacy needs of the industry, to enable the accelerated growth of the sector in the 21st century.