Abstract
When I wrote my first column in February, most of the public was unaware of the severity of the coronavirus pandemic. The official name for the disease, COVID-19, was proposed by the World Health Organization only weeks earlier. Fast forward ten months later, and the virus has left virtually no industry unaffected.
It has exposed the fragility of a fossil fuel economy and the vulnerabilities created by relying on foreign sources of supply and demand. It has also heightened awareness of the perils of climate change and the need for sustainable solutions.
But biotechnology has proven to be a solid foundation in which a resilient, sustainable, and agile economy must be built. And until infrastructure talks start again in Congress, we are starting to see action in the agencies.
In October, the US Department of Defense (DoD) awarded $87 million to the BioIndustrial Manufacturing and Design Ecosystem—also known as BioMADE—to accelerate biotech breakthroughs and bring them to market. Headquartered at the University of Minnesota, BioMADE is the brainchild of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC).
The federal grant will be matched by $187 million in private funding from companies, universities, and venture capital firms, including support from several of BIO's members.
The institute will focus on developing a wide range of biobased products, from chemicals and solvents to plastics and fabrics to agriculture and crop solutions. This is a step towards reducing barriers for innovations that can solve some of our world's biggest challenges and will spur economic growth in both urban clusters and rural America.
As the new administration and Congress are ushered in next year, it is time to accelerate this progress. President-elect Joe Biden is a veteran of the Senate and prides himself on his ability to reach across the aisle and make a deal—a trait that will be much-needed with a potential split legislative branch.
Efforts to pass a national low carbon fuel standard will meet more opposition than if Democrats overwhelmingly controlled Congress, but the health, economic, and environmental benefits of such a policy transcends party lines.
The private sector has begun to outpace Congress in its support for a low carbon fuel standard, as companies like Alaska Airlines, BAE Systems, General Motors, and Ikea (just to name a few) have urged lawmakers in states like New York and Washington to pursue the policy.
These companies understand the potential in investing in clean energy breakthroughs, and the pandemic has underscored the need to clean up our air.
In November, Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA) introduced the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Act which would provide incentives to develop and produce sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). These fuels have been shown to reduce the carbon footprint of aviation by up to 80% over the full lifecycle.
Producers like Gevo, LanzaTech, and World Energy are already leading the way in sustainable aviation fuel development, and this legislation would help bolster investment in research and development through focused federal funding.
The investment would also provide much-needed assistance to the hard-hit airline industry, once again exemplifying how the advancement of the bioeconomy will help our overall economic recovery following COVID-19.
BIO will continue working with Rep. Brownley to gain support for the bill and other bills that will promote biotech breakthroughs. This includes the Growing Climate Solutions Act, which continues to gain bipartisan support.
The bill is a good first step in legitimizing carbon markets by establishing a certification program at the US Department of Agriculture. Thanks to BIO's efforts, Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) became the latest cosponsors of the bill.
Our organization's leadership in educating lawmakers on the importance of climate legislation is unparalleled even through the COVID-19 pandemic. We have become the voice for science through these challenging times, and that voice will only get louder as economic resiliency and climate change become increasingly important priorities in Congress and the White House moving forward.