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The Federal Activities Report on the Bioeconomy

The Federal Activities Report on the Bioeconomy has been prepared to emphasize the significant potential for an even stronger U.S. bioeconomy through the production and use of biofuels, bioproducts, and biopower. Bioeconomy activities have already touched on the interests of many federal agencies and offices. This report is intended to educate the public on the wide-ranging, federally funded activities that are helping to bolster the bioeconomy. Further, the report will highlight some of the critical work currently being conducted across the federal government that either supports or relates to the bioeconomy.

The federal government as a whole sees great potential in the nation’s abundant natural resources, the capacity for new and advanced technologies, and the entrepreneurial spirit of the American people. This potential offers the ability to triple the size of today’s bioeconomy by 2030—to over a billion tons of biomass. Through the Biomass Research and Development Board (Board), a new effort is being launched to fully develop this Billion Ton Bioeconomy.

The Board is already working to coordinate research and development federal activities concerning the biobased fuels, products, and power that are key pillars in the bioeconomy. The Board includes members from the Departments of Energy, Agriculture, Interior, Transportation, Defense, and the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Science Foundation, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy. With leadership across the administration, the Billion Ton Bioeconomy vision could grow the entire bioeconomy supply chain—through feedstock development and production, technology development, conversion, production of renewable chemicals and other biobased products, and marketing and distribution to alternative end use.

Expanding the bioeconomy in a sustainable manner will increase energy diversity and long-term security. It will provide additional economic, environmental, and social benefits, such as reduced greenhouse gas emissions, job growth, and responsible management of diverse sources of biomass and waste materials. Efforts will result in a greener, stronger nation with diverse, new economic sectors that enhance U.S. competitiveness.

Inside the report you will find:

  • An overview of the Billion Ton Bioeconomy Vision
  • Preliminary analyses of the expected benefits of a Billion Ton Bioeconomy
  • A compendium of federal activities that currently support the bioeconomy
  • Details on interagency activities that aim to grow the bioeconomy

The Path Forward:

As the United States continues to develop a diverse energy portfolio and transitions to a renewable, clean energy future, the federal government leads the way by working with academia, industry, and non-governmental organizations to provide the science, technology, and policy support to accelerate the deployment of new manufacturing facilities employing innovative processes and using biomass as a feedstock.

Fulfilling this vision will entail aligning the diverse goals, roles, science, technology, data, and tools of many stakeholders across both the public and private sectors for coordinated action that will lead to industrial innovation, increased manufacturing capability, new infrastructure, improvement in agriculture and forest productivity, management and output quality, and green workforce development.

The Board will continue to coordinate and enhance federal efforts—as well as garner collaboration from the government and its stakeholders—in a systematic effort to expand the sustainable production and use of biomass. To further understand the potential of the national bioeconomy, the Board will also be hosting a series of workshops and webinars aimed at gathering input from the public on numerous topics.

Find out more about this exciting new effort by checking out the release on biomassboard.gov.

Author(s)
The Biomass Research and Development (R&D) Board
Contact Person
Alison Goss Eng
Contact Organization
U.S. Department of Energy, Bioenergy Technologies Office
Publication Date
DOI is live on OSTI.
Funded from the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Bioenergy Technologies Office.