On March 8, 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the kickoff of the inaugural
National Biobased Products Day and highlighted the accomplishments
of people and organizations working to improve sustainability
within the federal government. USDA notes that its ongoing work
includes the National Institute of Food and Agriculture's
(NIFA) Agriculture and Food Research Initiative programs, which
fund research that advances climate-smart agriculture and forestry
and strengthens the bioeconomy. USDA states that in line with
President Biden's September 12, 2022, Executive Order (EO) on
Advancing Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing
Innovation for a Sustainable, Safe, and Secure American
Bioeconomy, "these programs develop sources of clean
energy and power, biomass systems and high-value biobased products
from agricultural feedstocks to foster economic development."
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funded innovative new USDA
programs such as NIFA's $9.5 million Bioproduct Pilot Program, which supports
research into the benefits of using materials derived from
agricultural commodities to manufacture construction and consumer
products. USDA notes that the projects have special emphasis on
benefits to underserved communities.
USDA states that National Biobased Products Day is an annual
celebration on March 8 to raise awareness of the benefits of
biobased products. The day recognizes the Biden
Administration's commitment to use the vast array of federal
resources to combat climate change and help rural communities
address its impacts. The day also aligns with President Biden's
Federal Sustainability Plan and EO Number 14057, which focuses on
making the federal government carbon-neutral by
2050 and reducing planet-warming greenhouse gas
emissions by 65 percent by 2030.
A key component of these federal sustainability efforts is
USDA's BioPreferred® Program, the federal
government's "official advocate and market accelerator for
biobased products." USDA congratulates the four winners of the
BioPreferred® Program's "Excellence in
Procurement Award" for 2022 for reducing their respective
agencies' environmental impact by using biobased products and
championing farmers in rural America:
- The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee;
- Christina Graves with USDA's Forest Service;
- Brian McCabe with the National Park Service (NPS); and
- Brooke Siegel with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
According to USDA, all of these efforts support President Biden's EO to advance U.S. biotechnology and biomanufacturing. USDA states that it is supporting this effort by providing tools, resources, and scientific research to ensure American farmers and producers remain globally competitive.
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