Fostering the Bioeconomic Revolution in Biobased Products and Bioenergy: an Environmental Approach

The Revolution. A revolution spurred by expanded use of renewable biobased products and bioenergy will have enormous impacts in the 21st century. Today, America depends on biomass to provide 3 percent of its energy and more than 300 billion pounds of products annually. Yet, propelled by advances in biological and physical sciences and engineering, America has the opportunity to greatly accelerate its use of biomass. The Importance. This revolution will have important impacts on our: ? Economy?stimulating growth, especially in rural, farm and forest economies, and our industries. ? Environment?by reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and airborne pollutants, reducing soil erosion, sequestering carbon, protecting water supplies and quality, and increasing the diversity of crops and products. ? Energy security?by increasing domestic production and reducing our enormous dependence on foreign sources of fossil fuels. ? Competitive position?opening up new technologies, industries, and export opportunities. The Consensus: ? The National Academy of Sciences recognized the predominant impact that biological sciences will have on industry and technology in the 21st century. ? The President proclaimed the importance of biobased products and bioenergy by establishing a national goal to triple their use in the United States by 2010. ? The U. S. Congress acknowledged the exceptional potential of biobased products and bioenergy by enacting the Biomass Research and Development Act of 2000. ? Industry, government laboratories, academia, and others recognized the importance of biobased products and bioenergy and are developing strategic planning documents including visions and technology roadmaps. The Challenges: ? Science and technology?we need to advance science and develop technologies to overcome difficulties posed by the complexity of biomass resources and processes. ? Policies?we need to coordinate government policies to meet the national goal. ? Markets?we need to accelerate the commercialization of new and emerging technologies and products to meet the national goal. ? Environment?we seek to ensure that new technologies and increased use of biomass will not adversely affect our land, water, air, and public health, but rather provide environmental benefits. ? Education and Outreach?we need to provide American institutions, industry, farmers, landowners, and the public with information that will help them understand biobased products and bioenergy and make wise decisions in their application. An informed public is critical to the decision-making process. ? Integration?we need to coordinate efforts across federal and state programs, educational organizations, businesses, and technologies to encourage the growth of an integrated industry. The Plan. This plan describes the federal strategy for meeting these challenges and attaining the national goal of tripling the use of biobased products and bioenergy by 2010. It is built on a strong foundation of science and technology, policy, and market goals, and strategies. The goals are summarized below and detailed in the pages that follow.