Summary
- The Plant Based Products Council supports the Ag BIO Act.
- The bill aims to boost U.S. bioeconomy growth.
- Supports scaling biomanufacturing capacity and markets.
- Reauthorizes USDA loan programs for bio projects.
According to James Glueck, executive director of the Plant Based Products Council, the Ag BIO Act would assist farmers access new markets and increase the capacity for biomanufacturing.
“It would reauthorize some of USDA’s loan programs that are focused on infrastructure on building facilities in the U.S.,”
he said.
“That would create demand for U.S. grown corn, soybeans, and other commodities.”
By creating a cost-share award program to fund the building and retrofitting of pilot and demonstration-scale biorefineries, the Act expands the scope and impact of USDA's Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance Program.
Brownfield is informed by Glueck that the bipartisan bill might be a part of a "slim farm bill."
“Some things have already been dealt with on the big funding questions of the farm bill, but there are a lot of policy decisions yet to be made,”
he said. “I’m so excited by the bipartisan support for the Ag BIO Act.”
Republican Jerry Moran of Kansas and Democrat Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota have spearheaded the Ag BIO Act. It is an amendment to a bill that was first presented in the U.S. House in May.
How does the Plant Based Products Council view the Ag BIO Act's impact on bioproduct development?
The Act provides critical tools to scale up production of homegrown, plant-based bioproducts by modernizing and expanding federal support programs. It establishes a cost-share grant program for pilot and demonstration-scale biorefineries, which is essential for proving commercial viability and accelerating the path from research to market.
The legislation removes bureaucratic barriers, streamlines eligibility criteria, and clarifies loan guarantees, enhancing the scalability and competitiveness of American bioproducts.
PBPC believes the Act will help prevent the offshoring of innovation by providing domestic entrepreneurs access to critical infrastructure needed for bioproduct development.