The multi-agency Biomass Initiative (Initiative) established by the Biomass R&D Act of 2000 has made important progress in coordinating federal efforts to promote the use of biobased fuels and products. Five years in, the Initiative was energized by the EPAct 2005 update to the Biomass R&D Act and is now set to play a strategic role as biofuel takes center stage in the President's Advanced Energy Initiative. This seems an appropriate time to take stock in Initiative accomplishments to date.

The objectives of the Initiative, recently updated by EPAct 2005 (see Exhibit 1), are far reaching and require a long-term strategy. Laying the groundwork to achieve these objectives requires coordination and collaboration across the federal sector, industry, and the research community. The Act put in place four tools to accomplish this cooperation:

• Biomass Research and Development Board - A Cabinet level council co-chaired by appointees from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Energy. The Board coordinates biomass research and development programs within and among departments and agencies of the federal government.

• Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee - A group of individuals from industry, academia, non-profits, and the agricultural and forestry sectors. The Committee advises the Secretaries of Energy and Agriculture through the Biomass Research and Development Board on the administration of the Biomass R&D Act.

• U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Solicitation - A collaborative interagency solicitation for R&D projects focusing on the objectives of the Initiative.

• National Biomass Coordination Office - The office is led by the Designated Federal Officer from the U.S. Department of Energy and coordinates the activities of the Committee and the Board. It also responds to public inquiries and maintains a public website.

Academia and the private sector play an important role in the Initiative through the activities of the Biomass R&D Technical Advisory Committee. "Volunteers serving on the Committee have given many hours to the cause," said Thomas Ewing, Committee Chair. He acknowledged that while achieving the objectives of the Initiative remains a long way off, important progress has been made in the areas of planning, coordination, research and development, and communications and outreach.

Planning

In 2002 the Committee released its Vision and Roadmap , setting aggressive goals for biobased fuels, power, and products and establishing guidance for biomass research and development activities. These documents have since helped to provide the guidance for the R&D needed to achieve the Initiative's objectives, and in particular providing direction to the USDA/DOE Joint Solicitation projects. A recent analysis of the progress toward achieving the Committee's Vision goals indicates that the U.S. is on track to meet the Committee's 2010 goal to have biofuels represent four percent of the market share for transportation fuels. The ability to meet the Committee's 2010 goals for biopower and biobased products is less certain. The Committee is now updating both its Vision and Roadmap.

Each year since 2001, the Committee has provided recommendations to the Secretaries of Agriculture and Energy on the technical direction of the Joint Solicitation. These recommendations have been implemented by the Secretaries and helped to direct both the technical focus of research proposals as well as the process by which the solicitations are implemented.

The Committee has conducted an annual review of biomass related research funded by DOE and USDA and has provided recommendations to the agencies on the focus and direction of the research. This review is also helping the agencies to identify opportunities for research collaboration thereby avoiding duplication of effort.

Finally, the Committee gives regular input to the USDA in the planning for the Federal Biobased Products Preferred Procurement Program (FB4P) which is currently underway.

Research & Development

Since 2002 $142 million in federal funds has been awarded under the annual USDA/DOE Joint Solicitation to conduct approximately 60 cost-shared research projects that address the objectives of the Biomass Initiative. The first of these projects started in late 2002/early 2003, and the majority of projects are currently underway. The projects address technical challenges in areas such as biotechnology and plant physiology, feedstock development, thermochemical and biochemical conversion, and fuels and products development. Early projects funded under the Initiative are beginning to show technical and cost improvements in converting biomass resources to fuels and chemicals. For example, the Broin & Associates Second Generation Dry Mill Biorefinery project has demonstrated an efficient and economical means of grain fractionation. Multiple new co-product options are now possible for the first time. One of the most important accomplishments has been the ability to efficiently ferment endosperm. Endosperm is a tissue found in the seeds of flowering plants which is mostly composed of starch, though it can also contain oils and protein.

For a listing of projects funded under the joint solicitation since 2002, visit the Initiative website http://www.biomass.govtools.us/pdfs/USDA-DOEJointSolicitationRDMatrixmsm.xls.

Interagency Coordination

The Interagency R&D Board has proven to be a vehicle for communication and information sharing across nine federal agencies and offices. The U.S. Department of Transportation is the newest addition to the Board.

The Initiative has fostered strong collaboration between USDA and DOE. The agencies have conducted joint technical analyses such as the Biomass as Feedstock for a Bioenergy and Bioproducts Industry: The Technical Feasibility of a Billion-Ton Annual Supply, and a joint study between USDA and Argonne National Laboratory on the net energy benefits of ethanol. They also collaborate to implement the Joint Solicitation, conduct joint workshops, and perform an annual inventory of biomass R&D investments.

Communication and Outreach

A number of activities have been conducted to educate the public and decision makers on the opportunities of biomass and the activities of the Initiative. Committee Chair Tom Ewing presented the efforts of the Initiative to the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry on the efforts of the Initiative. Readership for the Biomass Initiative Newsletter has grown from about 200 people in 2001 to over 3,000 currently. The National Biomass Coordination Office has fielded hundreds of requests for information from the public and the research community on the benefits of biomass technologies and on biomass research being conducted. Moreover the Committee holds quarterly public meetings where it hears from a variety of stakeholders.

Looking forward, the Committee is analyzing policy gaps that limit the ability to achieve the Committee's Vision goals, and it is broadening its outreach by conducting regional meetings. Technical results of projects funded under the joint solicitation will continue to contribute to addressing the technical challenges of cost-competitive biobased fuels and products. Technical results of these projects will be disseminated. All of these activities are positioning DOE and USDA to be better prepared to implement requirements under the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act, EPAct 2005, the President's Advanced Energy Initiative.

The Biomass Initiative website contains a complete timeline of Initiative activities. http://www.biomass.govtools.us/about/chronology.asp