Chapter 13: US Government Bioproducts Policy “Watch What We Do, Not What We Say”

By looking past speeches, commissioned reports and press releases, and instead examining the applicable legislation, it becomes clear that the US government has not created the legislative, regulatory, or spending frameworks necessary to implement the bioproduct policy pronouncements made in those documents. While preamble language in US Congressional bioproduct legislation appears to show that the US government is attempting to use its substantial buying power to create an “early adopter” market for bioproducts, the complete legislative wording does not produce the needed enforceable requirements. Instead, the legislation allows government agencies to avoid purchasing bioproducts as part of their normal course of business. A further barrier to the development of a complete policy framework has been the divestment of downstream refining and biochemical assets by the petroleum majors that has left the US biochemical sector without the political and financial assets to create an effective bioproducts policy on their own. Unless the supporters of bioproducts in and out of the industry pursue creative approaches, including identifying bioproducts production technologies or specific products that could fulfil high priority national security needs, it is doubtful that any significant change in US bioproducts policy or significant growth in the US bioproducts industry will occur in the near future.