Bioeconomy

Stakeholder outreach was conducted at five regional bioeconomy forums in 2016, including a forum for the northeast held at the University of Maine on October 18, 2016. The purpose of the forums was elicit thoughts from leaders on the opportunities and challenges associated with utilizing organic materials such as those that farmers and foresters grow as inputs for refining and manufacturing. The fundamental premise of the forums was the projection that the United States has the ability to sustainably produce over one billion tons of biomass annually, by 2030, for industrial purposes including fuels, chemicals and consumer products.

Analysis from these and related listening sessions are summarized in: