BD Zones and BDO Zones: Weaponizing Biomass to support a Bio-Fueled Economic Recovery

Biomass can be a powerful engine for the economic recovery

The economic devastation created by COVID 19 is staggering and only beginning to become clear. What is clear, however, is that for the foreseeable future, the American economy is in a war. And to win, we need a new source of ammunition. Fortunately, we have it—a billion tons of it located primarily in rural areas across the nation. It’s our biomass: our wood fiber, our wheat straw, our corn stover, our food waste—even our MSW.

And when we deploy this largely untapped asset to manufacture alternative fuels, renewable chemicals, bio-based products and sustainable aviation fuels, it becomes a job creation engine, supports energy independence, and drives economic stability– particularly in rural America.

In order to win this war, we need to weaponize this enormous asset to fuel the recovery.

But weaponizing the inherent economic power of a billion tons of biomass requires a new approach that meaningfully de-risks bio-project development and investment.
Credible estimates of the economic impacts of biomass utilization are too significant to ignore: USDOE values direct impacts at 1.1 million jobs and $259 billion.  USDA estimates direct and indirect economic benefits using conservative multipliers at 3.4 million jobs and nearly $660 billion.

Bioeconomy Development (BD) Zones and Bioeconomy Development Opportunity (BDO) Zones are two complimentary initiatives that can do this, and do it fast. BD Zones and BDO Zones are shovel-ready, actionable initiatives that bring unprecedented development efficiencies to biofuel, bioenergy, biochemical and biomaterials projects and unlock billions of dollars of institutional investment into communities where there is a surplus of biomass and where employment and bioeconomy development can be closely linked.

Most importantly, they do this using validated standards, established economic development approaches and by leveraging one of the largest federal tax incentives in US history: Opportunity Zones.

This is key, because the framework for an economic recovery needs to be put into place quickly. Using existing and proven components in a new way is what makes this approach such a powerful driver of economic recovery.

The only barriers to putting these initiatives to work is government red-tape and a plan to execute. Herewith, we offer a two-step plan to weaponize a billion tons of biomass in support of a bio-fueled economic recovery.

Click on the next page to read about Step 1: Designate BD Zones, Step 2: Clarify OZone Guidance and Designate BDO Zones, BDO Zones De-risking and Driving Investment, why the time to move is now, and 3 recommendations to government.