DOE forms Fuels of the Future Advisory Board; disbands Biomass Research and Development TAC
January 14, 2021
| Jim Lane
In Washington, the US federal government formed the Fuels of the Future Advisory Board, which will have three subcommittees on biofuels, hydrogen and methane hydrates. At the same time, the government terminated the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee (BR&D TAC); Methane Hydrate Advisory Committee (MHAC); and Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technical Advisory Committee (HTAC).
The FoFAB will provide advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Energy concerning the development of alternative fuels throughout the Department of Energy. Activities of the FoFAB will include advice and recommendations to the Secretary of Energy concerning the development of alternative fuels and related programmatic issues. Activities include, but are not limited to, developing recommendations on broad programmatic priorities for various alternative fuel research and development programs throughout the Department. The board has been selected but the composition of the board has not yet been announced.
FoFAB is expected to be continuing in nature. FoFAB members were selected to achieve a balanced board of community representatives and technical experts in fields relevant to the Department of Energy and the development of alternative fuels.
Kurt Heckman, Director, Secretarial Boards and Council for the U.S. Department of Energy commented,
It is true that the Department of Energy has submitted a termination notice on the Federal Register for the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee (BIOAC), the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Advisory Committee (HTAC) and the Methane Hydrate Advisory Committee (MHAC). This action was part of DOE’s response to Executive Order 13875. However, I am happy to tell you that the expertise of the BIOAC, HTAC and MHAC communities will continue to be a strong influence on the Department of Energy in a new advisory board, the Fuels of the Future Advisory Board (FoFAB). The FoFAB charter plainly states that there are three standing subcommittees, one for biofuels, one for hydrogen and one for methane hydrate. The new Fuels of the Future Advisory Board lets these three communities collaborate and benefit from each other’s efforts on overlapping technology issues such as fuel cells, overlapping economic issues in production and distribution, and very importantly, on environmental issues. The DOE remains committed to all promising energy sources that may serve the nation and the world and will continue the great research done in these areas with the help of outside expertise that comes through external advisory boards.
The Digest’s take:
This is abolishment of a twenty-year old advisory committee set up by biomass r&d act of 2000 and its re-birth as a subcommittee under a new advisory board that also incorporates former H2 and methane hydrate committees. For one, it appears that the old dual leadership structure of USDA & DOE has been abolished in favor of just DOE control. Ostensibly this is being done to save money, per an executive order from President Trump — but also as you can see fromKurt Heckman’s comments, this is also about breaking down silos and looking for overlaps between bioenergy, hydrogen and methane. The Trump Administration has been working on this for a couple of years, we’re told.
Next step, issuing operational details in the handful of working days left before Biden takes office. Also, will the new Administration let it stand? How will the Agriculture sector react to cutting out USDA? It’s awfully late in the Trump Administration to be making sweeping changes — how much will stand? It’ll be up to the new Administration. Stand by for more.
Category: Policy
