Biotech Plays Critical Role in Protecting Against Coronavirus Outbreak

Abstract

Industrial BiotechnologyVol. 16, No. 2 EditorialFree AccessBiotech Plays Critical Role in Protecting Against Coronavirus OutbreakStephanie BatchelorStephanie BatchelorVice President of the Industrial and Environmental Section, Biotechnology Innovation Organization, Washington, DC, USA and Consulting Editor, Industrial BiotechnologySearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:17 Apr 2020https://doi.org/10.1089/ind.2020.29207.sbaAboutSectionsPDF/EPUB Permissions & CitationsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail First and foremost, I hope readers of the Industrial Biotechnology are safe and doing everything they can to protect themselves from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. At the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), we have heard and seen many requests from medical research centers, biopharmaceutical companies, testing developers and testing sites for various supplies.In this challenging and unprecedented time, we want to ensure critical research and development programs can continue. For this reason, BIO has launched a Coronavirus Hub (hub.bio.org), connecting companies that have extra capacity and resources with those that need them. The hub allows users to post requests in real time for urgently needed items and announce the availability of supplies and capacity.As a biotech community, we have the responsibility to rise to this global call for action. I echo BIO's CEO and President Jim Greenwood when saying, “The coronavirus is no match for science, but we must finish the job.”Unfortunately, as the global community works to contain the COVID-19 outbreak, other challenges like climate change continue to grip the planet. In fact, the health impacts from low air quality only increase the risk of infections from viruses such as the novel COVID-19.As we know, transportation continues to be the leading cause of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States—thanks in large part to the abundance of vehicles and airplanes that rely on fossil fuels. We've seen that policies that drive adoption of renewable fuels, like low carbon fuel standards, decrease health risks.The American Lung Association and Environmental Defense Fund found that low carbon fuel standards, combined with statewide carbon pollution limits—such as limits on emissions from manufacturing—have helped prevent almost 90,000 cases of respiratory symptoms and 8,000 cases of asthma-related health complications. These policies also helped prevent 15,000 lost workdays.With the administration continuing to diminish the intent of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), adoption of low carbon fuel policies in states becomes increasingly important in order to reduce carbon emissions and improve health.Several states have considered low carbon fuel standards this year, most notably Washington and New York. BIO and the Low Carbon Fuels Coalition (LCFC) have engaged our advocates and worked tirelessly in both states to advance these policies. However, with the impact of the COVID-19, and Washington's session standing at just 60 days ending in March, this is a battle we will continue fighting into next year.The administration's expansive issuance of small refinery exemptions granted through the RFS has upended the policy and added to the uncertainty as it deliberates whether it will abide by the court ruling that deemed many of these exemptions illegal. BIO will remain vigilant in making sure the Environmental Protection Agency administers the policy as Congress intended.As the world's economies struggle, the federal government has considered various options to boost local businesses and sectors hardest hit by the novel COVID-19—including airlines. In December, Congress passed a biodiesel tax credit extension, benefiting a few qualified producers of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). This tax credit, however, expires in 2022.As airlines and biofuel companies across the country—many in rural communities—look to get back to normal following the COVID-19 outbreak, a long-term tax credit specifically for SAF production would significantly help in speeding up efforts. The tax credit would also put the country on a sustainable path forward as we look to reignite our economy. Further, if Congress requires airlines to reduce emissions in return for support, SAF must be part of those requirements to assist biofuel producers.Fortunately, thanks to biotechnology, both the sustainable fuels and biobased manufacturing sectors are agile and finding impactful ways to help in this crisis. Crops normally marked for biofuel production are now being used by producers to make alcohol for hand sanitizer. And using biotechnology, companies are creating renewable chemicals and enzymes more efficiently to develop cleaning products for medical devices.The priority for the foreseeable future across sectors, in Congress and States, will be protecting the U.S. population from the COVID-19 outbreak. But it is important that policies to address this and possible future outbreaks also address the impact of fuels pollution and the ability of the industrial biotech sector to help protect the nation's health.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited byIT-Enabled Sustainable Innovation and the Global Digital Divides30 August 2021 | Sustainability, Vol. 13, No. 17 Volume 16Issue 2Apr 2020 InformationCopyright 2020, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishersTo cite this article:Stephanie Batchelor.Biotech Plays Critical Role in Protecting Against Coronavirus Outbreak.Industrial Biotechnology.Apr 2020.43-43.http://doi.org/10.1089/ind.2020.29207.sbaPublished in Volume: 16 Issue 2: April 17, 2020Online Ahead of Print:March 27, 2020PDF download