Congressional Action Plan Released Today Incorporates Key BIO Recommendations Washington, D.C. (June 30, 2020) – Cleaner air, healthier soils, and improved human health – goals of a Congressional climate crisis action plan released today – are just a few climate change solutions made possible by biotech innovation, according to the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO). The report, “Solving the Climate Crisis: The Congressional Action Plan for a Clean Energy Economy and a Healthy, Resilient, and Just America” points to several goals made possible by biotechnology innovation, including: accelerating the use of zero-carbon energy sources; enhancing human health by reducing greenhouse gas emissions; coordination of programs in sustainable chemistry; promoting sustainable farming practices that protect soil, air, and water quality; making food crops more resilient to extreme weather such as drought; and building a durable clean energy economy. The report by the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, presented as a roadmap for a clean energy economy, adopts numerous recommendations that were contained in BIO’s comments to the committee last year on public policy measures that could help deploy biotech climate change solutions across many sectors – from transportation, to agriculture, to manufacturing. Specifically, the report calls for building off of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) with a National Low Carbon Fuels Standard, tax incentives for Sustainable Aviation Fuels, and a performance standard for chemicals, among other recommendations. The report’s recommendation for reducing petrochemical emissions can be met with the production of renewable chemicals and biobased products. “Biotech companies that develop and manufacture sustainable fuels and other biobased products are helping to decarbonize the transportation and manufacturing sectors, reducing air pollution, mitigating other harmful environmental impacts, and improving public health…

Tom DiLenge, President, Advocacy, Law and Public Policy, of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO), released the following statement regarding the prescription drug provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act (HR 1425): “More than two-and-a-half million individuals across the country have been infected by the novel coronavirus and countless more have been personally impacted by this global pandemic. At a time when biopharmaceutical companies large and small are racing to eradicate this deadly threat, this bill would punish the very innovators developing the scientific solutions we urgently need. "This pandemic has placed a bright light on the lifesaving work the men and women of the biopharmaceutical industry perform every day. Patients from around the world are looking to our scientists and researchers to solve this global health crisis and the myriad of other diseases facing patients. BIO supports reforms that will help make healthcare, including medicines, more accessible for everyone, and believes we can do so without destroying the science and innovation we are all counting on. "In recent months, we have witnessed individuals and communities across the world, and across the biotechnology industry, come together to support those in need and address this deadly pandemic. I hope our elected policymakers will follow the same approach as we look to expand access to healthcare in ways that will further advance biomedical innovation rather than stifle it.” # # #