South Carolina Democratic Leaders Call on Presidential Candidates to Address Our Nation's Bioeconomy

COLUMBIA, S.C., Feb. 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With the polls opening in less than 24 hours for the South Carolina Primary, rural Democratic leaders are calling on presidential candidates to address a critical issue in their closing statements – our nation's bioeconomy. Not only is the bioeconomy critical for our rural communities, it's leading the fight to address climate change.

Read the letter below:  

We've heard quite a bit from our presidential candidates about their plans to address climate change, ready our workforce for the next generation of jobs, and strengthen our rural communities. We appreciate their deep commitment to these issues and would be interested in hearing more of their thoughts on one way to address all of these concerns at once by supporting our nation's bioeconomy.

Replacing harmful fossil fuel-based products with bio-based ones has the potential to solve a number of environmental issues. Bioplastics and other bioproducts can help cut down on the amount of waste in our landfills and oceans and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the process. Transitioning towards these types of products will go a long way towards making our economy more circular and sustainable.

This growing sector is also a huge driver of jobs and economic development, especially in rural and agricultural communities. It creates additional demand for corn, soybeans, and other crops grown right here in South Carolina, opening up new streams of revenue for our farmers, and supports new jobs in manufacturing and technology. These opportunities can help power a new and brighter future for our state, all while helping to protect our planet. 

The bioeconomy already adds more than $4 billion to South Carolina's economy and has great potential to grow. The possibilities of the bioeconomy are enormous, and well worth our efforts to build upon the foundation we already have. 

Clearly, the more Democratic candidates for president talk about these issues, the more they open the door to winning over rural voters. We urge the candidates to lean into the importance of the bioeconomy in their closing statements to voters in our state and throughout the 2020 election. 

Debra Barley
Chair, Edgefield County Democratic Party

Deborah Smith
Chair, Georgetown County Democratic Party

Deon Taylor
Chair, Marion County Democratic Party

Kenneth Glover
Chair, Orangeburg County Democratic Party

SOURCE South Carolina Rural Democratic County Leaders