Manufacturing & Services' Sustainable Manufacturing Initiative; Update, 104-106 [E9-31188]
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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 1 / Monday, January 4, 2010 / Notices
DOC
Case No.
ITC
Case No.
Country
Product
A–533–840 ...
731–TA–1066
India .........................
Frozen Warmwater Shrimp ........................
A–549–822 ...
731–TA–1067
Thailand ...................
Frozen Warmwater Shrimp ........................
A–552–802 ...
731–TA–1068
Vietnam ....................
Frozen Warmwater Shrimp ........................
pwalker on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES
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As a courtesy, we are making
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proceedings, including copies of the
pertinent statute and Department’s
regulations, the Department schedule
for Sunset Reviews, a listing of past
revocations and continuations, and
current service lists, available to the
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Web site at the following address:
https://ia.ita.doc.gov/sunset/. All
submissions in these Sunset Reviews
must be filed in accordance with the
Department’s regulations regarding
format, translation, service, and
certification of documents. These rules
can be found at 19 CFR 351.303.
Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.103(c), the
Department will maintain and make
available a service list for these
proceedings. To facilitate the timely
preparation of the service list(s), it is
requested that those seeking recognition
as interested parties to a proceeding
contact the Department in writing
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Because deadlines in Sunset Reviews
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Information Required From Interested
Parties
Domestic interested parties defined in
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the Act and 19 CFR 351.102(b) wishing
to participate in a Sunset Review must
respond not later than 15 days after the
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Register of this notice of initiation by
filing a notice of intent to participate.
The required contents of the notice of
intent to participate are set forth at 19
CFR 351.218(d)(1)(ii). In accordance
with the Department’s regulations, if we
do not receive a notice of intent to
VerDate Nov<24>2008
17:11 Dec 31, 2009
Jkt 220001
Department contact
participate from at least one domestic
interested party by the 15-day deadline,
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revoke the order without further review.
See 19 CFR 351.218(d)(1)(iii).
If we receive an order-specific notice
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interested party, the Department’s
regulations provide that all parties
wishing to participate in the Sunset
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Register of this notice of initiation. The
required contents of a substantive
response, on an order-specific basis, are
set forth at 19 CFR 351.218(d)(3). Note
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parties. Also, note that the Department’s
information requirements are distinct
from the Commission’s information
requirements. Please consult the
Department’s regulations for
information regarding the Department’s
conduct of Sunset Reviews.1 Please
consult the Department’s regulations at
19 CFR Part 351 for definitions of terms
and for other general information
concerning antidumping and
countervailing duty proceedings at the
Department.
This notice of initiation is being
published in accordance with section
751(c) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.218(c).
Dated: December 18, 2009.
John M. Andersen,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, for
Antidumping and Countervailing Duty
Operations.
[FR Doc. E9–31177 Filed 12–31–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P
1 In comments made on the interim final sunset
regulations, a number of parties stated that the
proposed five-day period for rebuttals to
substantive responses to a notice of initiation was
insufficient. This requirement was retained in the
final sunset regulations at 19 CFR 351.218(d)(4). As
provided in 19 CFR 351.302(b), however, the
Department will consider individual requests to
extend that five-day deadline based upon a showing
of good cause.
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Brandon Farlander
(202) 482–0182
Brandon Farlander
(202) 482–0182
Brandon Farlander
(202) 482–0182
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
Manufacturing & Services’ Sustainable
Manufacturing Initiative; Update
ACTION: Notice and request for input on
proposed new areas of work for the
Sustainable Manufacturing Initiative
which could include a series of events
nationwide.
SUMMARY: The International Trade
Administration’s (ITA) Manufacturing &
Services Unit held a Sustainability and
U.S. Competitiveness Summit on
October 8, 2009. Manufacturing &
Services is notifying the public of
outcomes of this summit and requesting
input on next steps.
DATES: Submit comments no later than
30 days after publication date of this
notice.
ADDRESSES: Address all comments
concerning this notice to the
Sustainable Manufacturing Initiative,
U.S. Department of Commerce, Room
2213, 1401 Constitution Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20230 (or via the
Internet at susmanuf@mail.doc.gov).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
William McElnea, Manufacturing &
Services’ Office of Trade Policy
Analysis, 202–482–2831.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: ITA’s
Manufacturing and Services (MAS) unit
received a great deal of constructive
feedback from individual U.S. firms at
its October 8, 2009 Sustainability and
U.S. Competitiveness Summit. More
than 120 representatives from private
industry, industry associations, nongovernmental organizations, academia
and major federal agencies attended the
all-day event to: (1) Discuss the
accomplishments of the Department’s
Sustainable Manufacturing Initiative
(SMI); (2) discuss the sustainable
manufacturing-related challenges facing
U.S. industry; and (3) identify possible
areas of future SMI work.
Individual participants indicated that
the U.S. government must remain
engaged in the area of sustainable
business in order to help increase
American competitiveness through
implementation of manufacturing and
E:\FR\FM\04JAN1.SGM
04JAN1
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 1 / Monday, January 4, 2010 / Notices
services practices that are cost-effective
and environmentally sound. MAS has
formulated tentative ‘‘next steps’’ based
in part on the individual feedback
received at the Summit and feedback
from public and private sector
stakeholders that the agency continues
to receive. As the Department moves
forward in this arena in collaboration
with other relevant federal government
agencies, it will keep in mind several
over-arching issues voiced at the
Summit:
• In these tough economic times, U.S.
companies need easy access to federal
programs and resources that can help
them stay in business and maintain
profitability;
• There is a need for constant
evaluation and engagement with
stakeholders on what constitutes the
most appropriate role for the federal
government in addressing U.S.
industry’s sustainability needs and
challenges (e.g., facilitation vs. direct
action);
• Stakeholders face general
uncertainty, unease, and in some cases
confusion regarding all of the competing
sustainability-related product and
process information, data, metrics and
standards (domestic and international);
and,
• There is a desire for a common
sustainability ‘‘language’’ and
framework to increase interoperability
between firms and industries.
Taking into account individual
feedback received at the Summit, the
input Commerce continues to receive,
and being mindful of the over-arching
issues above, MAS proposes the
following tentative ‘‘next steps’’ to
address U.S. industry’s sustainability
needs:
pwalker on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES
1. Expanding Outreach of Commerce
and U.S. Government Resources That
Support Sustainable Business
Phase 1 of MAS’s Sustainable
Business Clearinghouse design and
operability is complete. Accessed here,
www.manufacturing.gov/sustainability,
the Clearinghouse currently contains
links to all major federal government
programs that support sustainable
business.
Next Steps: MAS will implement
Phase 2 which involves inclusion of
state-level information in the
Clearinghouse, coupled with a more
aggressive industry outreach plan aimed
at widely advertising both the
Clearinghouse and its many programs to
U.S. firms across the country.
VerDate Nov<24>2008
17:11 Dec 31, 2009
Jkt 220001
2. Utilizing the Sustainable
Manufacturing American Regional
Tours (SMART) Model To Achieve
Greater Industry Specificity
The SMART program has been
effective at closing the familiarity gap
among U.S. manufacturers on the
benefits of sustainable manufacturing
and business practices. To date, five
SMARTs have been held across the
country (St. Louis, MO; Grand Rapids,
MI; Rochester, NY; Seattle, WA; and
Columbus, OH) in which over 100
companies have learned first-hand
about the cost-effectiveness of greater
natural resource efficiency and waste
minimization. The SMI team proposes
to utilize this model to accomplish
greater industry specificity.
Next Steps: Commerce will hold
industry-specific SMARTs and facilitate
industry discussions via SMART-like
events that identify specific
sustainability challenges in a selected
sector as well as ways to address these
challenges.
3. The Creation of Metrics for
Sustainable Manufacturing
The SMI team’s primary effort on
metrics for sustainable manufacturing is
focusing on a Commerce-initiated study
in the Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development (OECD)
that will result in a ‘‘toolkit’’ of metrics
for companies to use to help them assess
and then measure the benefits of
implementing sustainable
manufacturing practices. Commerce has
been working to ensure this study will
result in a toolkit that is useful to both
large and small U.S. companies. The
study has entered its final phase and the
U.S. government is optimistic that the
toolkit will be ready for use sometime
in 2010.
Next Steps: Commerce will
successfully guide completion of the
OECD study through active
participation in the Advisory Expert
Group. Commerce will facilitate greater
engagement with the private sector to
determine the appropriate role of the
federal government in establishing
useful, comparable sustainable
manufacturing metrics for industry.
4. Information and Analysis of
Legislation/Regulations Related to
Environment and Health
At the October 8 Summit, private
sector representatives were particularly
concerned about the potential impacts
of environment and health-related
legislation and regulations on U.S.
firms’ bottom line, but few have time to
follow the legislative or regulatory
process, or know where to find or access
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
105
information or analysis of pending
legislation or new regulations.
Next Step: MAS will work internally
as well as with other relevant federal
government agencies to publicize
legislative and regulatory information
and analyses that would enhance
private sector understanding of
potential industry and economic
impacts on business operations.
5. Sustainable Manufacturing 101
Summit participants stated that many
small-to-medium sized U.S. companies
are interested in producing
environmentally sound, healthy
products in resource-efficient ways, but
are unfamiliar with sustainable
manufacturing practices and the
potential scope of these practices.
Currently, there is a lack of resources
that provide basic information on
sustainable manufacturing in a way that
is easy to understand.
Next Step: MAS will work with its
interagency group on sustainable
manufacturing to develop an easy-tofollow ‘‘Sustainable Manufacturing 101’’
training module that companies can use
to begin the process of considering
sustainable manufacturing practices in
their own facilities. The online training
could be a companion piece to the
Clearinghouse, helping to teach basic
concepts and terminology and tying
concepts to programs and resources
available through the Clearinghouse.
6. Addressing Increased Industry
Demand for ‘‘Green’’ Skills
Summit participants expressed an
ongoing and growing need for ‘‘green’’
skills, in a variety of capacities, at the
workplace. Whether it be providing
educational opportunities to our future
engineers in the field of clean
technology development or training
opportunities to U.S. manufacturers in
the area of remanufacturing, arming the
U.S. workforce with sustainabilityrelated skills sets will be key to
maintaining our innovation-based
competitive advantage in world
markets.
Next Step: MAS will reach out to and
work with as appropriate the
Department of Labor and Department of
Education in identifying the
sustainability-related skill demands of
U.S. industry and provide input on the
various ‘‘green’’ skill-focused workforce
development and educational initiatives
launched by these agencies.
7. Conducting Sector-Specific Analyses
of U.S. Industry Sustainability
Challenges and Opportunities
To comprehensively address the
myriad challenges U.S. firms face in
E:\FR\FM\04JAN1.SGM
04JAN1
106
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 1 / Monday, January 4, 2010 / Notices
their efforts to enhance natural resource
efficiency, minimize waste, and
compete in world markets, public and
private sector stakeholders require a
better collective understanding of these
challenges and ways these can be
addressed. Thus, there is a need for
more in-depth analyses that can educate
these stakeholders on where significant
challenges and opportunities for
enhanced profitability lie.
Next Step: MAS will launch a
‘‘Sustainable Manufacturing Sector
Focus Study’’ series aimed at informing
public and private sector stakeholders
about the specific sustainability-related
challenges, ongoing efforts, and
unrealized opportunities that exist in
specific U.S. manufacturing sectors.
These studies would be designed to
provide clarity on the specific hurdles
U.S. firms are facing in their efforts to
become more resource efficient, what
firms are doing to overcome these
hurdles, potential cost-saving and valueadding opportunities that exist in a
selected sector, and unexplored areas of
public-private collaboration.
Dated: December 18, 2009.
Matthew Howard,
Office of Trade Policy Analysis.
[FR Doc. E9–31188 Filed 12–31–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DR–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XS41
Marine Mammals; File No. 87–1851–02
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; issuance of permit
amendment.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Amy Sloan or Tammy Adams, Ph.D.,
(301) 713–2289.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On
October 20, 2009, notice was published
in the Federal Register (74 FR 53719)
that a request for an amendment to
Permit No. 87–1851–01 to conduct
research on Antarctic pinnipeds had
been submitted by the above-named
applicant. The requested permit
amendment has been issued under the
authority of the Marine Mammal
Protection Act of 1972, as amended (16
U.S.C. 1361 et seq.), and the regulations
governing the taking and importing of
marine mammals (50 CFR part 216).
Permit No. 87–1851–02 authorizes the
permit holder to expand the geographic
range where research is conducted in
Antarctica to include the Ross Sea, and
to increase the number of Weddell seals
(Leptonychotes weddellii) captured,
sedated, tagged, and sampled from 10
animals per year to 40 animals per year.
Permit No. 87–1851–02 expires on
January 31, 2012.
In compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), a final
determination has been made that the
activity proposed is categorically
excluded from the requirement to
prepare an environmental assessment or
environmental impact statement.
Dated: December 28, 2009.
P. Michael Payne,
Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education
Division, Office of Protected Resources,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9–31191 Filed 12–31–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–S
AGENCY:
Notice is hereby given that
Daniel P. Costa, Ph.D., University of
California at Santa Cruz, Long Marine
Laboratory, 100 Shaffer Road, Santa
Cruz, CA has been issued a major
amendment to Permit No. 87–1851–01.
ADDRESSES: The permit amendment and
related documents are available for
review upon written request or by
appointment in the following office(s):
Permits, Conservation and Education
Division, Office of Protected Resources,
NMFS, 1315 East-West Highway, Room
13705, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone
(301)713–2289; fax (301) 713–0376; and
Southwest Region, NMFS, 501 West
Ocean Blvd., Suite 4200, Long Beach,
CA 90802–4213; phone (562) 980–4001;
fax (562) 980–4018.
pwalker on DSK8KYBLC1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Nov<24>2008
17:11 Dec 31, 2009
Jkt 220001
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and
Technology
Visiting Committee on Advanced
Technology
AGENCY: National Institute of Standards
and Technology, Department of
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Federal
Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C.,
App.), notice is hereby given that the
Visiting Committee on Advanced
Technology (VCAT), National Institute
of Standards and Technology (NIST),
will meet Tuesday, February 2, 2010,
from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and
Wednesday, February 3, 2010, from 8:30
a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The Visiting
Committee on Advanced Technology is
composed of fifteen members appointed
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
by the Director of NIST who are eminent
in such fields as business, research, new
product development, engineering,
labor, education, management
consulting, environment, and
international relations.
The purpose of this meeting is to
review and make recommendations
regarding general policy for the
Institute, its organization, its budget,
and its programs within the framework
of applicable national policies as set
forth by the President and the Congress.
The agenda will include an update on
NIST, a presentation on the
strengthened NIST role in documentary
standards, an overview of the NIST
organizational structure, a discussion on
future VCAT meeting topics,
preparation and feedback sessions on
draft recommendations for the 2009
VCAT Annual Report, and laboratory
tours. The agenda may change to
accommodate Committee business. The
final agenda will be posted on the NIST
Web site at https://www.nist.gov/
director/vcat/agenda.htm.
DATES: The VCAT will meet on
Tuesday, February 2, 2010, from 8:30
a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesday, February
3, 2010, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in
the Portrait Room, Administration
Building, at NIST, Gaithersburg,
Maryland. Please note admittance
instructions under the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section of this notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Stephanie Shaw, Visiting Committee on
Advanced Technology, National
Institute of Standards and Technology,
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899–1060,
telephone number (301) 975–2667. Ms.
Shaw’s e-mail address is
stephanie.shaw@nist.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Individuals and representatives of
organizations who would like to offer
comments and suggestions related to the
Committee’s affairs are invited to
request a place on the agenda. On
February 2, 2010, approximately onehalf hour will be reserved in the
afternoon for public comments, and
speaking times will be assigned on a
first-come, first-serve basis. The amount
of time per speaker will be determined
by the number of requests received, but
is likely to be about 3 minutes each. The
exact time for public comments will be
included in the final agenda that will be
posted on the NIST Web site at https://
www.nist.gov/director/vcat/agenda.htm.
Questions from the public will not be
considered during this period. Speakers
who wish to expand upon their oral
statements, those who had wished to
speak but could not be accommodated
E:\FR\FM\04JAN1.SGM
04JAN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 1 (Monday, January 4, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 104-106]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-31188]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
Manufacturing & Services' Sustainable Manufacturing Initiative;
Update
ACTION: Notice and request for input on proposed new areas of work for
the Sustainable Manufacturing Initiative which could include a series
of events nationwide.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The International Trade Administration's (ITA) Manufacturing &
Services Unit held a Sustainability and U.S. Competitiveness Summit on
October 8, 2009. Manufacturing & Services is notifying the public of
outcomes of this summit and requesting input on next steps.
DATES: Submit comments no later than 30 days after publication date of
this notice.
ADDRESSES: Address all comments concerning this notice to the
Sustainable Manufacturing Initiative, U.S. Department of Commerce, Room
2213, 1401 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the
Internet at susmanuf@mail.doc.gov).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William McElnea, Manufacturing &
Services' Office of Trade Policy Analysis, 202-482-2831.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: ITA's Manufacturing and Services (MAS) unit
received a great deal of constructive feedback from individual U.S.
firms at its October 8, 2009 Sustainability and U.S. Competitiveness
Summit. More than 120 representatives from private industry, industry
associations, non-governmental organizations, academia and major
federal agencies attended the all-day event to: (1) Discuss the
accomplishments of the Department's Sustainable Manufacturing
Initiative (SMI); (2) discuss the sustainable manufacturing-related
challenges facing U.S. industry; and (3) identify possible areas of
future SMI work.
Individual participants indicated that the U.S. government must
remain engaged in the area of sustainable business in order to help
increase American competitiveness through implementation of
manufacturing and
[[Page 105]]
services practices that are cost-effective and environmentally sound.
MAS has formulated tentative ``next steps'' based in part on the
individual feedback received at the Summit and feedback from public and
private sector stakeholders that the agency continues to receive. As
the Department moves forward in this arena in collaboration with other
relevant federal government agencies, it will keep in mind several
over-arching issues voiced at the Summit:
In these tough economic times, U.S. companies need easy
access to federal programs and resources that can help them stay in
business and maintain profitability;
There is a need for constant evaluation and engagement
with stakeholders on what constitutes the most appropriate role for the
federal government in addressing U.S. industry's sustainability needs
and challenges (e.g., facilitation vs. direct action);
Stakeholders face general uncertainty, unease, and in some
cases confusion regarding all of the competing sustainability-related
product and process information, data, metrics and standards (domestic
and international); and,
There is a desire for a common sustainability ``language''
and framework to increase interoperability between firms and
industries.
Taking into account individual feedback received at the Summit, the
input Commerce continues to receive, and being mindful of the over-
arching issues above, MAS proposes the following tentative ``next
steps'' to address U.S. industry's sustainability needs:
1. Expanding Outreach of Commerce and U.S. Government Resources That
Support Sustainable Business
Phase 1 of MAS's Sustainable Business Clearinghouse design and
operability is complete. Accessed here, www.manufacturing.gov/sustainability, the Clearinghouse currently contains links to all major
federal government programs that support sustainable business.
Next Steps: MAS will implement Phase 2 which involves inclusion of
state-level information in the Clearinghouse, coupled with a more
aggressive industry outreach plan aimed at widely advertising both the
Clearinghouse and its many programs to U.S. firms across the country.
2. Utilizing the Sustainable Manufacturing American Regional Tours
(SMART) Model To Achieve Greater Industry Specificity
The SMART program has been effective at closing the familiarity gap
among U.S. manufacturers on the benefits of sustainable manufacturing
and business practices. To date, five SMARTs have been held across the
country (St. Louis, MO; Grand Rapids, MI; Rochester, NY; Seattle, WA;
and Columbus, OH) in which over 100 companies have learned first-hand
about the cost-effectiveness of greater natural resource efficiency and
waste minimization. The SMI team proposes to utilize this model to
accomplish greater industry specificity.
Next Steps: Commerce will hold industry-specific SMARTs and
facilitate industry discussions via SMART-like events that identify
specific sustainability challenges in a selected sector as well as ways
to address these challenges.
3. The Creation of Metrics for Sustainable Manufacturing
The SMI team's primary effort on metrics for sustainable
manufacturing is focusing on a Commerce-initiated study in the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) that will
result in a ``toolkit'' of metrics for companies to use to help them
assess and then measure the benefits of implementing sustainable
manufacturing practices. Commerce has been working to ensure this study
will result in a toolkit that is useful to both large and small U.S.
companies. The study has entered its final phase and the U.S.
government is optimistic that the toolkit will be ready for use
sometime in 2010.
Next Steps: Commerce will successfully guide completion of the OECD
study through active participation in the Advisory Expert Group.
Commerce will facilitate greater engagement with the private sector to
determine the appropriate role of the federal government in
establishing useful, comparable sustainable manufacturing metrics for
industry.
4. Information and Analysis of Legislation/Regulations Related to
Environment and Health
At the October 8 Summit, private sector representatives were
particularly concerned about the potential impacts of environment and
health-related legislation and regulations on U.S. firms' bottom line,
but few have time to follow the legislative or regulatory process, or
know where to find or access information or analysis of pending
legislation or new regulations.
Next Step: MAS will work internally as well as with other relevant
federal government agencies to publicize legislative and regulatory
information and analyses that would enhance private sector
understanding of potential industry and economic impacts on business
operations.
5. Sustainable Manufacturing 101
Summit participants stated that many small-to-medium sized U.S.
companies are interested in producing environmentally sound, healthy
products in resource-efficient ways, but are unfamiliar with
sustainable manufacturing practices and the potential scope of these
practices. Currently, there is a lack of resources that provide basic
information on sustainable manufacturing in a way that is easy to
understand.
Next Step: MAS will work with its interagency group on sustainable
manufacturing to develop an easy-to-follow ``Sustainable Manufacturing
101'' training module that companies can use to begin the process of
considering sustainable manufacturing practices in their own
facilities. The online training could be a companion piece to the
Clearinghouse, helping to teach basic concepts and terminology and
tying concepts to programs and resources available through the
Clearinghouse.
6. Addressing Increased Industry Demand for ``Green'' Skills
Summit participants expressed an ongoing and growing need for
``green'' skills, in a variety of capacities, at the workplace. Whether
it be providing educational opportunities to our future engineers in
the field of clean technology development or training opportunities to
U.S. manufacturers in the area of remanufacturing, arming the U.S.
workforce with sustainability-related skills sets will be key to
maintaining our innovation-based competitive advantage in world
markets.
Next Step: MAS will reach out to and work with as appropriate the
Department of Labor and Department of Education in identifying the
sustainability-related skill demands of U.S. industry and provide input
on the various ``green'' skill-focused workforce development and
educational initiatives launched by these agencies.
7. Conducting Sector-Specific Analyses of U.S. Industry Sustainability
Challenges and Opportunities
To comprehensively address the myriad challenges U.S. firms face in
[[Page 106]]
their efforts to enhance natural resource efficiency, minimize waste,
and compete in world markets, public and private sector stakeholders
require a better collective understanding of these challenges and ways
these can be addressed. Thus, there is a need for more in-depth
analyses that can educate these stakeholders on where significant
challenges and opportunities for enhanced profitability lie.
Next Step: MAS will launch a ``Sustainable Manufacturing Sector
Focus Study'' series aimed at informing public and private sector
stakeholders about the specific sustainability-related challenges,
ongoing efforts, and unrealized opportunities that exist in specific
U.S. manufacturing sectors. These studies would be designed to provide
clarity on the specific hurdles U.S. firms are facing in their efforts
to become more resource efficient, what firms are doing to overcome
these hurdles, potential cost-saving and value-adding opportunities
that exist in a selected sector, and unexplored areas of public-private
collaboration.
Dated: December 18, 2009.
Matthew Howard,
Office of Trade Policy Analysis.
[FR Doc. E9-31188 Filed 12-31-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DR-P