Departmental Management; Public meeting on BioPreferredSM, 5033-5034 [2010-2039]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 20 (Monday, February 1, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5033-5034]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-2039]


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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 20 / Monday, February 1, 2010 / 
Notices

[[Page 5033]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE


Departmental Management; Public meeting on BioPreferred\SM\ 
Complex Products and Assemblies Designation and Industry Training on 
Selling Biobased Products to the Federal Government

AGENCY: Departmental Management, Office of Procurement and Property 
Management, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and industry training.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will hold a public 
meeting on February 24, 2010, for interested stakeholders to discuss 
the issue of complex assembly products that contain biobased materials 
and components. Complex assembly products are made of distinct 
materials and components where some or all of the components contain 
biobased materials. One example of a complex assembly product is an 
office chair where the seat cushion, fabric, seat base and plastic 
molding are produced using biobased materials.
    This issue pertains to (1) the designation USDA of biobased 
products for a Federal procurement preference, as mandated by the Food, 
Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, and (2) the potential 
implications for complex assembly products under the pending ``USDA 
Certified Biobased Product'' labeling program. Given the growing 
importance of biobased products to consumers, industry, and government, 
there is a clear need to assess the viability of complex products, and 
to do so using an agreed-upon and credible process.
    Prior to the public meeting, USDA will conduct training for 
biobased manufacturers on February 23, 2010 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. (PST) 
to provide useful information on selling biobased products to the 
Federal government. Topics will include:
    1. Using BioPreferred tools to position your business to sell or 
increase sales to the Federal government;
    2. The General Services Administration (GSA) Schedules/Programs 
(also referred to as the Multiple Award Schedules and Federal Supply 
Schedules) and GSA Advantage; and
    3. Selling products via the Department of Defense's (DOD) EMALL to 
the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), the Department of Defense's largest 
logistics combat support agency.

Speakers will include representatives from GSA, DLA, and a former 
government procurement official.

Dates

    Industry training: February 23, 2010, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. (PST)
    Public meeting: February 24, 2010, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. (PST)

Meeting Location

    University of California Riverside--The Pentland Hills Bear Cave, 
One Pentland Way, Riverside, CA 92507. Both the industry training and 
the public meeting will be at this location.
    Pre-registration for both the public meeting on February 24, 2010, 
and industry training on February 23, 2010, is not required but would 
be helpful, particularly if you wish to make a presentation. If you 
wish to register to attend the public meeting, please do so at this Web 
site: https://www.cepd.iastate.edu/biopreferred-training and state 
whether or not you wish to be recognized to make a formal presentation. 
If you wish to register to attend the industry training, please do so 
at the above Web site. Both meetings are free of charge.
    Directions to the Pentland Hills facility may be found at https://conferences.ucr.edu/Resources/Directions and a map of the UCA Riverside 
campus is accessible at https://campusmap.ucr.edu/campusMap.php. The 
Pentland Hills Bear Cave facility is 365 (pent) on the Campus 
Map. Parking for the event will be in Lot 21 at Pentland Hills. The 
parking rate is $5.00 per day.
    Those unable to attend the public meeting in person may listen to 
the meeting by calling 866-433-4616. The pass code is ``635195.'' 
Participants using the audio bridge may submit questions or comments 
during the meeting to USDABioInfo@iastate.edu or through the webinar 
itself, the exact link of which will be sent to participants via email 
after registering. The industry training on the 23rd will be available 
only to those attending in person.
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Ron Buckhalt, BioPreferred Manager, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, Office of Procurement and Property 
Management, 342 Reporters Building, 300 7th Street, SW., Washington, DC 
20024, (202) 205-4008. RonB.Buckhalt@DA.USDA.GOV.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 9002 of the Farm Security and Rural 
Investment Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-171) established a program for the 
procurement of USDA designated biobased products by Federal agencies 
and a voluntary program for the labeling of USDA certified biobased 
products. The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm 
Bill) (Pub. L. 110-246) continued these programs and made certain 
changes to the Federal procurement preference program. USDA refers to 
the procurement preference program and the voluntary labeling program 
together as the BioPreferredSM Program.
    Due to the changes mandated by the 2008 Farm Bill, and the passage 
of five years since USDA first published the Guidelines for Designated 
Biobased Products for Federal Procurement (Guidelines) (7 CFR 2902), 
USDA intends to revise the Guidelines in 2010. USDA is holding three 
public meetings to gather input from interested stakeholders on what 
should be considered when revising the Guidelines. The first meeting, 
which occurred in January in Washington, DC, addressed evaluation of 
environmental impacts associated with the manufacture, use, and 
disposal of biobased products.
    The purpose of the February 24th meeting, which is the second of 
the three meetings, is to stimulate discussion and gather input from 
stakeholders on how USDA can effectively implement the designation of 
complex assembly products for Federal preferred procurement status 
under the BioPreferred program as required by the 2008 Farm Bill. In 
addition, USDA is interested in obtaining comments on the potential 
impact of complex assembly designation on the pending ``USDA Certified 
Biobased Product'' labeling program.

[[Page 5034]]

    Under the current Guidelines, USDA designates ``finished'' products 
by collecting information on available biobased products, 
manufacturers, and distributors to determine potential product 
categories, tests products for biobased content using ASTM 
International Standard Test Methods for Determining the Biobased 
Content of Solid, Liquid, and Gaseous Samples Using Radiocarbon 
Analysis, D-6866. USDA also currently evaluates environmental and human 
health benefits and lifecycle costs of categories using the Building 
for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES) model developed by 
the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
    To set the stage before opening the forum for public comment, USDA 
has invited to the public meeting speakers from USDA and the 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as individuals from 
academia and industry who are well-versed in biobased materials, 
manufacturing and products. USDA is seeking answers to a series of 
questions about complex assembly products and their role in designating 
biobased products for Federal procurement.
    These questions include:
     How should the designation of complex assemblies be 
organized?
     Are there definable categories with similar 
characteristics and common understanding?
     What entities are best positioned to help define the 
possible categories?
     Are there categories with greater potential to further the 
goals and intent of the BioPreferred program?
     What is the minimum allowable biobased content to be 
considered biobased?
     How should biobased content be calculated?
     What information should be provided to assist purchasers?
     What are the potential obstacles to purchasing designated 
complex assemblies?
     What differences should be included in the labeling 
program as opposed to the Federal procurement preference program?
    Finally, USDA will hold a third public meeting at Iowa State 
University on April 1, 2010 to hear from interested stakeholders on how 
to designate intermediate ingredients and feedstocks that can be used 
to produce items subject to the Federal procurement preference program 
and how to automatically designate items composed of designated 
intermediate ingredients and feedstocks if the content of the 
designated intermediate ingredients and feedstocks exceeds 50 percent 
of the item (unless the Secretary determines a different composition 
percentage is appropriate). USDA will post a notice in the Federal 
Register when details are final regarding this Iowa public meeting, 
which will also have a training component.

     Done in Washington, DC, this 20th day of January 2010.
Pearlie S. Reed,
Assistant Secretary for Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
[FR Doc. 2010-2039 Filed 1-29-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P