Office of Energy Policy and New Uses – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is proposing to amend the Guidelines for Designating Biobased Products for Federal Procurement (Guidelines) to add 14 sections that will designate the following items within which biobased products would be afforded Federal procurement preference: Animal repellents; bath products; bioremediation materials; compost activators and accelerators; concrete and asphalt cleaners; cuts, burns, and abrasions ointments; dishwashing products; erosion control materials; floor cleaners and protectors; hair care products; interior paints and coatings; oven and grill cleaners; slide way lubricants; and thermal shipping containers. USDA is also proposing minimum biobased contents for each of these items.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is proposing to amend the Guidelines for Designating Biobased Products for Federal Procurement (Guidelines) to add nine sections that will designate the following items within which biobased products would be afforded Federal procurement preference: Disposable tableware; expanded polystyrene foam recycling products; heat transfer fluids; ink removers and cleaners; mulch and compost materials; multipurpose lubricants; office paper; topical pain relief products; and turbine drip oils. USDA is also proposing minimum biobased contents for each of these items.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is proposing to amend the Guidelines for Designating Biobased Products for Federal Procurement, by adding nine sections to designate the following nine items within which biobased products would be afforded Federal procurement preference: Chain and cable lubricants; corrosion preventatives; food cleaners; forming lubricants; gear lubricants; general purpose household cleaners; industrial cleaners; multipurpose cleaners; and parts wash solutions. USDA also is proposing minimum biobased content for each of these items.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is amending the guidelines for designating biobased products for Federal procurement, to add ten sections to designate items, including subcategories, within which biobased products will be afforded Federal procurement preference, as provided for under section 9002 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002. USDA also is establishing a minimum biobased content for each of these items and subcategories.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is amending 7 CFR part 2902, Guidelines for Designating Biobased Products for Federal Procurement, to establish the effective date by which procuring agencies must give a procurement preference for qualifying biobased water tank coatings and bedding, bed linens, and towels. These two items were designated for procurement preference in a final rule published by USDA on March 16, 2006 (71 FR 13686). At that time, however, the effective date by which procuring agencies were required to give these two designated items procurement preference was deferred until such time that additional manufacturers of products within these designated items were identified. This final rule announces that additional manufacturers have been identified for each item and establishes the effective date by which procuring agencies must give these two designated items procurement preference.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is proposing to amend 7 CFR part 2902, Guidelines for Designating Biobased Products for Federal Procurement, to add 10 sections to designate the following 10 items within which biobased products would be afforded Federal procurement preference, as provided for under section 9002 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002: Adhesive and mastic removers; insulating foam for wall construction; hand cleaners and sanitizers; composite panels; fluid-filled transformers; biodegradable containers; fertilizers; metalworking fluids; sorbents; and graffiti and grease removers. USDA also is proposing minimum biobased content for each of these items. Once USDA designates an item, procuring agencies are required generally to purchase biobased products within these designated items where the purchase price of the procurement item exceeds $10,000 or where the quantity of such items or the functionally equivalent items purchased over the preceding fiscal year equaled $10,000 or more.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is amending 7 CFR part 2902, Guidelines for Designating Biobased Products for Federal Procurement, to add six sections to designate the following six items within which biobased products will be afforded Federal procurement preference, as provided for under section 9002 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002: Mobile equipment hydraulic fluids; roof coatings; water tank coatings; diesel fuel additives; penetrating lubricants; and bedding, bed linens, and towels. USDA also is establishing minimum biobased content for each of these items. Once USDA designates an item, procuring agencies are required generally to purchase biobased products within these designated items where the purchase price of the procurement item exceeds $10,000 or where the quantity of such items or of functionally equivalent items purchased over the preceding fiscal year equaled $10,000 or more. However, USDA is deferring the effective date for two items (water tank coatings and bedding, bed linens, and towels) until such time that more than one manufacturer of products in these two items is identified. USDA additionally is revising section 2902.2 to add definitions for ``biodegradability,'' ``EPA-designated recovered content product,'' and ``functional unit'' and section 2902.8 to adopt applicable ASTM International performance tests to verify biodegradability.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is establishing guidelines for designating items made from biobased products that will be afforded Federal procurement preference, as required under section 9002 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002.