[Federal Register: July 14, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 133)]
[Notices]
[Page 33998]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14jy09-38]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
Sponsoring ``Sustainability and U.S. Competitiveness Summit'' for
U.S. Stakeholders; Request for Comments and Interest in Attendance
ACTION: Notice and request for comments and interest in attendance.
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SUMMARY: The International Trade Administration's Manufacturing and
Services unit will sponsor a ``Sustainability and U.S. Competitiveness
Summit'' on October 8, 2009 at the U.S. Department of Commerce. The
Summit will be aimed at enhancing public-private interaction in the
field of sustainable manufacturing and other related business
practices. This notice (1) seeks input from individual U.S.
stakeholders on areas of interest for discussion at the proposed
``Summit'' and (2) solicits requests to participate in the Summit from
U.S. stakeholders.
DATES: Submit comments and requests to participate no later than 30
days after the date of this notice.
ADDRESSES: Address all comments concerning this notice and requests to
participate to Bill McElnea, 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: Bill McElnea, 202-482-2831.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The ``Sustainability and U.S.
Competitiveness Summit'' is sponsored by the Department of Commerce's
Sustainable Manufacturing Initiative (SMI). Commerce's SMI is dedicated
to supporting and promoting sustainable manufacturing practices, across
all industry sectors, in the United States. The groundwork for the SMI
was developed at an initial stakeholders' event in September 2007 on
sustainable manufacturing sponsored by Commerce's Manufacturing and
Services (MAS) unit. That event focused on two primary questions which
remain central to the SMI mission: (1) What are U.S. industry's most
pressing sustainable manufacturing-related challenges? and (2) how can
the public and private sectors best work together to address these
challenges? MAS considered the individual stakeholder input received at
that event in the formulation of the SMI's four major project areas:
(1) Creating a Subgroup on Sustainable Manufacturing as part of the
Interagency Working Group on Manufacturing Competitiveness; (2)
developing a comprehensive clearinghouse of USG programs and resources
that support sustainable business practices; (3) conducting a series of
regional facility tours of sustainable manufacturing leaders across the
U.S. (formerly referred to as Sustainable Manufacturing American
Regional Tours or SMARTs) and; (4) leading an effort with the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development to establish
sector-specific sustainable manufacturing metrics. For more information
about the SMI and its projects, please see: www.manufacturing.gov/
sustainability.
The ``Sustainability and U.S. Competitiveness Summit'' is being
designed with two main objectives in mind: (1) Reporting back to
stakeholders on SMI projects completed since the September 2007 event,
and (2) obtaining a second round of feedback from individual U.S.
stakeholders regarding the present utility of the SMI and how it might
evolve to meet the current and future needs of the U.S. manufacturing
sector and broader business community.
Regarding the second objective of the Summit, topic areas that
could be discussed include, but are not limited to: ``Green supply
chain'' challenges, regulatory compliance, the future nexus between
U.S. competitiveness and environmental stewardship, how the SMI can
support U.S. service providers in their sustainability efforts or
incorporate their challenges and needs under the SMI mandate, and
identifying U.S. regions where Commerce could conduct future regional
facility tours similar to those held in 2008 and the Sustainability 360
event to be held July 13, 2009 in Seattle, Washington.
In preparation for the proposed event, MAS is requesting feedback
from individual U.S. stakeholders on the following:
SMI policies and projects that have worked well and that
should be continued;
Topic areas of interest to U.S. businesses with regard to
sustainable manufacturing or other sustainable business issues which
the SMI has not yet addressed.
Due to logistical constraints, the Summit will be limited to
approximately eighty to eighty-five non-government participants. MAS's
goal is that the Summit will present a diverse group of attendees in
terms of affiliation, size, geographical base, and particular
manufacturing sector. MAS encourages the participation of
representatives of trade associations, U.S. businesses, academia, and
other relevant U.S. entities that have a strategic interest in
sustainable manufacturing as it relates to U.S. industry
competitiveness. MAS will consider whether or not the requesting
individual is from an association, organization or institution that
maintains a substantial U.S. manufacturer member base and is well
positioned to represent the views of small, medium and large size U.S.
manufacturers in specific industry sectors. Finally, MAS invites the
participation of members of the Secretary of Commerce's Manufacturing
Council and individuals who participated in or attended a regional
facility tour in 2008 or a Sustainability 360 event in 2009.
Persons who express an interest in attending the Summit may, if
they wish, provide information on their business or organization and
why they believe they could make a useful contribution to this event.
MAS's decisions may also be based, in part, on publicly available
information about the applicants.
Dated: July 8, 2009.
Bill McElnea,
International Economist, Office of Trade Policy Analysis, Certifying
Officer, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.
[FR Doc. E9-16592 Filed 7-13-09; 8:45 am]
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