[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 240 (Wednesday, December 16, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66614-66615]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-29957]
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Notices
Federal Register
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This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 240 / Wednesday, December 16, 2009 /
Notices
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Departmental Management; Public Meeting on
BioPreferredSM Voluntary Labeling Program
AGENCY: Departmental Management, Office of Procurement and Property
Management, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will hold a public
meeting on January 5, 2010, for interested stakeholders to discuss the
issue of evaluating environmental assessment of biobased products,
including the proposed determination and use of product life cycle
assessment (LCA), as that issue pertains to (1) The designation by the
U.S. Department of Agriculture of biobased products for a Federal
procurement preference, as mandated by the 2008 Farm Bill, and (2) the
need for supplementary information about a product's environmental
aspects 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 sustainability of these products, and to do so using an agreed-upon
and credible process/procedure.
DATES: January 5, 2010, 8:30 a.m. (EST) to 1 p.m. (EST).
Meeting Location: Jefferson Auditorium, South Building, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC
20250-9911.
Pre-registration for the January 5, 2010, meeting is not required
but would be helpful, particularly if you wish to make a presentation.
If you wish to register to attend please do so at this Web site: http://www.cepd.iastate.edu/biopreferred and state whether or not you wish to
be recognized to make a formal presentation.
For security purposes and to facilitate a smooth entry into a
Federal facility, attendees may provide their names in advance, as
spelled on government issued identification, via e-mail to:
[email protected]. This list will be given to security personnel to
expedite the entry process. Additionally, attendees are encouraged to
gain entry into the building at Wing 7 on the corner of 14th Street and
Independence Avenue, SW., and will be required to present government
issued identification. (You may also enter through Wing 1 near the
Metro at 12th St. and Independence Ave. Escorts will be available to
make sure you find the Jefferson Auditorium with no difficulty.) Those
attending are advised to arrive at least 30 minutes early to pass
through security.
Those unable to attend the public meeting in person may listen to
the meeting by calling 800-857-5233. The pass code is ``USDA''.
Participants using the audio bridge may e-mail comments or questions
during the meeting to [email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office
of Procurement and Property Management, Ron Buckhalt, BioPreferred
Manager, 342 Reporters Building, 300 7th Street, SW., Washington, DC
20024, (202) 205-4008. [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 9002 of the Farm Security and Rural
Investment Act of 2002 (FSRIA) (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 BioPreferred 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. USDA is holding a series of
public meetings to gather input from interested stakeholders on what
should be considered when revising the Guidelines.
The goal of this public meeting is to gather information about the
determination and use of product life cycle assessment (LCA) as it
relates to the BioPreferred program. BioPreferred is a Federal program
that encourages the purchase and use of biobased products--those made
from biological or renewable agricultural materials. Program management
is seeking input on (1) How best to determine if biobased products are
environmentally preferable to conventional products (e.g., the optimum
process for analyzing these biological ingredients and materials) and
(2) what measures/methods other stakeholders are using to determine and
clarify this issue based on ongoing work by numerous entities in this
area.
Under the current Guidelines, USDA determines life cycle costs,
environmental and health benefits, and performance of biobased products
using Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES), an
analytic tool used to determine the environmental and health benefits
and life cycle costs of items. The U.S. Department of Commerce,
National Institute of Standards and Technology, with support from the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), developed the BEES model.
BEES measures the environmental performance of products by using
the internationally standardized and science-based life cycle
assessment approach specified in the International Organization for
Standards (ISO) 14040 standards. All stages in the life of a product
are analyzed: raw material acquisition, manufacture, transportation,
installation, use, and recycling and waste management. Biobased product
economic performance is measured using the American Society for Testing
and Materials (ASTM) standard life cycle cost method, which covers the
costs of initial investment, replacement, operation, maintenance and
repair, and disposal.
The working definition of LCA under consideration for the January
5, 2010 meeting is ``the compilation and evaluation of the inputs,
outputs, and the potential environmental impacts of a product system
throughout its life cycle, including manufacture, use, and disposal.''
LCA is one of several
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environmental management techniques (e.g., risk assessment,
environmental performance evaluation, environmental auditing, and
environmental impact assessment).
To set the stage before opening the forum for public comment, USDA
has invited to the public meeting speakers from USDA and EPA, as well
as individuals from academia and industry who are well-versed in
sustainable practices and determination and implementation of product
LCA. USDA is seeking answers to a series of questions about LCA and the
role of BEES in designating biobased products for Federal procurement.
These questions include:
How should USDA use LCA to designate categories of
biobased products for preferred Federal procurement?
Should USDA use LCA to determine which biobased/
BioPreferred products will be eligible for voluntary product labeling
and, if so, how?
Is BEES the most appropriate tool for LCA for the
BioPreferred program?
Should USDA consider a more simplified approach to
environmental assessment such as carbon footprinting rather than
multivariate analyses such as BEES?
Additionally, USDA will hold two meetings in 2010 to hear from
interested stakeholders about their input on two other subjects. The
first meeting will focus on how to designate complex biobased products.
The second meeting will address 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). One of
these two 2010 meetings will be held in Iowa and the other in
California. USDA will post notices in the Federal Register when details
are final regarding these meetings.
Done in Washington, DC, this eleventh day of December 2009.
Robin E. Heard,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration, U.S. Department of
Agriculture.
[FR Doc. E9-29957 Filed 12-15-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P