[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 20 (Monday, February 1, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5033-5034]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-2039]
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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. 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: http://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 http://conferences.ucr.edu/Resources/Directions and a map of the UCA Riverside
campus is accessible at http://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 [email protected] 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. [email protected].
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