[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 133 (Tuesday, July 14, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 33998]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-16592]


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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 [email protected]).

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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