[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
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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 
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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