[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 50 (Tuesday, March 16, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12492-12493]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-5681]


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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. 75, No. 50 / Tuesday, March 16, 2010 / 
Notices  

[[Page 12492]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE


Departmental Management; Public Meeting on BioPreferred\SM\ 
Intermediate Material and Feedstock Product Designation

AGENCY: Departmental Management, Office of Procurement and Property 
Management.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will hold a public 
meeting on April 1, 2010, for interested stakeholders to discuss the 
issue of intermediate material and feedstock (IMF) products that 
contain biobased materials. Intermediate materials and feedstocks 
represent those products frequently sold business to business, where 
the receiving business will use the product in some subsequent 
production or finishing cycle of a finished product. An example of an 
IMF product is a biobased plastic resin that can be used to produce 
fibers for fabrics, films for packaging and disposable cutlery.
    This issue pertains to the designation by USDA of biobased products 
for a Federal Procurement preference, as mandated by the 2008 Farm 
Bill.
    Speakers will include representatives from General Services Agency 
(GSA), Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), and a former government 
procurement official.

DATES:  April 1, 2010, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. (CST).

MEETING LOCATION: Iowa State University--Scheman Building at the 
intersection of University Boulevard and Lincoln Way, Ames, Iowa 50011.
    Pre-registration for the public meeting on April 1, 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: https://www.ucs.iastate.edu/mnet/biopreferred/sessionregister.html and state whether or not you wish to 
be recognized to make a formal presentation. The meeting is free of 
charge.
    Directions to the Iowa State Center may be found at http://www.center.iastate.edu/newsite/guests/maps.asp and a map of the Iowa 
State University campus is accessible at http://www.fpm.iastate.edu/maps . The Scheman building is located just west of the Hilton Coliseum 
and north of the Jack Trice Stadium on the Campus Map. Parking for the 
event will be in Lots B1 and C1 just north of the building. The parking 
is free.
    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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ron Buckhalt, BioPreferred Manager, 
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Procurement and Property 
Management, 361 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 BioPreferred\SM\ 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 second meeting, held in February in 
Riverside, CA addressed the designation of complex assembly products 
under the BioPreferred program.
    The purpose of the April 1, 2010, meeting, which is the third of 
the three meetings, will be to stimulate discussion and gather input 
from stakeholders on how USDA can effectively implement the designation 
of intermediate material and feedstock products for Federal preferred 
procurement status under the BioPreferred program as required by the 
2008 Farm Bill.
    Under the current Guidelines, USDA designates ``finished'' products 
by collecting information on available biobased products, 
manufacturers, and distributors to determine potential product 
categories and 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 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, the Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA), and 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 intermediate material 
and feedstock products and their role in designating biobased products 
for Federal procurement.
    These questions include:
     How should intermediate products be defined?
     The proposed rule for the Voluntary Labeling Program 
states that intermediate products and feedstocks do not include raw 
agricultural and forestry materials. How should ``raw agricultural 
materials'' be defined?
     What types of intermediate products should be included, 
and how should they be categorized?

[[Page 12493]]

     What entities are best positioned to help define the 
possible categories?
     How should the designation of intermediate ingredients and 
feedstocks be organized?
     What categories of intermediate ingredients/feedstocks 
currently have the greatest potential to expand product eligibility for 
the BioPreferred program, and what high-impact categories might be 
expected to emerge over the next five years?
     What should be the minimum allowable biobased content for 
intermediate products and feed stocks?
     What information should be provided to assist purchasing 
decision makers?
     Will federal procurement agencies ever purchase 
intermediate ingredients, or will they be purchasing only end-use 
products?
     What are the potential obstacles to designating 
intermediate products and ingredients for preferred procurement status?

    Dated: March 10, 2010.
Pearlie S. Reed,
Assistant Secretary for Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
[FR Doc. 2010-5681 Filed 3-15-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P