    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (1999, Book II)]
    [August 12, 1999]
    [Pages 1439-1440]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Memorandum on Biobased Products and Bioenergy
    August 12, 1999

    Memorandum for the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Energy,
    the Secretary of the Treasury, the Administrator of the Environmental
    Protection Agency

    Subject: Biobased Products and Bioenergy

        Today I issued an Executive Order, ``Developing and Promoting
    Biobased Products and Bioenergy,'' to further the development of a
    comprehensive national strategy that includes research, development, and
    private sector incentives to stimulate the creation and early adoption
    of technologies needed to make biobased products and bioenergy cost-
    competitive in national and international markets.
        Consistent with the objectives and activities in that order and to
    ensure that the Nation moves efficiently to exploit the benefits of
    expanded use of biobased products and bioenergy, I hereby direct as
    follows:
           (1)  The Secretaries of Agriculture and Energy, in consultation
                with other appropriate agencies, shall, within 120 days of
                this memorandum, prepare a report outlining and assessing
                options for modifying existing respective agency programs in
                fiscal year 2001 to promote biobased products and bioenergy
                with a goal of tripling U.S. use of biobased products and
                bioenergy by 2010. Programs include, among others,
                conservation and utility programs within the Department of
                Agriculture (including the Conservation Reserve Program and
                the Environmental Quality Incentives Program); technology
                assistance and other small business programs; and education
                and extension programs. The report also shall include an
                assessment of: (a) the evidence to determine whether
                modifications to the tax code are a cost-effective policy
                option for review by the Department of the Treasury; and (b)
                the potential to expand use of biobased products and
                bioenergy by Federal agencies including co-firing with
                biomass at Federal facilities, use of biofuels in Federal
                vehicles, and Federal procurement of biobased products and
                bioenergy. Such expanded use shall be consistent with agency
                opportunities and the President's budget.
           (2)  In preparing this report, the agencies shall:
                (a) work closely with the Environmental Protection Agency to
                ensure that actions recommended reflect a careful review of
                the environmental benefits, concerns, and net environmental
                consequences created by expanded use of biobased products
                and bioenergy. The factors considered should include:
                  (i) impact on net emissions of greenhouse gases including
                carbon sequestered by biomass crops, and substituting low
                net-carbon, biobased products, and bioenergy for products
                manufactured from fossil fuels; and
                  (ii) emissions of criteria pollutants and air toxics and
                other environmental consequences of production of biobased
                products and bioenergy; and
                  (iii) changes in water quality, soil erosion, pesticide
                and fertilizer use, and wildlife habitat as a consequence of
                changes in land use associated with biomass production; and,

    [[Page 1440]]

                (b) consider the findings and recommendations of the
                recently released National Academy of Sciences report
                ``Biobased Industrial Products;'' the recommendations
                contained in ``Technology Vision 2020: The U.S. Chemical
                Industry'' by the American Chemical Society, American
                Institute of Chemical Engineers, Chemical Manufacturers
                Association, Council for Chemical Research, and the
                Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association; the
                recommendations by the U.S. agricultural, forestry, and
                chemical communities from the ``Plant/Crop-based Renewable
                Resources 2020: A Vision to Enhance U.S. Economic Security
                Through Renewable Plant/Crop-Based Resource Use;'' and,
                ``Agenda 2020'' by the U.S. Forest Products Industry; and
                (c) consider input from other sources, including public-
                private strategic plans developed by the Departments of
                Agriculture and Energy, the Environmental Protection Agency,
                National Science Foundation, Department of the Interior, and
                other agencies bioenergy (power, fuels, and heat),
                commercial and industrial chemicals, and other products and
                materials.
           (3)  The Secretaries of Agriculture and Energy shall, within 120
                days of this memorandum, report on outreach efforts to raise
                the Nation's awareness of the useful applications, benefits,
                and costs of producing biobased products and bioenergy and
                adopting biobased technologies including workshops on new
                biomass crops and technologies for producing and marketing
                biobased products and bioenergy.

                                                          William J. Clinton

    Note: An original was not available for verification of the content of
    this memorandum. The Executive order of August 12 is listed in Appendix
    D at the end of this volume.