[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 132 (Thursday, July 10, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Page 39364]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-16123]
========================================================================
Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
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
appearing in this section.
========================================================================
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 132 / Thursday, July 10, 2014 /
Notices
[[Page 39364]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Departmental Management; Public Meeting on Criteria for
Eligibility for Participation in the BioPreferred[supreg] Program
AGENCY: Departmental Management, Office of Procurement and Property
Management, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Department of Agriculture (USDA) will hold a public
meeting on August 1, 2014, beginning at 10:00 a.m. in Room 107A,
Whitten Building and lasting until all comments are heard but not later
than 5:00 p.m. for interested stakeholders to discuss the issue of
incorporating previously excluded mature market products into the
BioPreferred Program. USDA is seeking information from stakeholders on
how to evaluate products for their eligibility to participate in the
BioPreferred Program.
DATES: August 1, 2014.
Meeting Location: Room 107A, Whitten Building at the USDA, 1400
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC, 20024. Pre-registration for
the 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.biopreferred.gov and state whether
or not you wish to be recognized to make a formal presentation. The
Whitten Building is located directly across from the USDA South
Building, between 12th and 14th Streets, and Independence Avenue and
Jefferson Drive. Enter through the Jefferson Drive entrance to the
building. This is the entrance facing the National Mall.
Please have a driver's license or government issued Photo ID to
present to building security. The nearest Metro station is
``Smithsonian,'' which is located at the Northeast corner of the South
Building. Room 107-A is located on the first floor of the Whitten
Building, adjacent to the large patio in the center of the building.
Again, it is advisable that you register for the meeting even if you do
not intend to speak as this approved list will be with the guards.
Failure to register could result in your delayed entrance.
Those unable to attend the public meeting in person may listen to
the meeting by calling 800-981-3173. The pass code is ``6557''.
Participants using the audio bridge may submit questions or comments
during the meeting via [email protected] or at a webinar address,
the exact link of which will be sent to participants via email after
registering.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ron Buckhalt, BioPreferred Program
Manager, Department of Agriculture, Office of Procurement and Property
Management, Reporters Building, Room 361, 300 7th Street SW.,
Washington, DC 20024, (202) 205-4008 or via email at
[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. USDA refers to the Federal procurement preference program and
the voluntary labeling program together as the BioPreferred[supreg]
Program. The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm
Bill) (Pub. L. 110-246) and the Agricultural Act of 2014 (2014 Farm
Bill) (Pub. L. 113-79) continued the BioPreferred Program and made
changes to the procedures for its implementation.
The 2014 Farm Bill amends Section 9002 to include a directive that
the BioPreferred Program shall ``promote biobased products, including
forest products, that apply an innovative approach to growing,
harvesting, sourcing, procuring, processing, manufacturing, or
application of biobased products regardless of the date of entry into
the marketplace.'' Thus, products that were previously considered to be
mature market products (those that had a significant market share prior
to 1972) and were ineligible for the BioPreferred Program, will now be
included in the program if manufacturers demonstrate that they apply an
``innovative approach'' in the life cycle of their product. Working in
conjunction with the USDA Forest Products Laboratory, as required by
the 2014 Farm Bill (Section 9002(h)), USDA is developing a process to
evaluate the eligibility of biobased products for the BioPreferred
Program based on the use of ``innovative approaches'' within the life
cycle of the products.
USDA is holding a public meeting to gather input from interested
stakeholders on ``innovation.''
Dated: July 2, 2014.
Gregory L. Parham,
Assistant Secretary for Administration.
[FR Doc. 2014-16123 Filed 7-9-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-93-P