NCGA Urges Congress Improve BioPreferred Program (5-8-07)

Beyond biofuels, biobased products are part of the solution to reliance on foreign oil. The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) and five other agriculture and biofuel groups sent a letter to House and Senate leaders this week, urging improvements and revisions to the 2002 Federal Biobased Products Preferred Procurement (Biopreferred) Program.

”The reauthorization of the BioPreferred Program in the new farm bill is essential to developing new markets for biobased products, and increasing and diversifying investment opportunities in rural America and putting the U.S. on the road to relying more on a home grown, biobased economy,” the letter said.

The group is advocating a number of specific reforms, including:

*  Authority to designate intermediate ingredients and feedstocks as biobased and eligible for voluntary labeling

*  Simplify record-keeping requirements for manufacturers

*  Implementation of a voluntary labeling program, and requiring that USDA consult with other groups to develop criteria for voluntary labeling

*  Establish the position of “Assistant Secretary of Energy” within USDA

*  Create a tax credit for manufacturers that switch to biobased chemistry

*  Broaden the product groupings for biobased materials

*  Allow finished products with a biobased component to be listed as biopreferred

*  Require federal agencies to report on biobased purchases

*  Demonstration program for new products

The group also recommend a number of technical and funding changes to the program. Click here to read the entire letter.