Sustainability Issues in Biomass Feedstock Production: A Policy Perspective - Engineering and Science of Biomass Feedstock Production and Provision - page 232

must establish affi rmative procurement programs (APPs) (otherwise known as
green purchasing plans [GPPs]) for biobased products. Products qualifying under
the FAR include those covered by the EPA's Environmentally Preferable Purchasing
(EPP) guidelines and USDA's biobased program, both of which delineate what
products may qualify under their programs. The Farm Security and Rural Investment
Act of 2002 (FSRIA) established USDA as the lead agency for the federal procure-
ment of biobased products, including developing categories of qualifying “bio-
based” products.
EPA's Final Guidance on EPP is based on the goal of pollution prevention and
consideration of multiple attributes from a lifecycle perspective. The guidance
states that there is “no hierarchy that ranks which attributes or environmental
impacts are the most important,” but recovery time and geographic scale, differ-
ences between competing products, and human health are factors that agencies con-
sider [ 31 ]. Although certifi cation is not required, it is one way in which federal
offi cials can evaluate a product for qualifi cation. The guidance also maintains an
annex with a list of “environmental attributes” including ecosystem impacts and
water consumption and pollution.
USDA's Guidelines for Designating Biobased Products for Federal Procurement,
issued as part of the biobased program referenced above, on the other hand, forbid
a procuring agency from requesting more information from vendors of biobased
products than required of other vendors generally but “encourages” them to provide
information on environmental and public health benefi ts based on “industry
accepted analytical approaches such as ASTM D7075 and ISO 14040” [ 32 ].
Biobased products do not include electricity or motor fuels or any other product for
which there is a mature market. Two congressmen recently introduced the Forest
Products Fairness Act of 2012, which would open up the program to forest-based
products, regardless of market maturity, including pellets.
Congress required the Department of Defense (DOD) in 2009 to study ways in
which alternative fuels could be procured and used to reduce GHG emissions.
DOD's fi nal study concluded that it remains uncertain whether alternative fuels can
be produced sustainably. Its recent request for proposals required a reference to
sustainability certifi cation, which indicates that while DOD is interested in procur-
ing biofuels (including those made from forest biomass), it must be assured at some
level of their true sustainability.

9.2.1.2 State Programs: California's Multifaceted Assembly Bill (AB)

32 GHG Reduction Policies

In addition to federal bioenergy, environmental, and procurement laws, California
leads the way among states in development of policies to combat GHGs through
policies such as a LCFS, cap and trade, renewable electricity, vehicle emissions, and
green subsidies. The LCFS requires each fuel supplier in California to reduce the
overall carbon intensity of fuel sales each year, for an overall reduction by 2020 of
10 % relative to the 2005 baseline [ 33 ]. The California Air Resources Board (ARB)