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Federal Biobased Products Preferred Procurement Program
The Biobased
Products and Bioenergy Coordination Council (BBCC) was established
by the Secretary of Agriculture to provide a forum through which
USDA agencies will coordinate, facilitate and promote research,
development, transfer of technology, commercialization, and marketing
of biobased products and Bioenergy using renewable domestic agricultural
and forestry materials. This includes promoting information sharing,
strategic planning and providing policy advice to the Secretary.
Agricultural
and forestry resources provide renewable raw materials for a broad
range of nonfood and nonfeed products, such as chemicals, fibers,
construction materials, lubricants, and fuels. Development and commercialization
of such biobased and Bioenergy products provide new and expanded
markets for agricultural feedstocks, accelerate market penetration,
reduce U.S. dependence on petroleum and other imports of critical
materials, and diversify agriculture while fostering rural and sustainable
development. Such products are friendlier to the environment than
their petroleum-based counterparts.
The BBCC is
an outgrowth of the USDA New Uses Coordination Council, which was
created by the Secretary of Agriculture in 1995, renamed the Biobased
Products Coordination Council (BPCC) in 1997, and formalized as
the BBCC in 2002 by Departmental Regulation. About a dozen USDA
agencies with programs related to biobased products and or Bioenergy
participate in BBCC activities.
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