DOE Buys Bio for Energy Security

Overview What and Why “Buying Bio”? What Biobased Products Displace Petroleum? Which Products Has USDA Proposed? What Is the Legal Driver? What Are the Benefits and Incentives? What Can DOE Sites Do? Some Early DOE Adopters and Explorers What Can Vendors and Manufacturers Do? Websites and Contacts

What Is “Buying Bio”? DOE launched an initiative in FY2004 to “Buy Bio “Buy Bio” is the purchase of commercial or industrial products that use biological products or renewable domestic agricultural or forestry materials.

Why Is DOE Buying Bio? Be an early adopter of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act Section 9002 Support DOE mission of energy security –By substituting domestically produced biobased products for those produced from petroleum –By co-producing valuable biobased products along with biobased fuel to make biorefineries economical Focus is on biobased products that displace petroleum.

What Biobased Products Displace Petroleum? adhesives carpet/fibers cleaners/solvents construction materials fuel additives inks lubricants packaging paint/coatings papers plastics sealants sorbents

Which Products Has USDA Proposed as of July 2005? Hydraulic fluids for mobile equip – 24% Lubricants, penetrating – 71% Diesel fuel additives – 93% Urethane roof coating – 62% Water tank coating – 62% Bedding, bed linens, towels – 18%

What Is the Legal Driver? Farm Security & Rural Investment Act Sect USDA designates which products are to be purchased with biobased content. Federal agencies are to purchase the designated products with biobased content. The program will be similar to that for recycled products, allowing justified exceptions of the CAP (cost, availability, performance)

What Is the Legal Driver? Farm Security & Rural Investment Act Sect (Cont) Reporting will be required 1 year after a product has been designated. Should there be a conflict between a recycled content and a biobased content product, the recycled product takes precedence.

What Are the Benefits? Energy Security Reduce reliance on finite and imported commodity, oil Increase economics of biorefineries Environmental Establish healthier environment for staff Reduce hazardous materials on site Reduce atmospheric carbon that causes global climate change Economic Reduce disposal and cleanup costs Improve economics of U.S. agricultural production Stimulate economic development in rural areas

What Are the Incentives? Buy Bio Initiative earns DOE sites recognition as early adopters. Where applicable, offers positive input to Performance Evaluation of contractors Opportunity to receive DOE Buy Bio Award Opportunity to be nominated for White House Closing the Circle Award if the Buy Bio activity is part of a robust Green Purchasing Program

What Can DOE Sites Do? Integrate into Environmental Mgt. Systems Train staff Evaluate potential for transitioning your big $$$$ purchases to biobased counterparts –Credit card purchases? –Service contracts? –Electronic catalogs? –Statements of work/Requests for proposal? Conduct pilot projects

Some DOE Early Adopters BROOKHAVEN NATIONAL LAB transitioned to biobased hydraulic fluid in their Motor pool hydraulic lift system (FY98) Three large lawn mowers (FY01) Garbage trucks (FY02) BENEFITS Former cost of spills $2500-$3500 per spill Present cost of spills less than $1000 per spill htm

Some DOE Early Adopters LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LAB transitioned to Biobased hydraulic fluid in garage lifts (FY99) Biobased absorbent (FY02) BENEFITS $78,000/year avoided waste disposal costs Oil sponge can be cleaned and reused

Some DOE Early Adopters PACIFIC NORTHWEST NATIONAL LAB –FY01 switched to biobased general cleaner BENEFITS Helps protect custodians, environment, & saves time –Reduces cleaning products from 33 to 7 –Reduces chemical inventory –Waste handling, shipping, disposal costs Lowers purchasing costs, saving ca. $1500/container of product/year x no./year

Some DOE Early Adopters SANDIA NATIONAL LAB FY96 Transitioned to biobased hydraulic fluid in garbage truck FY02 Transitioned to ethanol in fleet EARLY ETHANOL ADOPTERS Argonne National Lab Fermi National Lab National Renewable Energy Lab Oak Ridge National Lab Savannah River Site

FY2004 Explorers PRINCETON PLASMA PHYSICS LAB Issued RFP and installed elevators with biobased hydraulic fluid IDAHO NATIONAL LAB Testing biodiesel in bus fleet DOE WEATHERIZATION PROGRAM Exploring biobased insulation

FY2004 Explorers Pacific Northwest National Lab Evaluated all big $$$ products for possible transition to biobased counterpart Tested biobased detergent for parts washers and biobased floor care products Explored biodiesel for grounds equipment

What Can Vendors & Manufacturers Do To Speed the Purchase of Biobased Products? Think like a customer Give customers succinct information in electronic, handout, and display form showing –Product meets all ASTM, LEED, etc. standards; Federal requirements; state waste regs –Track record of product and references –All environmental attributes of the product Proactively nurture the purchase through all the hoops

Websites Department of Energy – Buy Bio Department of Energy - Biomass Department of Agriculture Office of Federal Environmental Executive U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Contacts For DOE Environmentally Preferable Purchasing, including Biobased and Recycled Content Products – Don Lentzen Tel. (202) – DOE Procurement – Richard Langston Tel (202) Help DOE with Pilot Projects - Sandra Cannon Tel. (509) –