US EPA EPP Program Announces Public Comment Period for 4 Draft Purchasing Guides

• "Greening Your Purchase of Carpet: A Guide For Federal Purchasers"
• "Greening Your Meetings and Conferences: A Guide For Federal Purchasers"
• "Greening Your Purchase of Cleaning Products: A Guide For Federal Purchasers"
• "Greening the Purchase of Your Copiers: A Guide For Federal Purchasers"

EPA is providing a sixty-day public comment period that will end August 30, 2004, so all interested parties can provide their comments and suggestions. Stakeholders can access these documents and submit comments electronically through the EPA internet site for Federal Register Dockets. Interested parties should go to http://www.epa.gov/edocket/ to submit or view public comments, access the index listing of the contents of the official public docket, and to access those documents in the public docket that are available electronically. The guides are also available on EPA's EPP website at http://www.epa.gov/epp/documents/pfs.htm. Stakeholders can read the draft guides on the EPP website but comments must be submitted through the channels described in the Federal Register Notice. To view the complete details of the public comment period for the draft purchasing guides including other ways to submit comments, please see the complete Federal Register Notice at http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/06jun20041800/edocket.access.gpo.gov /2004/04-14831.htm

EPA would like comments to address the following questions:

1. Is the discussion on the potential environmental impacts of the product categories useful for Federal purchasers?
2. Is there any more recent information that is germane to or would enhance the discussion of these product categories?
3. Can Federal purchasers act easily upon the stated recommendations in the product guides?
4. Is this an approach you would like EPA to take in addressing Environmentally Preferable Purchasing?