Greeting by Susan Weber. Introduction to:

Dan Reicher, DOE Environmental Executive.

1. $2 billion worth of purchases by federal government each year
2. DOE's affirmative procurement results in FY1997 was 53%, down from 60% the year before
3. DOE Defense studied affirmative procurement and arrived at three areas of concern
   1. Difficulty in tracking
   2. Need for training (later Susan Weber said a team was looking into developing training recommendations)
   3. Lack of funding (Dan has hope that with key staff from and in OMB we may be able to improve funding but he can make no promises, of course)
4. For a copy of the DOE Defense study, call (301) 540-0022 or e-mail wastren@aol.com
5. Reicher will have DOE's plan as prescribed in Executive Order 13101 ready by the beginning of the year
6. Of note is that for copy paper no excuses (even cost) are acceptable for not purchasing with 30% post-consumer content
7. Of note is that with the new Executive Order 13101 we are now encouraged to use bio based products
8. DOE is updating its Affirmative Procurement Guide to reflect Executive Order 13101 with new guidance on micropurchases
9. P2E2 (Pollution Prevention Energy Efficiency) is latest term being used
10. Upcoming Executive Orders are:
    1. Efficient Energy
    2. Environmental Management
    3. Efficient Transportation

Terry Grist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

1. Listed 12 products which we need to purchase with recycled content starting November 1998
2. Description of how products are designated:
   1. Interagency group of major purchasing agencies identifies products the government seems to be purchasing in large quantities
   2. Research
   3. Proposal and request for comments from the public
3. ? Question on who makes up the group and whether they look into cost.
   Terry said cost is a factor of quantity so they have provided information on manufacturers and suppliers but not cost.
4. ? Question on what the difference is between plastic envelopes (designated effective November 1998) and plastic file/presentation folders (proposed August 1998).
   Plastic envelopes are those used for mailing. Plastic folders are those used for filing.

Jennifer Morgan: EORS Web site Technical Contact

1. We can keep last year's user id and password. Call (301) 601-5466 if you can't find your password.
2. Site information from last year's report will already be in report. We can make changes if necessary.
3. New users: Kent Hancock is sending out a memo with detailed access instructions
4. Leave Program Element blank
5. Comments can contain no more than 255 characters, so please be concise
6. Total is the total of virgin + recycled dollars for any given product
7. DOE does not have to report on patio blocks, yard trimmings compost, or Parks/Recreation items this year because DOE did not purchase over $10,000 in FY 1997. We do have to report if we purchased more than $10,000 in FY 1998.
8. NEW: We will report cement and concrete in cubic yards as well as dollar value.
9. NEW: We will report the number of toner cartridges as well as the dollar value.
10. Procurement needs to submit plan on how to improve purchasing.
11. Mixed media products (steno pads, calendars, etc.) should be reported under uncoated writing paper since paper is their main component.
12. The EO13101 reporting site opens October 19 and closes December 11.
13. DOE Ops/field Office Approvers have until December 18th to review and approve the data from their sites.

??Questions

1. Is the $10,000 threshold for each organization as defined by EPA or for each federal agency including their contractors?
   Answer: Until we hear of a change, it is $10,000 for each federal agency including their contractors.
2. What is the reporting meeting in January?
   Answer: On another matter concerning lessons learned (?)
What is sufficient justification for not purchasing a recycled product that has been designated?
Answer: The three exclusions in Executive Order 13101 are


1. recovered content version not available
2. price too high
3. does not meet performance requirements.

However, this does not apply for copy paper. No excuse (even cost) is acceptable for not purchasing with 30% post-consumer content or at least 20% post-consumer content or, if that is not available, 50% recycled content.

Possible Topics for Next Meeting

Next Meeting: January 21, 1998