Vegetable Ink Printing Act of 1994

Summary: Vegetable Ink Printing Act of 1994 - Prohibits any Federal agency from performing or procuring lithographic printing using ink containing oil if the ink contains less than a specified percentage of vegetable oil. 
Provides for waiver of such prohibition (allowing the use of petroleum-based ink) in certain circumstances for considerations of suitability or cost.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Vegetable Ink Printing Act of 
1994''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
        (1) More than 95 percent of Federal printing involving 
    documents or publications is performed using lithographic inks.
        (2) Various types of oil, including petroleum and vegetable 
    oil, are used in lithographic ink.
        (3) Increasing the amount of vegetable oil used in a 
    lithographic ink would--
            (A) help reduce the Nation's use of nonrenewable energy 
        resources;
            (B) result in the use of products that are less damaging to 
        the environment;
            (C) result in a reduction of volatile organic compound 
        emissions; and
            (D) increase the use of renewable agricultural products.
        (4) The technology exists to use vegetable oil in lithographic 
    ink and, in some applications, to use lithographic ink that uses no 
    petroleum distillates in the liquid portion of the ink.
        (5) Some lithographic inks have contained vegetable oils for 
    many years; other lithographic inks have more recently begun to use 
    vegetable oil.
        (6) According to the Government Printing Office, using 
    vegetable oil-based ink appears to add little if any additional 
    cost to Government printing.
        (7) Use of vegetable oil-based ink in Federal Government 
    printing should further develop--
            (A) the commercial viability of vegetable oil-based ink, 
        which could result in demand, for domestic use alone, for 
        2,500,000,000 pounds of vegetable crops or 500,000,000 pounds 
        of vegetable oil; and
            (B) a product that could help the United States retain or 
        enlarge its share of the world market for vegetable oil-ink.
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to require that all 
lithographic printing using ink containing oil that is performed or 
procured by a Federal agency shall use ink containing the maximum 
amounts of vegetable oil and materials derived from other renewable 
resources that--
        (1) are technologically feasible, and
        (2) result in printing costs that are competitive with printing 
    using petroleum-based inks.

SEC. 3. FEDERAL PRINTING REQUIREMENTS.

    (a) General Rule.--Notwithstanding any other law, and except as 
provided in subsection (b), a Federal agency may not perform or procure 
lithographic printing that uses ink containing oil if the ink contains 
less than the following percentage of vegetable oil:
        (1) In the case of news ink, 40 percent.
        (2) In the case of sheet-fed ink, 20 percent.
        (3) In the case of forms ink, 20 percent.
        (4) In the case of heat-set ink, 10 percent.
    (b) Exceptions.--
        (1) Exceptions.--Subsection (a) shall not apply to lithographic 
    printing performed or procured by a Federal agency, if--
            (A) the head of the agency determines, after consultation 
        with the Public Printer and within the 3-year period ending on 
        the date of the commencement of the printing or the date of 
        that procurement, respectively, that vegetable oil-based ink is 
        not suitable to meet specific, identified requirements of the 
        agency related to the printing; or
            (B) the Public Printer determines--
                (i) within the 3-month period ending on the date of the 
            commencement of the printing, in the case of printing of 
            materials that are printed at intervals of less than 6 
            months, or
                (ii) before the date of the commencement of the 
            printing, in the case of printing of materials that are 
            printed at intervals of 6 months or more;
        that the cost of performing the printing using vegetable oil-
        based ink is significantly greater than the cost of performing 
        the printing using other available ink.
        (2) Notice to congress.--Not later than 30 days after making a 
    determination under paragraph (1)(A), the head of a Federal agency 
    shall report the determination to the Committee on Government 
    Operations and the Committee on House Administration of the House 
    of Representatives, and the Committee on Rules of the Senate.
    (c) Federal Agency Defined.--In this Act, the term ``Federal 
agency'' means--
        (1) an executive department, military department, Government 
    corporation, Government-controlled corporation, or other 
    establishment in the executive branch of the Government (including 
    the Executive Office of the President), or any independent 
    regulatory agency; and
        (2) an establishment or component of the legislative or 
    judicial branch of the Government.







                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.







                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.