32662 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 112 / Tuesday, June 10, 2008 / Proposed Rules 

1 The comment must be accompanied by an 

explicit request for confidential treatment, 

including the factual and legal basis for the request, 

and must identify the specific portions of the 

comment to be withheld from the public record. 

The request will be granted or denied by the 

Commission’s General Counsel, consistent with 

applicable law and the public interest. See 

Commission Rule 4.9(c), 16 CFR 4.9(c). 

2 The Federal Register Notice announcing this 

review is at 72 FR 66091 (Nov. 27, 2007), and can 

be found at (http://www.ftc.gov/os/2007/11/ 

P954501ggfrn.pdf). The Commission reviews all of 

its rules and guides periodically. These reviews 

seek information about the costs and benefits of the 

Commission’s existing rules and guides and their 

regulatory and economic impact. The information 

obtained during these reviews assists the 

Commission in identifying rules and guides that 

warrant modification or rescission. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on June 3, 

2008. 

Michael J. Kaszycki, 

Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate, 

Aircraft Certification Service. 

[FR Doc. E8–12934 Filed 6–9–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P 

FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION 

16 CFR Part 260 

Guides for the Use of Environmental 

Marketing Claims; Green Building and 

Textiles; Public Workshop 

AGENCY: Federal Trade Commission. 

ACTION: Announcement of public 

workshop; request for public comment. 

SUMMARY: The Federal Trade 

Commission (‘‘FTC’’ or ‘‘Commission’’) 

is planning to host a public workshop 

on July 15, 2008, to examine 

developments in green building and 

textile claims and consumer perception 

of such claims. The workshop is a 

component of the Commission’s 

regulatory review of the Guides for the 

Use of Environmental Marketing Claims, 

announced on November 26, 2007. 

DATES: The workshop will be held on 

Tuesday, July 15, 2008, from 9:00 AM 

to 5:00 PM at the FTC’s Satellite 

Building Conference Center, located at 

601 New Jersey Avenue, N.W., 

Washington, D.C. Any written 

comments in response to this Notice 

must be received by August 15, 2008. 

REGISTRATION INFORMATION: The 

workshop is open to the public, and 

there is no fee for attendance. The FTC 

also plans to make this workshop 

available via webcast, see (http:// 

www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/ 

buildingandtextiles/index.shtml). For 

admittance to the Conference Center, all 

attendees will be required to show a 

valid photo identification such as a 

driver’s license. The FTC will accept 

pre-registration for this workshop. Preregistration is not necessary to attend, 

but is encouraged so that we may better 

plan this event. To pre-register, please 

email your name and affiliation to 

buildingandtextilesworkshop@ftc.gov. 

When you pre-register, we will collect 

your name, affiliation, and your email 

address. This information will be used 

to estimate how many people will 

attend. We may use your email address 

to contact you with information about 

the workshop. 

Under the Freedom of Information 

Act (‘‘FOIA’’) or other laws, we may be 

required to disclose to outside 

organizations the information you 

provide. For additional information, 

including routine uses permitted by the 

Privacy Act, see the Commission’s 

Privacy Policy at (www.ftc.gov/ftc/ 

privacy.htm.) The FTC Act and other 

laws the Commission administers 

permit the collection of this contact 

information to consider and use for the 

above purposes. 

WRITTEN AND ELECTRONIC COMMENTS: The 

submission of comments is not required 

for attendance at the workshop. If you 

wish to submit written or electronic 

comments to inform discussion at the 

workshop, such comments must be 

received by July 1, 2008. All comments 

in response to this Notice must be 

submitted no later than August 15, 

2008. Comments should refer to ‘‘Green 

Building and Textiles Workshop—

Comment, Project No. P084203’’ to 

facilitate organization of comments. A 

comment filed in paper form should 

include this reference both in the text 

and on the envelope, and should be 

mailed or delivered to the following 

address: Federal Trade Commission/ 

Office of the Secretary, Room H-135 

(Annex B), 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, 

N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580. 

Comments containing confidential 

material must be filed in paper form, 

must be clearly labeled ‘‘Confidential,’’

and must comply with Commission 

Rule 4.9(c).1 The FTC is requesting that 

any comment filed in paper form be sent 

by courier or overnight service, if 

possible, because postal mail in the 

Washington area and at the Commission 

is subject to delay due to heightened 

security precautions. 

Comments filed in electronic form 

should be submitted by following the 

instructions on the web-based form at 

(https://secure.commentworks.com/ftcbuildingandtextilesworkshop.) To 

ensure that the Commission considers 

an electronic comment, you must file it 

on that web-based form. You also may 

visit http://www.regulations.gov to read 

this notice, and may file an electronic 

comment through that website. The 

Commission will consider all comments 

that www.regulations.gov forwards to it. 

The FTC Act and other laws the 

Commission administers permit the 

collection of public comments to 

consider and use in this proceeding as 

appropriate. The Commission will 

consider all timely and responsive 

public comments that it receives, 

whether filed in paper or electronic 

form. Comments received will be 

available to the public on the FTC 

website, to the extent practicable, at 

http://www.ftc.gov. As a matter of 

discretion, the FTC makes every effort to 

remove home contact information for 

individuals from the public comments it 

receives before placing those comments 

on the FTC website. To read our policy 

on how we handle the information you 

submit—including routine uses 

permitted by the Privacy Act—please 

review the FTC’s privacy policy, at 

(http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/privacy.shtm.) 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Robin Rosen Spector, Attorney, 202- 

326-3740 or Janice Podoll Frankle, 

Attorney, 202-326-2022, Division of 

Enforcement, Bureau of Consumer 

Protection, Federal Trade Commission. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Introduction 

FTC staff is planning to conduct a 

one-day workshop on July 15, 2008, 

addressing environmental advertising 

claims regarding building and textiles. 

The workshop will explore 

environmental or ‘‘green’’ building and 

textile claims, consumer perception of 

those claims, and substantiation issues. 

The workshop is one component of the 

Commission’s regulatory review of the 

Guides for the Use of Environmental 

Marketing Claims (‘‘Green Guides’’ or 

‘‘Guides’’), 16 CFR Part 260, which the 

FTC announced on November 26, 2007.2

This Notice provides background on 

the Green Guides and the Green Guides 

regulatory review; briefly discusses 

consumer protection issues raised by 

green building and textile claims; and 

includes questions for comment. 

II. Background Information 

This Federal Register Notice is part of 

the FTC’s standard regulatory review of 

the Green Guides. The following section 

provides background information on the 

Green Guides and the Commission’s 

Green Guides regulatory review process. 

A. The Green Guides 

The Commission issued the Green 

Guides to help marketers avoid making 

unfair or deceptive environmental 


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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 112 / Tuesday, June 10, 2008 / Proposed Rules 32663 

3 The Commission issued the Green Guides in 

1992 (57 FR 36363), and subsequently revised them 

in 1996 (61 FR 53311), and in 1998 (63 FR 24240). 

The current Green Guides are available at http:// 

www.ftc.gov/bcp/grnrule/guides980427.htm. 

4 The Guides do not, however, establish 

standards for environmental performance or 

prescribe testing protocols. In the realm of 

environmental advertising, a reasonable basis often 

requires competent and reliable scientific evidence. 

Such evidence includes tests, research, studies, or 

other evidence, based on the expertise of 

professionals in the relevant area, that have been 

conducted and evaluated in an objective manner by 

persons qualified to do so, using procedures 

generally accepted in the profession to yield 

accurate and reliable results. 

5 72 FR 66091 (Nov. 27, 2007). 

6 The Commission’s Federal Register Notice 

announcing its first public workshop relating to 

carbon offsets and renewable energy certificates is 

at 72 FR 66094 (Nov. 27, 2007). 

7 The Commission’s Federal Register Notice 

announcing its second public workshop relating to 

green packaging claims is at 73 FR 11371 (Mar. 3, 

2008). 

8 Diane von Furstenberg, Preface to Earth Pledge’s 

Future Fashion White Papers, at x (1st ed. 2007). 

9 The U.S. Department of Agriculture through its 

National Organic Program (‘‘NOP’’) has 

requirements for labeling products as organic and 

containing organic ingredients. Organic cotton 

cannot be marketed in the U.S. unless it meets the 

NOP standards. 

10 http://www.aboutorganiccotton.org/wovenworld.html. 

claims.3 Industry guides, such as these, 

are administrative interpretations of the 

law. Therefore, they do not have the 

force and effect of law and are not 

independently enforceable. The 

Commission can take action under 

Section 5 of the FTC Act, however, if a 

business makes environmental 

marketing claims inconsistent with the 

Guides. In any such enforcement action, 

the Commission must prove that the act 

or practice at issue is unfair or 

deceptive. 

The Green Guides outline general 

principles that apply to all 

environmental marketing claims. The 

Guides provide that all marketers 

making express or implied claims about 

the environmental attributes of their 

product or service must have a 

reasonable basis for their claims at the 

time they make them. They describe the 

basic elements necessary to substantiate 

environmental marketing claims and 

present options for qualifying specific 

claims to avoid deception.4 The 

provisions focus on the way in which 

consumers understand environmental 

claims and not necessarily the technical 

or scientific definition of various terms. 

The Guides advise marketers to: make 

qualifications and disclosures needed to 

prevent deception clearly so that 

consumers read and understand them; 

not overstate an environmental attribute 

or benefit, expressly or by implication; 

and present comparative claims in a 

manner that makes the basis for the 

comparison sufficiently clear to avoid 

consumer deception. 

The Guides then specifically address 

general environmental benefit claims, 

such as ‘‘environmentally friendly,’’

‘‘environmentally preferable,’’ ‘‘Ecosafe,’’ and more specific claims. The 

specific claims the Guides address 

include: degradable, compostable, 

recyclable, recycled content, source 

reduction, refillable, and ozone-safe/ 

ozone-friendly claims. For each, the 

Guides explain how reasonable 

consumers are likely to interpret the 

claim and describe the basic elements 

necessary to substantiate the claim. 

Additionally, they present options for 

qualifying specific claims to avoid 

deception. These illustrative examples 

provide ‘‘safe harbors’’ for marketers 

seeking certainty about how to make 

environmental claims, but do not 

represent the only permissible 

approaches to qualifying a claim. The 

illustrative examples currently do not 

address textile or building products; 

thus, the questions for comment, below, 

ask whether the Guides should be 

revised to include examples regarding 

these products. 

B. Green Guides Regulatory Review 

On November 27, 2007, the FTC 

published a Federal Register Notice 

commencing the decennial regulatory 

review of the FTC’s Green Guides.5 The 

Notice solicited public comments in 

response to questions about the Guides’

costs, benefits, and effectiveness and 

posed claim-specific questions. The 

Notice announced that the FTC would 

be hosting public meetings to facilitate 

dialogue on specific issues relating to 

the Green Guides review. The 

Commission will review and consider 

information gathered at these meetings, 

in addition to the public comments, in 

formulating its final determination. 

On January 8, 2008, the Commission 

conducted its first public meeting 

relating to the Green Guides review, a 

workshop on ‘‘Carbon Offsets and 

Renewable Energy Certificates.’’6 The 

Commission held its second public 

meeting, a workshop on ‘‘The Green 

Guides and Packaging,’’ on April 30, 

2008.7 The meeting announced through 

this Federal Register Notice, entitled 

‘‘Green Building and Textiles,’’ will be 

the third in the series. A public meeting 

addressing green claims for building 

and textiles will enable participants and 

the Commission to focus in-depth on 

two areas in which a wide range of 

green claims are becoming more 

prevalent. 

III. Green Claims for Building and 

Textiles and Consumer Protection 

Issues 

Since the Commission last revised the 

Green Guides in 1998, there has been a 

significant increase in environmental 

claims concerning textiles, building 

products, and construction. In the 

textile market, we have seen a marked 

increase in advertisements for green 

textiles, such as organic cotton, bamboo 

fiber clothing, and bedding materials. In 

the building market, green claims are 

prevalent for a wide range of building 

products including flooring, carpeting, 

paint, wallpaper, lighting, insulation, 

and windows. In addition, builders are 

making claims that the homes they 

build are green. These green building 

claims often are based upon third-party 

certification programs, which have 

grown substantially since the last 

revision of the Guides. 

The nature of these textile and 

building product claims, consumer 

understanding of the claims, and the 

marketers’ substantiation of these claims 

all raise consumer protection issues that 

we plan to explore at the workshop. 

Below, we discuss the environmental 

marketing in the textile and building 

products markets and the consumer 

protection issues these claims raise. 

A. Green Claims for Textile Products 

The market for green textiles, both 

clothing and bedding products, is 

burgeoning. A 2007 fashion white paper 

reported that consumer demand for 

organic cotton clothing had grown by 

300%, and the number of clothing 

brands made with organic materials had 

increased by 150% over a three year 

period.8 Claims in this market often 

relate to the cultivation of a particular 

fiber. For example, some retailers tout 

their products as more 

‘‘environmentally friendly’’ because 

they are made from ‘‘organic cotton.’’9

These green claims may appeal to 

consumers in part because of data 

indicating that conventionally grown 

cotton consumes approximately 25 

percent of the insecticides and more 

than 10 percent of the pesticides used 

in the world.10

In addition to making environmental 

claims for textiles made from organic 

cotton, marketers also are making ecofabric and ‘‘natural’’ claims for products 

derived from such plants as hemp and 

bamboo. Certain marketers claim that 

bamboo is one of the world’s most 

sustainable resources because unlike 

trees, which can take up to 25 years to 

mature, bamboo is ready to harvest after 


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32664 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 112 / Tuesday, June 10, 2008 / Proposed Rules 

11 Rich Delano, The Lowdown on Bamboo, in 

Earth Pledge’s Future Fashion White Papers at 160- 

161 (1st ed. 2007). 

12 Id. at 161. 

13 The Green Guides do not address these terms. 

14 ‘‘Ownership of ‘Green’ Homes Expected to 

Increase Rapidly, According to new Report from 

Mc-Graw Hill Construction,’’ available at 

(www.cnnmoney.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/ 

prnewswire/NYM15222102007-1.htm) 

15 Three examples of these programs are: the 

Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and 

Environmental Design program (‘‘LEED’’); the 

National Association of Homebuilders’ Green 

Building Standard; and Green Globes’ Green 

Building Initiative. Builders also can obtain an 

‘‘environmentally friendly’’ certification from the 

federal government through the Energy Star 

program, which certifies homes based on energy 

use. 

four years.11 Also, marketers assert that 

compared with conventional cotton 

plants, which require large amounts of 

pesticides and fertilizers, bamboo 

cultivation requires neither pesticides 

nor fertilizer.12

Marketers’ assertions about the 

environmental benefits of textile 

products raise issues regarding 

consumer perception of, and 

substantiation for, such claims. It is 

unclear how consumers perceive claims 

regarding the environmental benefits of 

textile products, such as organic cotton 

and bamboo, and the type of 

substantiation necessary to support such 

claims. For example, consumers could 

believe that claims that textiles made 

from bamboo are ‘‘sustainable,’’

‘‘renewable,’’ or ‘‘natural’’13 relate both 

to the material used—bamboo—and the 

production process. Substantiating 

claims that textiles made from bamboo 

are produced in an environmentally 

friendly manner may pose challenges 

for marketers. Bamboo fibers, which are 

naturally tough, are often softened 

through intense chemical treatment 

prior to weaving. These chemical 

treatments may contribute to pollution. 

We plan to explore these kinds of issues 

at the workshop. 

B. Green Claims for Building Products 

and Buildings 

The market for green homes and 

products is growing. A 2007 study 

found that the market for green homes 

is expected to rise from $2 billion to $20 

billion over five years.14 This study also 

found that 40% of homeowners choose 

green products to remodel their homes. 

In response, today’s market offers a 

myriad of green choices, including 

paint, carpeting, wallpaper, flooring, 

cabinetry, lighting, windows, insulation, 

appliances, as well as heating and 

cooling systems. This growth provides 

benefits to consumers and businesses 

alike. However, it also poses challenges 

to marketers seeking to highlight the 

environmental attributes of their 

products. 

Claims that building products are 

‘‘environmentally friendly’’ raise 

potential consumer perception and 

substantiation issues. Sellers and 

marketers are making green claims for a 

wide variety of products and are making 

claims not presently addressed in the 

Green Guides, including such terms as 

‘‘sustainable’’ and ‘‘renewable.’’ In 

addition, some marketers advise 

consumers to consider the life cycle of 

the building products before 

purchasing, e.g., whether the products 

are made of materials that are rapidly 

renewable or sustainable and whether 

the materials can be reused or recycled 

when the item wears out. How 

consumers interpret these claims and 

the substantiation necessary to support 

them are issues we plan to discuss at the 

workshop. 

In the green building market, many 

sellers use certification programs to 

highlight the environmentally friendly 

aspects of homes and buildings. There 

are several third-party certification 

programs that establish criteria for green 

homes.15 Typically, the home must meet 

certain thresholds, set forth in the 

certification program; however, builders 

frequently may choose among numerous 

options to reach the desired goal. For 

example, a green-certified home might 

generate less waste during construction; 

be located near public transportation; 

include appliances, windows, and 

insulation that reduce energy use; and 

utilize high efficiency water fixtures. 

The criteria for, and meaning of, these 

certifications raise a variety of consumer 

protection issues that we plan to explore 

at the workshop. 

IV. Questions for Discussion at the 

Workshop 

The Commission invites written 

comments on any or all of the following 

questions regarding environmental 

claims for textile and building products. 

The Commission requests that responses 

to these questions be as specific as 

possible, including a reference to the 

question being answered, and reference 

to empirical data or other evidence 

wherever available and appropriate. 

A. Green Textile Claims 

(1) How effective have the Guides’

provisions regarding general 

environmental claims been in 

preventing consumer deception and 

providing business guidance with 

respect to environmental claims for 

textile products? Please provide any 

evidence that supports your answer. 

(2) Has there been a change in 

consumer perception of environmental 

claims for textiles since the Guides were 

revised? 

(a) If so, please describe this change 

and provide any evidence that supports 

your answer. 

(b) Should the Guides be revised to 

address any such change? If so, how? 

(3) Are there environmental claims for 

textiles in the marketplace that are 

misleading? If so, please describe these 

claims and provide any evidence that 

supports your answer. 

(4) To the extent not addressed in 

your previous answers, please explain 

whether and how the Guides should be 

revised to prevent consumer deception, 

provide business guidance, and/or 

reduce costs that following the Guides 

may impose on businesses, particularly 

small businesses, with respect to 

environmental claims for textiles. Please 

provide any evidence that supports your 

answer. 

B. Claims Regarding Organically Grown 

and Natural Textile Products 

(1) Should the Guides be revised to 

include guidance regarding 

environmental claims for organically 

grown textile products? If so, why, and 

what guidance should be provided? If 

not, why not? 

(a) What evidence supports making 

your proposed revision(s)? Please 

provide this evidence. 

(b) What evidence is available 

concerning consumer understanding of 

the term ‘‘organic’’ when used to 

describe a textile product? Please 

provide this evidence. 

(c) What evidence constitutes a 

reasonable basis to support an organic 

textile claim? Please provide this 

evidence. 

(2) Should the Guides be revised to 

include guidance regarding 

environmental claims for so-called 

‘‘natural’’ textile products? If so, why, 

and what guidance should be provided? 

If not, why not? 

(a) What evidence supports making 

your proposed revision(s)? Please 

provide this evidence. 

(b) What evidence is available 

concerning consumer understanding of 

the term ‘‘natural’’ when used to 

describe a textile product? Please 

provide this evidence. 

(c) What evidence constitutes a 

reasonable basis to support a natural 

textile claim? Please provide this 

evidence. 

(3) Are there claims regarding 

organically grown or natural textiles in 

the marketplace that are misleading? If 

so, please describe these claims and 


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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 112 / Tuesday, June 10, 2008 / Proposed Rules 32665 

provide any evidence that supports your 

answer. 

(4) To the extent not addressed in 

your previous answers, please explain 

whether and how the Guides should be 

revised to prevent consumer deception, 

provide business guidance, and/or 

reduce costs that following the Guides 

may impose on businesses, particularly 

small businesses, with respect to 

environmental claims for organically 

grown or natural textiles. Please provide 

any evidence that supports your answer. 

C. Green Building Claims 

(1) How effective have the Guides’

provisions regarding general 

environmental claims been in 

preventing consumer deception and 

providing business guidance with 

respect to environmental claims for 

building products and buildings? Please 

provide any evidence that supports your 

answer. 

(2) Has there been a change in 

consumer perception of environmental 

claims for building products and 

buildings since the Guides were 

revised? 

(a) If so, please describe this change 

and provide any evidence that supports 

your answer. 

(b) Should the Guides be revised to 

address any such change? If so, how? 

(3) Are there environmental claims for 

building products and buildings in the 

marketplace that are misleading? If so, 

please describe these claims and 

provide any evidence that supports your 

answer. 

(4) To the extent not addressed in 

your previous answers, please explain 

whether and how the Guides should be 

revised to prevent consumer deception, 

provide business guidance, and/or 

reduce costs that following the Guides 

may impose on businesses, particularly 

small businesses, with respect to 

environmental claims for building 

products and buildings. Please provide 

any evidence that supports your answer. 

D. Third-Party Certifications and Seals 

(1) How effective have the Guides’

provisions regarding third-party 

certifications and seals been in 

preventing consumer deception and 

providing business guidance with 

respect to environmental claims for 

textiles, building products, or buildings? 

Please provide any evidence that 

supports your answer. 

(2) Has there been a change in 

consumer perception claims using thirdparty certifications and seals for textiles, 

building products, or buildings since 

the Guides were revised? 

(a) If so, please describe this change 

and provide any evidence that supports 

your answer. 

(b) Should the Guides be revised to 

address any such change? If so, how? 

(3) What criteria are third-party 

certifiers using to substantiate claims 

made with third-party certification or 

seals for textiles, building products, or 

buildings? Are those criteria 

appropriate? Please provide any 

evidence that supports your answers. 

(4) Are there environmental claims for 

textiles, building products, or buildings 

using third-party certifications and seals 

in the marketplace that are misleading? 

If so, please describe these claims and 

provide any evidence that supports your 

answer. 

(5) To the extent not addressed in 

your previous answers, please explain 

whether and how the Guides should be 

revised to prevent consumer deception, 

provide business guidance, and/or 

reduce costs that following the Guides 

may impose on businesses, particularly 

small businesses, with respect to 

environmental claims using third-party 

certifications and seals for textiles, 

building products, and buildings. Please 

provide any evidence that supports your 

answer. 

E. Green Building and Textiles Claims 

Currently Not Addressed by the Green 

Guides 

(1) Should the Guides be revised to 

include guidance regarding 

‘‘sustainable’’ or ‘‘renewable’’ claims for 

textiles and building products? If so, 

why, and what guidance should be 

provided? If not, why not? 

(a) What evidence supports making 

your proposed revision(s)? Please 

provide this evidence. 

(b) What evidence is available 

concerning consumer understanding of 

the terms ‘‘sustainable’’ or ‘‘renewable’’

with respect to textiles and building 

products? Please provide this evidence. 

(c) What evidence constitutes a 

reasonable basis to support a 

‘‘sustainable’’ or ‘‘renewable’’ claim 

with respect to textiles and building 

products? Please provide this evidence. 

(2) Should the Guides be revised to 

include guidance regarding life cycle 

claims for building products? 

(a) If so, why, and what guidance 

should be provided? If not, why not? 

Please provide any evidence that 

supports your answer. 

(b) What evidence is available 

concerning consumer understanding of 

life cycle claims with respect to 

building products? Please provide this 

evidence. 

(c) Is there an appropriate scientific 

methodology to evaluate life cycle 

claims for building products? If so, 

please provide any evidence that 

supports your answer. 

(3) Are there other environmental 

claims concerning textiles or building 

products not currently addressed by the 

Guides, and if so what are they? Please 

provide any evidence that supports your 

answer. 

(a) Should the Guides be revised to 

include guidance regarding these 

claims? If so, why, and what guidance 

should be provided? If not, why not? 

(b) What evidence is available 

concerning consumer understanding of 

these claim(s)? Please provide this 

evidence. 

(c) What evidence constitutes a 

reasonable basis to support these 

claim(s)? Please provide this evidence. 

By direction of the Commission. 

Donald S. Clark, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. E8–13014 Filed 6–9–08: 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6750–01–S 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army, Corps of 

Engineers 

33 CFR Part 334 

Restricted Area at Blount Island 

Command and Marine Corps Support 

Facility-Blount Island, Jacksonville, FL 

AGENCY: United States Army Corps of 

Engineers, Department of Defense. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking 

and request for comments. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers (Corps) is proposing to amend 

the existing regulations for a restricted 

area at Blount Island Command, located 

on Marine Corps Support FacilityBlount Island, Jacksonville, Florida. 

Blount Island Command is responsible 

for managing the United States Marine 

Corps Prepositioning Programs. Due to 

the importance of this mission, the 

current restricted area in this section 

must be extended due to Department of 

Defense (DoD) directives that require the 

implementation of specified force 

protection measures by all DoD 

components. This amendment to the 

existing regulation is necessary to 

protect U.S. government personnel, 

equipment, and facilities from potential 

terrorist attack by providing stand-off 

corridors encompassing the waters 

immediately contiguous to Marine 

Corps Support Facility—Blount Island. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

submitted on or before July 10, 2008. 


rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with PROPOSALS