[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 79 (Tuesday, April 23, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17875-17876]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-9986]



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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
[Docket 29-96]


Foreign-Trade Zone 199--Texas City, TX, Application for Subzone 
Status, Basis Petroleum, Inc. (Oil Refinery Complex), Texas City, TX

    An application has been submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones Board 
(the Board) by the Texas City Foreign Trade Zone Corporation, grantee 
of FTZ 199, requesting special-purpose subzone

[[Page 17876]]

status for the oil refinery complex of Basis Petroleum, Inc. (Basis) 
(formerly Phibro Energy USA, Inc.), located in Texas City, Texas. The 
application was submitted pursuant to the provisions of the Foreign-
Trade Zones Act, as amended (19 U.S.C. 81a-81u), and the regulations of 
the Board (15 CFR part 400). It was formally filed on April 11, 1996.
    The refinery complex (130,000 BPD, 310 acres) is located at 1301 
Loop 197 South, Texas City (Galveston County), Texas, some 40 miles 
southeast of Houston. The refinery (400 employees) is used to produce 
fuels and petrochemical feedstocks. Fuels produced include gasoline, 
jet fuel, distillates, naphthas, and residual fuels. Petrochemical 
feedstocks and refinery by-products include methane, ethane, propane, 
butane, propylene and sulfur. About 85 percent of the crude oil (95 
percent of inputs), and some feedstocks and motor fuel blendstocks used 
in producing fuel products are sourced abroad.
    Zone procedures would exempt the operations involved from Customs 
duty payments on the foreign products used in its exports. On domestic 
sales, the company would be able to choose the finished product duty 
rate (nonprivileged foreign status--NPF) on certain petrochemical 
feedstocks and refinery by-products (duty-free). The duty on crude oil 
ranges from 5.25 cents/barrel to 10.5 cents/barrel. The application 
indicates that the savings from zone procedures would help improve the 
refinery's international competitiveness.
    In accordance with the Board's regulations, a member of the FTZ 
Staff has been designated examiner to investigate the application and 
report to the Board.
    Public comment is invited from interested parties. Submissions 
(original and 3 copies) shall be addressed to the Board's Executive 
Secretary at the address below. The closing period for their receipt is 
June 24, 1996. Rebuttal comments in response to material submitted 
during the foregoing period may be submitted during the subsequent 15-
day period (to July 8, 1996).
    A copy of the application and accompanying exhibits will be 
available for public inspection at each of the following locations:

U.S. Department of Commerce District Office, #1 Allen Center, Suite 
1160, 500 Dallas, Houston, Texas 77002.
Office of the Executive Secretary, Foreign-Trade Zones Board, Room 
3716, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th & Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20230.

    Dated: April 12, 1996.
John J. Da Ponte, Jr.,
Executive Secretary.
[FR Doc. 96-9986 Filed 4-22-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P