[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 180 (Monday, September 16, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48665-48666]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-23649]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
[Docket 68-96]


Foreign-Trade Zone 121--Albany, New York Area Application for 
Expansion and Request for Manufacturing Authority (Eyeglass Frames)

    An application has been submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones Board 
(the Board) by the Capital District Regional Planning Commission, 
grantee of Foreign-Trade Zone 121, requesting authority to expand FTZ 
121 to include a site at the Crossroads Industrial Park and requesting, 
on behalf of Liberty Optical Manufacturing Company, authority to 
manufacture eyeglass frames under zone procedures within FTZ 121, in 
the Albany, New York area, within the Albany Customs port of entry. 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 September 3, 
1996.
    FTZ 121 was approved on July 18, 1985 (Board Order 307, 50 FR 
30986, 7/31/85). The zone project currently consists of the following 
three sites in the Albany, New York area: Site 1: (20 acres, 540,000 
sq. ft.)--within the 551-acre Northeastern Industrial Park, Town of 
Guilderland (Albany County); Site 2: (271,000 sq. ft.)--within the 235-
acre Rotterdam Industrial Park, Rotterdam (Schenectady County); and, 
Site 3: (35 acres, 43,000 sq. ft.)--within the 236-acre Port of Albany, 
Rensselaer.
    The applicant is now requesting authority to expand the general-
purpose zone to include a site (Proposed Site 4--12 acres)--located 
within the 50-acre Crossroads Industrial Park (Lots 4 and 5) in the 
City of Gloversville (Fulton County), New York, on State Route 29, 
seven miles from the New York State Thruway. The industrial park is 
owned by the Fulton County Industrial Development Agency and is part of 
the Gloversville Economic Development Zone, which provides companies 
with savings on taxes, jobs, and utilities. The zone will consist of a 
41,475 sq. ft. industrial warehouse facility, a 36,000 sq. ft. trailer 
container storage yard and a 17,015 sq. ft. manufacturing facility 
operated by the Liberty Optical Manufacturing Company.
    The application also requests authority on behalf of Liberty 
Optical Manufacturing Company to manufacture eyeglass frames under zone 
procedures within FTZ 121. Liberty Optical's facility (25 employees) 
within Crossroads Industrial Park is used to assemble frames, grind 
lens blanks and sun protective lenses. Finished products primarily 
involve sports and protective/safety eyeglass frames. Materials and 
components purchased from abroad include temples, fronts, eye frame 
parts, plastic frames, metal frames, acetate material, polycarbonate 
shields, hardware (hinges, screws, tips & pads), lenses and eyeglass 
pouches.
    Zone procedures will exempt Liberty Optical from Customs duty 
payments on the foreign components used in production for export. On 
domestic sales, the company would be able to choose the duty rate 
applicable to finished eyeglass frames (4.3%-5.3%) rather than the duty 
rate (5.3%) that would otherwise be applicable to materials and 
components. The company is also seeking an exemption from Customs 
duties on materials that become scrap in the production process (3%). 
The application indicates that the use of FTZ procedures would help 
improve the facility'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 on the application 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 November 15, 1996. Rebuttal comments in response 
to material submitted during the foregoing period may be submitted 
during the subsequent 15-day period (to December 2, 1996).
    A copy of the application and accompanying exhibits will be 
available for public inspection at each of the following locations:

Office of the Port Director, U.S. Customs Service, 445 Broadway, James 
T. Foley Courthouse Building, Room 216, Albany, New York 12207
Office of the Executive Secretary, Foreign-Trade Zones Board, Room

[[Page 48666]]

3716, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th & Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20230

    Dated: September 6, 1996.
John J. Da Ponte, Jr.,
Executive Secretary.
[FR Doc. 96-23649 Filed 9-13-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P