[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 17 (Wednesday, January 27, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4068-4069]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-1893]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Foreign-Trade Zones Board
[Docket 2-99]


Foreign-Trade Zone 202--Los Angeles, California, Expansion of 
Manufacturing Authority--Subzone 202A, Minnesota Mining and 
Manufacturing Company Facility (Pharmaceuticals), Los Angeles, CA

    An application has been submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones Board 
(the Board) by the Board of Harbor Commissioners of the City of Los 
Angeles, grantee of FTZ 202, requesting authority on behalf of the 
Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (3M), to expand the scope of 
manufacturing authority under zone procedures at the 3M facility in Los 
Angeles, California. It was formally filed on January 11, 1999.
    Subzone 202A was approved by the Board in 1997 at the 3M facility 
located at 19901 Nordhoff Street, Los Angeles, California. Authority 
was granted for the manufacture of solid-dose pharmaceutical products 
and controlled-dose inhalers using the following imported materials: 
aluminum bottles, valve stems for aerosol, valve retaining cups, 
plastic actuator assemblies for aerosol, orphenadrine citrate, 
flacanide acetate, methenamine hippurate, pirbuterol acetate, and ethyl 
oleate (Board Order 916, 62 FR 45394, 8/27/97).
    3M is now proposing to expand the scope of authority for 
manufacturing activity conducted under FTZ procedures at Subzone 202A 
to include propellant for the controlled dosage pharmaceutical aerosol 
inhalers used for the treatment of bronchial asthma, bronchospasm, and 
vascular headaches.

[[Page 4069]]

The propellants are trichloro-fluoromethane/CFC-11 (HTSUS 2903.41.0000) 
and dichlorodifluoromethane/CFC-12 (HTSUS 2903.42.0000), both having a 
3.7% duty rate.
    Zone procedures would exempt the facility from Customs duty 
payments on the foreign components used in export activity. On its 
domestic sales, the company would be able to elect the duty rate that 
applies to finished products (duty-free) for the foreign components 
noted above. The application indicates that the savings from FTZ 
procedures will help improve 3M's international competitiveness.
    The production, importation, exportation and sale of these 
propellants for exempted uses is regulated by the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) (60 FR 24970, 5/10/95). 3M has been granted 
annual essential use allowances for these propellants by the EPA. Zone 
procedures would not exempt 3M from any EPA requirements and they would 
not affect EPA's ability to regulate and monitor importation, 
exportation and sale of these substances.
    Public comment on the application is invited from interested 
parties. Submissions (original and three copies) shall be addressed to 
the Board's Executive Secretary at the address below. The closing 
period for their receipt is March 29, 1999. Rebuttal comments in 
response to material submitted during the foregoing period may be 
submitted during the subsequent 15-day period to April 12, 1999.
    A copy of the request will be available for public inspection at 
the following locations:

U.S. Department of Commerce, Export Assistance Center, 350 South 
Figueroa Street, Suite 172, Los Angeles, California 90071
Office of the Executive Secretary, Foreign-Trade Zones Board, Room 
3716, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street & Pennsylvania Avenue, 
NW, Washington, DC 20230

    Dated: January 13, 1999.
Dennis Puccinelli,
Acting Executive Secretary.
[FR Doc. 99-1893 Filed 1-26-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P