[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 20 (Tuesday, January 30, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8195-8196]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-2512]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Foreign-Trade Zones Board

[Docket 3-2001]


Foreign-Trade Zone 49D--Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey; 
Expansion of Facilities and Manufacturing Authority--Subzone 49D, Merck 
& Co., Inc. Plant (Pharmaceuticals), Rahway, New Jersey

    An application has been submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones Board 
(the Board) by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, grantee 
of FTZ49, pursuant to Sec. 400.32(b)(1) of the Board's regulations (15 
CFR part 400), requesting on behalf of Merck & Co., Inc. (Merck), to 
add capacity and to expand the scope of manufacturing authority under 
zone procedures at Subzone 49D, at the Merck pharmaceutical plant in 
Rahway, New Jersey. It was formally filed on January 18, 2001.
    Subzone 49D was approved by the Board in 1995 at a single site (200 
acres, 2,500,000 sq. ft., 154 buildings) located at 126 Lincoln Avenue, 
in Rahway (Union County), New Jersey, some 10 miles south of Newark. 
The facility (4,100 employees) is used to produce a range of human 
health products. Merck is now proposing to add 8.6 acres and to expand 
existing buildings by 2,540,370 sq. ft. The proposed subzone would then 
include 154 buildings consisting of 5,040,370 sq. ft. (a 102% increase) 
on 208.64 acres.
    The application also requests to expand the scope of authority for 
manufacturing activity conducted under FTZ procedures at Subzone 49D to 
include additional general categories of inputs that have recently been 
approved by the Board for other pharmaceutical plants. They include 
chemically pure sugars, empty capsules for pharmaceutical use, protein 
concentrates, natural magnesium phosphates and carbonates, gypsum, 
anhydrite and plasters, petroleum jelly, paraffin and waxes, sulfuric 
acid, other inorganic acids or compounds of nonmetals, ammonia, zinc 
oxide, titanium oxides, fluorides, chlorates, sulfates, salts of 
oxometallic acids, radioactive chemical elements, compounds of rare 
earth metals, acyclic hydrocarbons, derivatives of phenols or 
peroxides, acetals and hemiacetals, phosphoric esters and their salts, 
diazo-compounds, glands for therapeutic uses, wadding, gauze and 
bandages, pharmaceutical glaze, hair preparations, lubricating 
preparations, albumins, prepared glues and adhesives, catalytic 
preparations, diagnostic or laboratory reagents, prepared binders, 
acrylic

[[Page 8196]]

polymers, self-adhesive plates and sheets, other articles of vulcanized 
rubber, plastic cases, cartons, boxes, printed books, brochures and 
similar printed matter, carboys, bottles, and flasks, stoppers, caps, 
and lids, aluminum foil, tin plates and sheets, taps, cocks and valves, 
and medical instruments and appliances.
    FTZ procedures would exempt Merck 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 rates that applies to finished 
products (primarily duty-free for finished pharmaceuticals and up to 
14.2% for intermediates) for the foreign materials noted above (duty 
rates ranging from duty-free to 20%). The application indicates that 
the expanded use of FTZ procedures will help improve Merck's 
international competitiveness.
    The application has requested review under Sec. 400.32(b)(1) of the 
FTZ Board regulations on the basis that the proposed activity is the 
same, in terms of products involved, to activity recently approved by 
the Board and similar in circumstances.
    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 1, 2001. Rebuttal comments in 
response to material submitted during the foregoing period may be 
submitted during the subsequent 15-day period (to March 16, 2001).
    Copies of the applications will be available for public inspection 
at the following locations:

U.S. Department of Commerce, Export Assistance Center, One Gateway 
Center, 9th floor, Newark, New Jersey 07102.
Office of the Executive Secretary, Foreign-Trade Zones Board, Room 
4008, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street & Pennsylvania Avenue, 
NW, Washington, DC 20230.

    Dated: January 18, 2001.
Dennis Puccinelli,
Executive Secretary.
[FR Doc. 01-2512 Filed 1-29-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P