[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 20 (Tuesday, January 30, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 8196]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-2513]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Foreign-Trade Zones Board

[Docket 4-2001]


Foreign-Trade Zone 24--Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pennsylvania; 
Expansion of Facilities and Manufacturing Authority--Subzone 24B, Merck 
& Co., Inc. Plant (Pharmaceuticals), Riverside, PA

    An application has been submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones Board 
(the Board) by the Eastern Distribution Center, Inc., grantee of FTZ 
24, 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 24B, at the Merck pharmaceutical plant in 
Riverside, Pennsylvania. It was formally filed on January 18, 2001.
    Subzone 24B was approved by the Board in 1994 at a single site (364 
acres, 650,000 sq. ft., 68 bldgs.) located at First Street and Avenue C 
in Riverside (Northumberland County), Pennsylvania, some 60 miles 
southeast of Scranton. The facility (620 employees) is used to produce 
a range of human health products. Merck is now proposing to add 50 
buildings and to expand existing buildings for a total increase of 
592,592 sq. ft. The proposed subzone would then include 118 bldgs. 
consisting of 1,242,592 sq. ft. (a 91% increase) on 364 acres.
    The application also requests to expand the scope of authority for 
manufacturing activity conducted under FTZ procedures at Subzone 24B 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 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 Commerce 
Square, 228 Walnut St., 850, P.O. Box 11698, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 
17108-1698.
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. 01-2513 Filed 1-29-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P