[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 235 (Thursday, December 6, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 63362]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-30289]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Foreign-Trade Zones Board

[Docket 47-2001]


Foreign-Trade Zone 50, Long Beach, CA, Proposed Foreign-Trade 
Subzone, Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Corporation (Oil Refinery Complex), 
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 Long 
Beach, grantee of FTZ 50, requesting special-purpose subzone status for 
the oil refinery complex of Ultramar Diamond Shamrock Corporation 
(Ultramar), located in Los Angeles, California. 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 November 27, 2001.
    The Ultramar refinery complex (120,000 BPD, 54 tanks with 3.1 
million barrel capacity on 5.9 million square feet) is located at 2402 
East Anaheim Street, Wilmington area of Los Angeles (Los Angeles 
County), California. The refinery is within the Long Beach port of 
entry.
    The ``Wilmington'' refinery (435 full-time and 133 contract 
employees) is used to produce fuels and petrochemical feedstocks. Fuel 
products include gasoline, jet fuel, distillates, residual fuels, 
naphthas and motor fuel blendstocks. Petrochemical feedstocks and 
refinery by-products include propane, butane, petroleum coke and 
sulfur. Some 35 percent of the crude oil and natural gas condensate (54 
percent of inputs) is sourced abroad. The company is also requesting to 
import certain intermediate inputs (naphthas and gas oils) under FTZ 
procedures. Currently 35 percent of the refinery's intermediate inputs 
are foreign-sourced.
    Zone procedures would exempt the refinery from Customs duty 
payments on the foreign products used in its exports. On domestic 
sales, the company would be able to choose the Customs duty rates that 
apply to certain petrochemical feedstocks and refinery by-products 
(duty-free) by admitting incoming foreign inputs (crude oil, natural 
gas condensate, gas oil, naphtha) in non-privileged foreign status. The 
duty rates on inputs range 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 [60 days from date of 
publication]. Rebuttal comments in response to material submitted 
during the foregoing period may be submitted during the subsequent 15-
day period (to February 19, 2002).
    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, Export Assistance Center, One World Trade 
Center, Suite 1670, Long Beach, CA 90831.
Office of the Executive Secretary, Foreign-Trade Zones Board, Room 
4008, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th & Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20230.

    Dated: November 29, 2001.
Dennis Puccinelli,
Executive Secretary.
[FR Doc. 01-30289 Filed 12-5-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P