[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 89 (Tuesday, May 8, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27021-27022]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-11049]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Foreign-Trade Zones Board

[(B-32-2012)]


Foreign-Trade Zone 129--Bellingham, WA; Application for 
Reorganization Under Alternative Site Framework

    An application has been submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZ) 
Board (the Board) by the Port of Bellingham, grantee of FTZ 129, 
requesting authority to reorganize the zone under the alternative site 
framework (ASF) adopted by the Board (74 FR 1170, 1/12/2009 (correction 
74 FR 3987, 1/22/

[[Page 27022]]

2009); 75 FR 71069-71070, 11/22/2010). The ASF is an option for 
grantees for the establishment or reorganization of general-purpose 
zones and can permit significantly greater flexibility in the 
designation of new ``usage-driven'' FTZ sites for operators/users 
located within a grantee's ``service area'' in the context of the 
Board's standard 2,000-acre activation limit for a general-purpose zone 
project. The application was submitted pursuant to 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 May 1, 2012.
    FTZ 129 was approved by the Board on September 4, 1986 (Board Order 
335, 51 FR 32238, 09/10/1986) and expanded on November 16, 1992 (Board 
Order 608, 57 FR 56902, 12/01/1992).
    The current zone project includes the following sites: Site 1 (300 
acres)--Airport Industrial Development Area, 3 parcels as follows: 
Parcel A, Noranda Industrial Site, Curtis Road at the Burlington 
Northern Rail Line, Bellingham (20 acres); Parcel B, Airport Industrial 
Park at Bellingham International Airport and additional acreage located 
at 300 and 365 Harris Avenue, Bellingham (120 acres); Parcel C, 
Washington State Department of Natural Resources site, located 
immediately adjacent to the eastern boundary of Parcel A, Bellingham 
(160 acres); and, Site 3 (270 acres)--Cherry Point Industrial Park, 
Kickerville Road, Henry Road and Gulf Road, Ferndale.
    The grantee's proposed service area under the ASF would be Whatcom 
County, Washington, as described in the application. If approved, the 
grantee would be able to serve sites throughout the service area based 
on companies' needs for FTZ designation. The proposed service area is 
within and adjacent to the Blaine, Washington U.S. Customs and Border 
Protection port of entry.
    The Port of Bellingham is also the grantee of FTZ 130, located in 
Blaine, Washington, and FTZ 131, located in Sumas, Washington, both of 
which are located within Whatcom County. As part of the ASF 
reorganization process, the grantee is requesting authority to merge 
the FTZ 130 and FTZ 131 zone projects under FTZ 129. FTZ 130 was 
approved by the Board on September 4, 1986 (51 FR 32238, 09/10/1986) 
and expanded on January 11, 1993 (Board Order 627, 58 FR 5356, 01/21/
1993). FTZ 131 was approved by the Board on September 4, 1986 (51 FR 
32238, 09/10/1986).
    The applicant is requesting authority to reorganize its existing 
zone projects to include a portion of existing Site 1 and all of Site 3 
of FTZ 129, existing Site 1 of FTZ 130, and existing Sites 1 and 2 of 
FTZ 131 as ``magnet'' sites of FTZ 129. As part of the reorganization, 
existing Site 1 of FTZ 130 will be renumbered as Site 4 of FTZ 129 and 
existing Sites 1 and 2 of FTZ 131 will be renumbered as Sites 5 and 6 
of FTZ 129, respectively. Additionally, as part of the reorganization, 
portions of existing Site 1 of FTZ 129 and all of existing Site 2 of 
FTZ 130 will be removed from the merged zone project due to changed 
circumstances. The ASF allows for the possible exemption of one magnet 
site from the ``sunset'' time limits that generally apply to sites 
under the ASF, and the applicant requests that proposed Site 1 be so 
exempted. No usage-driven sites are being requested at this time. 
Because the ASF only pertains to establishing or reorganizing a 
general-purpose zone, the application would have no impact on FTZ 129's 
authorized subzones.
    In accordance with the Board's regulations, Christopher Kemp of the 
FTZ Staff is designated examiner to evaluate and analyze the facts and 
information presented in the application and case record and to report 
findings and recommendations 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 
July 9, 2012. Rebuttal comments in response to material submitted 
during the foregoing period may be submitted during the subsequent 15-
day period to July 23, 2012.
    A copy of the application will be available for public inspection 
at the Office of the Executive Secretary, Foreign-Trade Zones Board, 
Room 2111, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW., 
Washington, DC 20230-0002, and in the ``Reading Room'' section of the 
Board's Web site, which is accessible via www.trade.gov/ftz. For 
further information, contact Christopher Kemp at 
[email protected] or (202) 482-0862.

    Dated: May 1, 2012.
Andrew McGilvray,
Executive Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-11049 Filed 5-7-12; 8:45 am]
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