[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 170 (Tuesday, September 5, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41927-41929]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-18664]


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

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of Industry and Security

[Docket No. 170802716-7716-01]


National Defense Stockpile Market Impact Committee Request for 
Public Comments on the Potential Market Impact of the Proposed Fiscal 
Year 2019 Annual Materials Plan

AGENCY: Bureau of Industry and Security, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of inquiry; request for comments.

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

SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is to advise the public that the 
National Defense Stockpile Market Impact Committee, co-chaired by the 
Departments of Commerce and State, is seeking public comments on the 
potential market impact of the proposed Fiscal Year 2019 National 
Defense Stockpile Annual Materials Plan. The role of the Market Impact 
Committee is to advise the National Defense Stockpile Manager on the 
projected domestic and foreign economic effects of all acquisitions, 
conversions, and disposals involving the stockpile and related material 
research and development projects. Public comments are an important 
element of the Committee's market impact review process.

DATES: To be considered, written comments must be received by October 
5, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments concerning this notice to Eric 
Longnecker, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and 
Security, Office of Strategic Industries and Economic Security, 1401 
Constitution Avenue NW., Room 3876, Washington, DC 20230, fax: (202) 
482-5650 (Attn: Eric Longnecker), email: [email protected]; and Landon 
Derentz, Energy Policy Advisor, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of 
Energy Resources, 2201 C Street NW., Washington, DC 20520, fax: (202) 
647-4037 (Attn: Landon Derentz), email: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Parya Fenton, Office of Strategic 
Industries and Economic Security, Bureau of Industry and Security, U.S. 
Department of Commerce, telephone: (202) 482-8228, fax: (202) 482-5650 
(Attn: Parya Fenton), email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Under the authority of the Strategic and Critical Materials Stock 
Piling Revision Act of 1979, as amended (the Stock Piling Act) (50 
U.S.C. 98 et seq.), the Department of Defense's Defense Logistics 
Agency (DLA), as National Defense Stockpile Manager, maintains a 
stockpile of strategic and critical materials to supply the military, 
industrial, and essential civilian needs

[[Page 41928]]

of the United States for national defense. Section 9(b)(2)(G)(ii) of 
the Stock Piling Act (50 U.S.C. 98(h)(b)(2)(G)(ii)) authorizes the 
National Defense Stockpile Manager to fund material research and 
development projects to develop new materials for the stockpile.
    Section 3314 of the Fiscal Year (FY) 1993 National Defense 
Authorization Act (NDAA) (50 U.S.C. 98h-1) formally established a 
Market Impact Committee (the Committee) to ``advise the National 
Defense Stockpile Manager on the projected domestic and foreign 
economic effects of all acquisitions and disposals of materials from 
the stockpile. . . .'' The Committee must also balance market impact 
concerns with the statutory requirement to protect the U.S. Government 
against avoidable loss.
    The Committee is comprised of representatives from the Departments 
of Commerce, State, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior, the 
Treasury, and Homeland Security, and is co-chaired by the Departments 
of Commerce and State. The FY 1993 NDAA directs the Committee to 
consult with industry representatives that produce, process, or consume 
the materials stored in or of interest to the National Defense 
Stockpile Manager.
    As the National Defense Stockpile Manager, the DLA must produce an 
Annual Materials Plan proposing the maximum quantity of each listed 
material that may be acquired, disposed of, upgraded, converted, 
recovered, or sold by the DLA in a particular fiscal year. In 
Attachment 1, the DLA lists the quantities and type of activity 
(potential acquisition, potential disposal, potential upgrade, 
potential conversion, potential recovery, or potential sale) associated 
with each material in its proposed FY 2019 Annual Materials Plan 
(``AMP''). The quantities listed in Attachment 1 are not acquisition, 
disposal, upgrade, conversion, recovery, or sales target quantities, 
but rather a statement of the proposed maximum quantity of each listed 
material that may be acquired, disposed of, upgraded, converted, 
recovered, or sold in a particular fiscal year by the DLA, as noted. 
The quantity of each material that will actually be acquired or offered 
for sale will depend on the market for the material at the time of the 
acquisition or offering, as well as on the quantity of each material 
approved for acquisition, disposal, conversion, recovery, or upgrade by 
Congress.
    The Committee is seeking public comments on the potential market 
impact associated with the proposed FY 2019 AMP as enumerated in 
Attachment 1. Public comments are an important element of the 
Committee's market impact review process.

Submission of Comments

    The Committee requests that interested parties provide written 
comments, supporting data and documentation, and any other relevant 
information on the potential market impact of the quantities associated 
with the proposed FY 2019 AMP. All comments must be submitted to the 
addresses indicated in this notice. All comments submitted through 
email must include the phrase ``Market Impact Committee Notice of 
Inquiry'' in the subject line.
    The Committee encourages interested persons who wish to comment to 
do so at the earliest possible time. The period for submission of 
comments will close on October 5, 2017. The Committee will consider all 
comments received before the close of the comment period. Comments 
received after the end of the comment period will be considered, if 
possible, but their consideration cannot be assured.
    All comments submitted in response to this notice will be made a 
matter of public record and will be available for public inspection and 
copying. Anyone submitting business confidential information should 
clearly identify the business confidential portion of the submission 
and also provide a non-confidential submission that can be placed in 
the public record. The Committee will seek to protect such information 
to the extent permitted by law.
    The Office of Administration, Bureau of Industry and Security, U.S. 
Department of Commerce, displays public comments on the BIS Freedom of 
Information Act (FOIA) Web site at http://www.bis.doc.gov/foia. This 
office does not maintain a separate public inspection facility. If you 
have technical difficulties accessing this Web site, please call BIS's 
Office of Administration at (202) 482-1900 for assistance.

    Dated: August 25, 2017.
Richard Ashooh,
Assistant Secretary for Export Administration.

Attachment 1

             Proposed Fiscal Year 2019 Annual Materials Plan
------------------------------------------------------------------------
           Material               Unit       Quantity        Footnote
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Potential Disposals:
    Beryllium Metal...........  ST                     6  ..............
    Chromium, Ferro...........  ST                23,500  ..............
    Chromium, Metal...........  ST                   200  ..............
    Germanium Scrap...........  kg                 5,000  ..............
    Manganese, Ferro..........  ST                50,000  ..............
    Manganese, Metallurgical    SDT              322,025           (\1\)
     Grade.
    Nickel Based Alloys.......  Lbs              150,000  ..............
    Platinum..................  Tr Oz              8,380  ..............
    PGM--Iridium..............  Tr Oz                489  ..............
    Tantalum Carbide Powder...  Lb Ta              3,777  ..............
    Tantalum Scrap............  Lbs                  190  ..............
    Titanium Based Alloys.....  Lbs               75,000  ..............
    Tungsten Metal Powder.....  LB W             275,738           (\1\)
    Tungsten Ores and           LB W           3,000,000  ..............
     Concentrates.
    Zinc......................  ST                 7,993  ..............
Potential Acquisitions:
    Antimony..................  MT                 1,100  ..............
    Boron Carbide.............  MT                 1,000  ..............
    High Modulus High Strength  MT                    72  ..............
     Carbon Fibers.
    Carbon Fibers.............  m\2\               5,000  ..............
    CZT (Cadmium Zinc           cm\2\             32,000  ..............
     Tellurium substrates).
    Dysprosium................  MT                   0.5  ..............

[[Page 41929]]

 
    Electrolytic Manganese      MT                 3,000  ..............
     Metal.
    Europium..................  MT                    35  ..............
    Ferro-niobium.............  MT                   209  ..............
    Lithium Ion Precursors....  kg                19,000  ..............
    Rare Earths Elements......  MT                   416           (\3\)
    Rare Earth Magnet           MT                   100           (\3\)
     Feedstock.
    Rayon.....................  MT                   600  ..............
    Silicon Carbide Fibers....  Lbs                  875  ..............
    TATB (Triamino-             LB                48,000  ..............
     Trinitrobenzene).
    Tantalum..................  Lb Ta             33,990  ..............
    Tin.......................  MT                    40  ..............
    Tungsten Rhenium Metal....  kg                 5,000  ..............
    Yttrium Oxide.............  MT                    10  ..............
Potential Conversions
 (Upgrade, rotation,
 reprocessing, etc.):
    Beryllium Metal...........  ST                     5  ..............
    CZT (Cadmium Zinc           cm\2\             32,000  ..............
     Tellurium substrates).
    High Modulus High Strength  MT                    72  ..............
     Carbon Fibers.
    Dysprosium................  MT                   0.5  ..............
    Europium..................  MT                    35  ..............
    Germanium Scrap...........  kg                 5,000  ..............
    Iridium Catalyst..........  Lbs                   50  ..............
    Rare Earths Elements......  MT                   416           (\3\)
    Silicon Carbide Fibers....  Lbs                  875  ..............
    Tin.......................  MT                   804  ..............
Potential Recovery from
 Government Sources:
    Bearing Steel.............  MT                    50  ..............
    E-Waste...................  MT                    50           (\2\)
    Gadolinium Oxide..........  MT                     4  ..............
    Germanium (Scrap).........  kg                 5,000  ..............
    Iridium Catalyst (Scrap)..  Lbs                   50  ..............
    Lithium Ion Precursors....  MT                    25  ..............
    Magnesium Metal...........  MT                    10  ..............
    Nickel Based Alloys.......  Lbs              150,000  ..............
    Rare Earth Elements--       MT                   100  ..............
     Magnets.
    Rhenium Metal.............  kg                   500  ..............
    Permanent Magnet Alloys...  kg                   500  ..............
    Tantalum..................  MT                    10  ..............
    Titanium Based Alloys       Lbs               75,000  ..............
     (Scrap).
    Yttrium Aluminum Garnet     kg                   250  ..............
     Rods (Scrap).
    Zirconia Oxide............  MT                     4  ..............
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Footnote Key:
\1\ Actual quantity will be limited to remaining inventory.
\2\ Strategic and Critical Materials collected from E-Waste.
\3\ Excludes acquisition of yttrium, dysprosium and europium as these
  rare earths were requested under separate legislation.

[FR Doc. 2017-18664 Filed 9-1-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-33-P