[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 79 (Tuesday, April 24, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 17790]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-08466]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Foreign-Trade Zones Board

[B-25-2017]


Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ) 81--Portsmouth, New Hampshire; 
Notification of Proposed Production Activity; Textiles Coated 
International Inc. (Polytetrafluoroethylene Products); Manchester and 
Londonderry, New Hampshire

    Textiles Coated International Inc. (TCI) submitted a notification 
of proposed production activity to the FTZ Board for its facilities in 
Manchester and Londonderry, New Hampshire. The notification conforming 
to the requirements of the regulations of the FTZ Board (15 CFR 400.22) 
was received on April 10, 2018.
    TCI's facilities are located within Site 4 of FTZ 81. The 
facilities are used for the production of polytetrafluoroethylene 
(PTFE) products. Pursuant to 15 CFR 400.14(b), FTZ activity would be 
limited to the specific foreign-status materials/components and 
specific finished products described in the submitted notification (as 
described below) and subsequently authorized by the FTZ Board.
    Production under FTZ procedures could exempt TCI from customs duty 
payments on the foreign-status materials/components used in export 
production (an estimated 40 percent of production). On its domestic 
sales, for the foreign-status materials/components noted below, TCI 
would be able to choose the duty rates during customs entry procedures 
that apply to: Fluoropolymer film sheeting .152mm in thickness in rolls 
and not in rolls; PTFE fiberglass colored and not colored; PTFE 
gaskets; joint sealants; sheet gasketing material with and without 
adhesives; silicone fiberglass fabrics with and without color; flexible 
PTFE ducting with coils reinforced and unreinforced; and, PTFE coated 
fiberglass sheets (duty rate ranges from 3.1% to 7.3%). TCI would be 
able to avoid duty on foreign-status components which become scrap/
waste. Customs duties also could possibly be deferred or reduced on 
foreign-status production equipment.
    The materials and components sourced from abroad include: PTFE 
dispersions; PTFE fine powders; fluoropolymer film sheeting 0.152mm in 
thickness in rolls and not in rolls; woven glass fiber mats; woven 
glass fiber fabrics colored and not colored; fluorinated ethylene 
propylene (FEP) pellets; ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) pellets; 
and, perfluoroalkoxy (PFA) pellets (duty rate ranges from 4.2% to 
7.3%). The request indicates that woven glass fiber mats and woven 
glass fiber fabrics colored and not colored will be admitted to the 
zone in privileged foreign status (19 CFR 146.41), thereby precluding 
inverted tariff benefits on such items. The request also indicates 
that, PTFE dispersions and PTFE fine powders are subject to an 
antidumping/countervailing duty (AD/CVD) investigation if imported from 
certain countries. The FTZ Board's regulations (15 CFR 400.14(e)) 
require that merchandise subject to AD/CVD orders, or items which would 
be otherwise subject to suspension of liquidation under AD/CVD 
procedures if they entered U.S. customs territory, be admitted to the 
zone in privileged foreign status (19 CFR 146.41).
    Public comment is invited from interested parties. Submissions 
shall be addressed to the Board's Executive Secretary at the address 
below. The closing period for their receipt is June 4, 2018.
    A copy of the notification will be available for public inspection 
at the Office of the Executive Secretary, Foreign-Trade Zones Board, 
Room 21013, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, 
Washington, DC 20230-0002, and in the ``Reading Room'' section of the 
Board's website, which is accessible via www.trade.gov/ftz.
    For further information, contact Christopher Wedderburn at 
[email protected] or (202) 482-1963.

    Dated: April 16, 2018.
Andrew McGilvray,
Executive Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-08466 Filed 4-23-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P