[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 176 (Tuesday, September 11, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45880-45882]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-19617]


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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 2020 Annual Materials Plan

AGENCY: Bureau of Industry and Security, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of inquiry; request for comments.

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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 2020 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 
11, 2018.

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 Matthew 
McManus, Deputy Director, Office of Policy Analysis and Public 
Diplomacy, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Energy Resources, 2201 C 
Street NW, Washington, DC 20520, fax: (202) 647-7431 (Attn: Matthew 
McManus), 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 of the United States for 
national defense. Section 9(b)(2)(G)(ii) of the Stock Piling Act (50 
U.S.C. 98h(b)(2)(H)(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 types of activity 
(potential disposals, potential acquisitions, potential conversions 
(upgrade, rotation, reprocessing, etc.) or potential recovery from 
government sources) associated with each material in its proposed FY 
2020 Annual Materials Plan (``AMP''). The quantities listed in 
Attachment 1 are not acquisition, disposal, upgrade, conversion, 
recovery, reprocessing, 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 (upgrade, rotation, reprocessing, 
etc.), or recovery by Congress.
    The Committee is seeking public comments on the potential market 
impact associated with the proposed FY 2020 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 2020 AMP. All comments must be submitted to the 
addresses indicated in this notice. All comments submitted through 
email must include the phrase ``Market Impact

[[Page 45881]]

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 11, 2018. 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) website at https://efoia.bis.doc.gov/. This 
office does not maintain a separate public inspection facility. If you 
have technical difficulties accessing this website, please call BIS's 
Office of Administration at (202) 482-1900 for assistance.

    Dated: September 5, 2018.
Richard Ashooh,
Assistant Secretary for Export Administration.

Attachment 1

                                 Proposed Fiscal Year 2020 Annual Materials Plan
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                  Material                                   Unit                   Quantity         Footnote
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                                               Potential Disposals
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Beryllium Metal.............................  ST                                              8  ...............
Chromium, Ferro.............................  ST                                         23,500  ...............
Chromium, Metal.............................  ST                                            200  ...............
Germanium Scrap.............................  kg                                          3,000  ...............
Manganese, Ferro............................  ST                                         50,000  ...............
Manganese, Metallurgical Grade..............  SDT                                       322,025  ...............
Nickel Based Alloys.........................  Lbs                                       600,000  ...............
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                                       150,000  ...............
Tungsten Metal Powder.......................  LB W                                      275,738  ...............
Tungsten Ores and Concentrates..............  LB W                                    3,000,000  ...............
Zinc........................................  ST                                          7,993  ...............
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                                             Potential Acquisitions
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Antimony....................................  MT                                          1,100  ...............
Boron Carbide...............................  MT                                          1,000  ...............
High Modulus High Strength Carbon Fibers....  MT                                             72  ...............
Carbon Fibers...............................  m\2\                                        5,000  ...............
Cerium......................................  MT                                            900  ...............
CZT (Cadmium Zinc Tellurium substrates).....  cm\2\                                      32,000  ...............
Electrolytic Manganese Metal................  MT                                          5,000  ...............
Lanthanum...................................  MT                                          4,100  ...............
Potassium Nitrate...........................  Lbs                                       100,000  ...............
Rare Earth Magnet Feedstock.................  MT                                            100  ...............
Rayon.......................................  MT                                            600  ...............
RDX/HMX/IMX/TNT.............................  Lbs                                     7,000,000  ...............
Silicon Carbide Fibers......................  Lbs                                           875  ...............
TATB (Triamino-Trinitrobenzene).............  Lbs                                        48,000  ...............
Tantalum....................................  Lb Ta                                      33,990  ...............
Tin.........................................  MT                                             40  ...............
Tungsten Rhenium Metal......................  kg                                          5,000  ...............
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                          Potential Conversions (Upgrade, rotation, reprocessing, etc.)
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Beryllium Metal.............................  ST                                              8  ...............
CZT (Cadmium Zinc Tellurium substrates).....  cm\2\                                      32,000  ...............
High Modulus High Strength Carbon Fibers....  MT                                             72  ...............
Dysprosium..................................  MT                                            0.5  ...............
Europium....................................  MT                                             35  ...............
Germanium (Scrap)...........................  kg                                          5,000  ...............
Iridium Catalyst............................  Lbs                                            50  ...............
Lithium Ion Materials.......................  MT                                             25  ...............
Rare Earths Elements........................  MT                                             12  ...............
Silicon Carbide Fibers......................  Lbs                                           875  ...............
Tin.........................................  MT                                            804  ...............
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                                   Potential Recovery from Government Sources
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Bearing Steel...............................  MT                                             50  ...............

[[Page 45882]]

 
E-Waste.....................................  MT                                             50           (\1\)
Gadolinium Oxide............................  MT                                              4  ...............
Germanium (Scrap)...........................  kg                                          5,000  ...............
Iridium Catalyst (Scrap)....................  Lbs                                            50  ...............
Lithium Ion Materials.......................  MT                                             25  ...............
Magnesium Metal.............................  MT                                             25  ...............
Rhenium Metal...............................  kg                                            500  ...............
Super Alloys................................  Lbs                                     1,500,000  ...............
Tantalum....................................  MT                                             10  ...............
Yttrium Aluminum Garnet Rods (Scrap)........  kg                                            250  ...............
Zirconia Oxide..............................  MT                                              4  ...............
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Footnote Key:
\1\ Strategic and Critical Materials collected from E-Waste (Strategic Materials collected from electronics
  waste).

[FR Doc. 2018-19617 Filed 9-10-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-33-P