[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 181 (Wednesday, September 18, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49089-49092]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-20200]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Bureau of Industry and Security
[Docket No. 190912-0026]
RIN 0694-XC055
National Defense Stockpile Market Impact Committee Request for
Public Comments on the Potential Market Impact of the Proposed
Amendment to Fiscal Year 2020 Annual Materials Plan and the Proposed
Fiscal Year 2021 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 request public comments on
the potential market impact of a proposed amendment to the Fiscal Year
2020 National Defense Stockpile Annual Materials Plan (AMP) and the
proposed Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Stockpile AMP. Changes to
the AMP are discussed and decided by the National Defense Stockpile
Market Impact Committee, co-chaired by the Departments of Commerce and
State. 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
18, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Comments on this rule may be submitted to the Federal
rulemaking portal (www.regulations.gov). The regulations.gov ID for
this rule is: BIS-2019-0024. All relevant comments
[[Page 49090]]
(including any personally identifying information) will be made
available for public inspection and copying.
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]. All questions submitted
through email must include the phrase ``Market Impact Committee Notice
of Inquiry'' in the subject line.
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 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 1993 (FY 1993 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 (AMP) 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 of three materials it wishes
to acquire for the National Defense Stockpile that were not included in
the previously approved Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 AMP. Attachment 1 also
lists three materials the DLA is targeting for disposals from the
National Defense Stockpile that were likewise not included in the
previously approved FY 2020 AMP. The quantities listed for potential
disposal in Attachment 1 are not disposal or sales target quantities,
but rather a statement of the proposed maximum disposal quantity of
each listed material that may be sold in a particular fiscal year by
the DLA as noted. The quantity of each material that will actually be
offered for sale will depend on the market for the material at the time
of the offering as well as on the quantity of each material approved
for disposal by Congress. The DLA is seeking this amendment to the FY
2020 AMP to respond to changing market and other conditions that were
not foreseen when the AMP was first submitted.
In Attachment 2, 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
2021AMP. The quantities listed in Attachment 2 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 amendment to the FY 2020 AMP and
proposed FY 2021 AMP as enumerated in the Attachments. 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 amendment to the FY 2020 AMP and the proposed FY 2021
AMP. All comments must be submitted to BIS as described in the
ADDRESSES section of this notice. Commenters should indicate whether
their comment is related to the proposed amendment to the FY 2020 AMP
or the proposed FY 2021 AMP.
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 18, 2019. 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.
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.
Dated: September 12, 2019.
Richard E. Ashooh,
Assistant Secretary for Export Administration.
Attachment 1--Proposed Amendment to Fiscal Year 2020 Annual Materials
Plan
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Material Unit Quantity
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Proposed Acquisitions
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Neodymium......................... MT.................. 40
Rare Earth Magnet Block........... MT.................. 18.5
Praseodymium...................... MT.................. 14
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[[Page 49091]]
Proposed Disposals
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Cobalt............................ Lbs................. 666,792
Quartz Crystals................... Lbs................. 15,759
Tin............................... MT.................. 804
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Attachment 2--Proposed Fiscal Year 2021 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.............................. 24,000 ...............
Chromium, Metal.............................. ST.............................. 500 ...............
Germanium Scrap.............................. kg.............................. 3,000 ...............
Manganese, Ferro............................. ST.............................. 50,000 ...............
Manganese, Metallurgical Grade............... SDT............................. 322,025 ...............
Aerospace Alloys............................. Lbs............................. 1,500,000 ...............
Platinum..................................... Tr Oz........................... 8,380 ...............
PGM--Iridium................................. Tr Oz........................... 489 ...............
Quartz Crystals.............................. Lbs............................. 15,759 ...............
Tantalum Carbide Powder...................... Lb Ta........................... 3,777 ...............
Tantalum Scrap............................... Lbs............................. 190 ...............
Tin.......................................... MT.............................. 4,034 ...............
Titanium Based Alloys........................ Lbs............................. 600,000 ...............
Tungsten Metal Powder........................ LB W............................ 275,741 ...............
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................................ Lbs............................. 5,000 ...............
Cerium....................................... MT.............................. 500 ...............
Dysprosium................................... MT.............................. 20 ...............
Electrolytic Manganese Metal................. MT.............................. 5,000 ...............
Lanthanum.................................... MT.............................. 1,300 ...............
Neodymium.................................... MT.............................. 600 ...............
Praseodymium................................. MT.............................. 70 ...............
Rare Earth Magnet Block...................... MT.............................. 100 ...............
Rayon........................................ MT.............................. 600 ...............
RDX/HMX/IMX/TNT.............................. Lbs............................. 7,000,000 ...............
Samarium Cobalt Alloy........................ MT.............................. 50 ...............
Silicon Carbide Fibers....................... Lbs............................. 875 ...............
Tantalum..................................... Lb Ta........................... 33,990 ...............
Tungsten Rhenium Metal....................... kg.............................. 5,000 ...............
Yttrium...................................... MT.............................. 600 ...............
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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 ...............
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 ...............
E-Waste...................................... MT.............................. 50 (\1\)
Gadolinium Oxide............................. MT.............................. 4 ...............
[[Page 49092]]
Germanium (Scrap)............................ kg.............................. 5,000 ...............
Iridium Catalyst (Scrap)..................... Lbs............................. 50 ...............
Lithium Ion Materials........................ MT.............................. 25 ...............
Magnesium Metal.............................. MT.............................. 25 ...............
Rhenium Metal................................ kg.............................. 500 ...............
Aerospace 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. 2019-20200 Filed 9-17-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-33-P