[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]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

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

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
------------------------------------------------------------------------
             Material                       Unit             Quantity
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          Proposed Acquisitions
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Neodymium.........................  MT..................              40
Rare Earth Magnet Block...........  MT..................            18.5
Praseodymium......................  MT..................              14
------------------------------------------------------------------------

[[Page 49091]]

 
                           Proposed Disposals
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cobalt............................  Lbs.................         666,792
Quartz Crystals...................  Lbs.................          15,759
Tin...............................  MT..................             804
------------------------------------------------------------------------



                          Attachment 2--Proposed Fiscal Year 2021 Annual Materials Plan
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   Material                                  Unit                   Quantity         Footnote
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                               Potential Disposals
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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  ...............
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                             Potential Acquisitions
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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  ...............
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                          Potential Conversions (Upgrade, Rotation, Reprocessing, etc.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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  ...............
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   Potential Recovery From Government sources
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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  ...............
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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