[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 175 (Wednesday, September 9, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55636-55639]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-19828]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of Industry and Security

[Docket No. 200828-0228]
XRIN 0694-XC066


National Defense Stockpile Market Impact Committee Request for 
Public Comments on the Potential Market Impact of the Proposed Fiscal 
Year 2022 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 the proposed Fiscal Year 2022 National 
Defense Stockpile Annual Materials Plan (AMP). Changes to the AMP are 
discussed and

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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 
9, 2020.

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, (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 (Attn: Matthew McManus), email: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Liam McMenamin, Office of Strategic 
Industries and Economic Security, Bureau of Industry and Security, U.S. 
Department of Commerce, telephone: (202) 482-2233, (Attn: Liam 
McMenamin), 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 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 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 
2022 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 2022 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 2022 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 9, 2020. 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.

Matthew S. Borman,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Export Administration.

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Attachment 1

                                 Proposed Fiscal Year 2022 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....................................  kg..............................           5,000
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.....................................  Lbs.............................             190
Tantalum Carbide Powder......................  Lbs Ta..........................           3,777
Tin..........................................  MT..............................           4,000
Titanium Based Alloys........................  Lbs.............................         600,000
Tungsten Metal Powder........................  Lbs W...........................         275,741
Tungsten Ores and Concentrates...............  Lbs W...........................       3,000,000
Zinc.........................................  ST..............................           7,993
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                                             Potential Acquisitions
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Antimony.....................................  MT..............................           1,100
Carbon Fibers (Pitch Based)..................  Lbs.............................           5,000
Cerium.......................................  MT..............................             550
Dysprosium...................................  MT..............................              20
Electrolytic Manganese Metal.................  MT..............................           5,000
Electrical Steel, Grain Oriented.............  MT..............................           3,200
Graphite, Iso Molded.........................  MT..............................             900
Lanthanum....................................  MT..............................           1,300
Neodymium....................................  MT..............................             600
Praseodymium.................................  MT..............................              70
Rare Earth Magnet Block......................  MT..............................             100
Rayon........................................  MT..............................             600
Samarium Cobalt Alloy........................  MT..............................              50
Tire Cord....................................  MT..............................           2,000
Titanium.....................................  MT..............................           1,500
TNT/HMX/RDX..................................  Lbs.............................       2,000,000
Yttrium......................................  MT..............................              25
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                          Potential Conversions (Upgrade, rotation, reprocessing, etc.)
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Beryllium Metal..............................  ST..............................               8
CZT (Cadmium Zinc Tellurium substrates)......  EA..............................               5
Carbon Fibers (Pan Based)....................  Lbs.............................           5,000
Europium.....................................  MT..............................              35
Germanium....................................  kg..............................           5,000
Iridium Catalyst.............................  Lbs.............................             200
Lithium Ion Materials........................  MT..............................              25
Rare Earths Elements.........................  MT..............................              12
Silicon Carbide Fibers.......................  Lbs.............................             875
Triamino Trinitrobenzene (TATB)..............  Lbs.............................          48,000
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                                   Potential Recovery from Government sources
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Boron Carbide................................  MT..............................             150
E-Waste......................................  MT..............................              50           (\1\)
Germanium....................................  kg..............................           5,000
Iridium Catalyst.............................  Lbs.............................             200
Battery Materials............................  MT..............................              50
Magnesium Metal..............................  MT..............................              25
Aerospace Alloys.............................  Lbs.............................       1,500,000
Tantalum.....................................  MT..............................              10
Yttrium Aluminum Garnet Rods.................  kg..............................             250
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Footnote Key:
\1\ Strategic and Critical Materials collected from E-Waste (Strategic Materials collected from electronics
  waste).


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[FR Doc. 2020-19828 Filed 9-8-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-33-P