[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 172 (Thursday, September 9, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50525-50527]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-19415]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of Industry and Security

[Docket No. 210823-0167]
RIN 0694-XC082


National Defense Stockpile Market Impact Committee Request for 
Public Comments on the Potential Market Impact of the Proposed Fiscal 
Year 2023 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 2023 National 
Defense Stockpile Annual Materials Plan (AMP). Potential 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 this 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 National Defense 
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 
12, 2021.

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, email: 
[email protected]; and Matthew McManus, Deputy Director, Office of Policy 
Analysis and Public Diplomacy, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of 
Energy Resources, email: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marina Youssef, Office of Strategic 
Industries and Economic Security, Bureau of Industry and Security, U.S. 
Department of Commerce, telephone: (202) 655-1136, (Attn: Marina 
Youssef), 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. See 50 U.S.C. 98e (b)(2).
    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 types of materials stored in the stockpile.
    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 to this notice, 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 2023 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. 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 by Congress for acquisition, disposal, conversion, or 
recovery.
    The Committee is seeking public comments on the potential market 
impact associated with the proposed FY 2023 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 2023 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 12, 2021. The Committee will consider 
all comments received before the close of the comment period. Comments 
received after the comment

[[Page 50526]]

period closes 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. Any person 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.

Attachment 1

                                 Proposed Fiscal Year 2023 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.............................         167,000           (\1\)
Aerospace Alloys.............................  Lbs.............................       1,500,000
Platinum.....................................  Tr Oz...........................           8,380           (\1\)
PGM--Iridium.................................  Tr Oz...........................             489           (\1\)
Quartz Crystals..............................  Lbs.............................          15,759           (\1\)
Tantalum.....................................  Lbs.............................             190           (\1\)
Tin..........................................  MT..............................             688
Titanium Based Alloys........................  Lbs.............................         600,000
Tungsten Ores and Concentrates...............  Lbs W...........................       2,500,000
Zinc.........................................  ST..............................           2,500
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                                             Potential Acquisitions
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Antimony.....................................  MT..............................           1,100
Carbon Fibers (Pitch Based)..................  Lbs.............................           5,000
Cerium.......................................  MT..............................             550
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
Titanium.....................................  MT..............................           1,500
TNT/HMX/RDX..................................  Lbs.............................       4,000,000
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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................................  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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Aerospace Alloys.............................  Lbs.............................       1,500,000
Battery Materials............................  MT..............................              50
Boron Carbide................................  MT..............................             150
Cobalt.......................................  Lbs.............................          25,000
E-Waste......................................  MT..............................             100           (\2\)
Germanium....................................  kg..............................           5,000
Iridium Catalyst.............................  Lbs.............................             200
Magnesium Metal..............................  MT..............................              25
Rare Earths..................................  Lbs.............................          20,000
Tantalum.....................................  MT..............................              10
Yttrium Aluminum Garnet Rods.................  kg..............................             250
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Footnote Key:

[[Page 50527]]

 
\1\ Actual quantity will be limited to remaining inventory.
\2\ Strategic and Critical Materials collected from E-Waste (Strategic Materials collected from electronics
  waste).

[FR Doc. 2021-19415 Filed 9-8-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-33-P