National Defense Stockpile Market Impact Committee Request for Public Comments

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Defense Stockpile Market Impact Committee Request for

Public Comments

AGENCY: Office of Strategic Industries and Economic Security, Bureau of

Export Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of request for public comments on the potential market

impact of proposed disposals of excess commodities from the National

Defense Stockpile. This action concerns the Department of Defense

proposed disposal plans under Fiscal Year (FY) 1997 Annual Materials

Plan (AMP) and revisions to the FY 1996 AMP.

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SUMMARY: This notice is to advise the public that the interagency

National Defense Stockpile Market Impact Committee is seeking public

comment on the market impact of proposed disposals of excess materials

currently held in the National Defense Stockpile.

DATES: Comments must be received by December 7, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Written comments (10 copies) should be sent to Richard V.

Meyers, Co-Chair, Stockpile Market Impact Committee, Office of

Strategic Industries and Economic Security, Room 3878, U.S. Department

of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington,

D.C. 20230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard V. Meyers, Office of Strategic

Industries and Economic Security, U.S. Department of Commerce, (202)

482-3634; or Stephen G. Brundage, Office of International Energy and

Commodities Policy, U.S. Department of State, (202) 647-2871; co-chairs

of the National Defense Stockpile Market Impact Committee.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the authority of the Strategic and

Critical Materials Stock Piling Act of 1979, as amended, (50 U.S.C. 98

et seq.), the Department of Defense (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 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 includes

representatives from the Departments of Commerce, State, Agriculture,

Defense, Energy, Interior, Treasury and the Federal Emergency

Management Agency and is co-chaired by the Departments of Commerce and

State. The NDAA for Fiscal Year 1993 directs the Committee to ``consult

from time to time with representatives of producers, processors

[[Page 56140]]

and consumers of the types of materials stored in the stockpile.''

The Department of Defense, Defense National Stockpile Center

(DNSC), has submitted to the Committee for its consideration and

recommendations the proposed FY 1997 Annual Materials Plan (AMP) and

revisions to the FY 1996 AMP for the disposal of the listed Stockpile

materials. These AMP documents are reprinted below. Following Committee

review, the AMP documents with Committee recommendations are submitted

to the Congress by DNSC for approval.

Included in the proposed FY 1997 and revisions to the FY 1996 AMP

below, are the proposed maximum disposal quantities for each listed

material. Please note that these quantities are not sales target

disposal quantities. They are only a statement of the proposed maximum

disposal quantity of each material that can be sold in a particular

fiscal year. 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 material approved for

disposal by the Congress.

Proposed Fiscal Year 1997 AMP

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

Current FY Proposed FY

Material Units 1996 quantity 1997 quantity

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

Aluminum Oxide, Abrasive.... ST 6,000 12,000

Aluminum Oxide, Fused Crude. ST 15,000 30,000

Analgesics.................. AMALB 2,500 2,500

Antimony.................... ST 3,000 3,000

Asbestos (all types)........ ST 20,000 20,000

Bauxite, Metallurgical LDT 600,000 600,000

(Jamaican).

Bauxite, Metallurgical LDT 300,000 300,000

(Surinam).

Bauxite, Refractory......... LCT 80,000 63,000

Beryl Ore................... ST 2,000 2,000

Bismuth..................... LB 300,000 300,000

Cadmium..................... LB 750,000 1,200,000

Celestite................... SDT 3,600 3,600

Chromite, Chemical.......... SDT 50,000 100,000

Chromite, Metallurgical..... SDT 350,000 250,000

Chromite, Refractory........ SDT 100,000 100,000

Chromium, Ferro............. ST 25,000 50,000

Cobalt...................... LBCO 4,000,000 6,000,000

Diamond, Bort............... CT 1,000,000 1,000,000

Diamond Stone............... CT 2,000,000 1,000,000

Fluorspar, Acid............. SDT 200,000 200,000

Fluorspar, Metallurgical.... SDT 40,000 80,000

Graphite, Natural Malagasy.. ST 1,220 1,220

Iodine...................... LB 1,000,000 1,000,000

Jewel Bearings.............. PC 0 31,000,000

Kyanite..................... SDT 0 1,200

Lead........................ ST 60,000 60,000

Manganese, Battery Grade SDT 60,000 60,000

Natural.

Manganese, Battery Grade SDT 0 3,011

Synthetic.

Manganese, Chemical Grade... SDT 40,000 40,000

Manganese, Ferro Alloys..... ST 0 50,000

Manganese, Metal ST 2,000 2,000

Electrolytic.

Manganese, Metallurgical SDT 400,000 400,000

Grade.

Mercury..................... FL 20,000 20,000

Mica, Muscovite Block....... LB 750,000 750,000

Mica, Muscovite Film........ LB 500,000 500,000

Mica, Muscovite Splittings.. LB 500,000 500,000

Mica, Phlogopite Splittings. LB 500,000 500,000

Nickel...................... ST 10,000 9,686

Quartz Crystals, Nat........ LB 300,000 0

Quinidine................... Av Oz 200,000 200,000

Quinine..................... Av Oz 200,000 200,000

Sapphire and Ruby........... CT 10,000,000 6,300,000

Sebacic Acid................ LB 350,000 1,000,000

Silicon Carbide............. ST 4,500 4,500

Silver (for coinage)........ Tr Oz 9,000,000 9,000,000

Talc........................ ST 1,200 1,000

Thorium Nitrate............. LB 1,000,000 1,000,000

Tin......................... MT 12,000 12,000

Vegetable Tannin Extract, LT 2,000 2,000

Chestnut.

Vegetable Tannin Extract, LT 5,000 5,000

Quebrac.

Vegetable Tannin Extract, LT 5,000 5,000

Wattle.

Zinc........................ ST 50,000 50,000

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[[Page 56141]]

Proposed Revisions to Fiscal Year 1996 AMP

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

Material Units Quantity

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

Aluminum Oxide, Abrasive............... ST 12,000

Aluminum Oxide, Fused Crude............ ST 30,000

Cadmium................................ LB 1,200,000

Chromium, Ferro........................ SDT 50,000

Cobalt................................. LBCO 6,000,000

Diamond, Bort.......................... CT 1,000,000

Fluorspar, Metallurgical............... SDT 80,000

Jewel Bearings......................... PC 51,778,337

Kyanite................................ SDT 1,200

Manganese, B.G. Synthetic.............. SDT 3,011

Sebacic Acid........................... LB 4,508,697

Vanadium Pentoxide..................... ST V 333

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The following list of new materials is presently under

consideration by the Congress for disposal authority in both FY 96 and

FY 97. The Committee is seeking public comment on the potential market

impact of the sale of these materials in the event that Congress does

grant such disposal authority.

Proposed New Material Disposal Authority for FY 1996 and FY 1997

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

FY 1996 FY 1997

Material Units quantity quantity

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

Aluminum..................... ST 62,881 0

Chromium, Electrolytic....... ST 500 500

Cobalt....................... LBCO 6,000,000 6,000,000

Columium, Carbide............ LBCB 2,000 2,000

Columium, Ferro.............. LBCB 60,000 60,000

Germanium.................... KG 2,000 2,000

Indium....................... TROZ 50,205 0

Mica, Phlogopite Block....... LB 10,000 10,000

Palladium.................... TROZ 100,000 100,000

Platinum..................... TROZ 50,000 50,000

Rubber....................... LT 125,138 60,000

Tantalum Carbide Powder...... LBTA 1,000 1,000

Tantalum Minerals............ LBTA 75,000 75,000

Tantalum Oxide............... LBTA 20,000 20,000

Titanium Sponge.............. ST 2,000 2,000

Tungsten Ores and Concent.... LB W 2,000,000 2,000,000

Tungsten Carbide Powder...... LB W 10,000 10,000

Tungsten Metal............... LB W 10,000 10,000

Tungsten, Ferro.............. LB W 10,000 10,000

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The Committee requests that interested parties provide written

comments, data, documentation, or any relevant information on the

potential market impact of the sale of any commodity in the above three

lists. Although comments in response to this Notice must be received by

December 7, 1995 to ensure full consideration by the Committee,

interested parties are encouraged to submit additional comments at any

time thereafter to keep the Committee informed as to the market impact

of the sale of these commodities. Public comment is an important

element of the Market Impact Committee AMP review process.

Public information will be made available at the Department of

Commerce for public inspection and copying. Material that is national

security classified or business confidential information will be

exempted from public disclosure. 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 file.

Communications from agencies of the United States Government will not

be made available for public inspection.

The public record concerning this notice will be maintained in the

Bureau of Export Administration's Records Inspection Facility, Room

4525, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue,

NW., Washington, DC 20230, telephone (202) 482-5653. The records in

this facility may be inspected and copied in accordance with the

regulations published in Part 4 of Title 15 of the Code of Federal

Regulations (15 CFR 4.1 et seq.).

Information about the inspection and copying of records at the

facility may be obtained from Ms. Margaret Cornejo, the Bureau of

Export Administration's Freedom of Information Officer, at the above

address and telephone number.

Dated: November 2, 1995.

John A. Richards,

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Strategic Industries and Economic

Security.

[FR Doc. 95-27538 Filed 11-6-95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DT-P