Bureau of Export Administration; National Defense Stockpile Market Impact Committee Request for Public Comments

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of Export Administration; 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 the disposal of certain commodities from the National Defense

Stockpile under the proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 1999 Annual Materials

Plan (AMP) and revisions to the FY 1998 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 potential market impact of Department of Defense

proposed disposals of Stockpile materials under the FY 1999 AMP and

under a revised FY 1998 AMP (See Attachment 1).

DATES: Comments must be received by November 28, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Written comments (2 copies) should be sent to Richard V.

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

Strategic Industries and Economic Security, Room 3876, 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 H. Muller, Office of International Energy and

Commodity Policy, U.S. Department of State, (202) 647-3423; 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 Act), 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. The Act (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 Government against avoidable loss.

The Committee is comprised of 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 Act directs the Committee to

``consult from time to time with representatives of producers,

processors and consumers of the types of materials stored in the

stockpile.''

The Committee is now considering Defense's proposed Stockpile

material disposal levels under the FY 1999 AMP and revisions to current

Stockpile material disposal levels under the FY 1998 AMP as set forth

in Attachment 1. The AMP materials listed in bold in Attachment 1

cannot be sold until Congress has approved their disposal. 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.

The proposed disposal quantity for each material listed in

Attachment 1 is the maximum amount of material that may be sold in a

particular fiscal year. Please note that these quantities are not sales

targets. 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. It will also depend on the maximum quantity of each material

approved for disposal by the Congress.

[[Page 56149]]

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 sale of any commodity

in the above lists. Although comments in response to this Notice must

be received by November 28, 1997 to ensure full consideration by the

Committee, interested parties are encouraged to submit additional

comments and supporting information at any time thereafter to keep the

Committee informed as to the market impact of the sale of the

commodities. Public comment is an important element of the Committee's

market impact review process.

Public comments received will be made available at the Department

of Commerce for public inspection and copying. Material that is

national security classified or business confidential 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: October 17, 1997.

Karen A. Swasey,

Acting Director, Strategic Industries and Economic Security.

Attachment 1: Proposed FY 1999 and Revised FY 1998 AMPs.

Attachment 1.--Proposed FY 1999 and Revised FY 1998 AMPs

[The materials in bold are under Congressional consideration]

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Current FY Revised FY Proposed FY

Material Units 1998 quantity 1998 quantity 1999 quantity

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Aluminum Oxide, Abrasive........... ST 6,000 0 6,000

Aluminum Oxide, Fused Crude........ ST 30,000 0 30,000

Analgesics......................... AMA Lb 64,127 0 64,127

Antimony........................... ST 5,000 0 5,000

Asbestos (all types)............... ST 20,000 0 20,000

Bauxite, Metallurgical (Jamaican).. LDT 600,000 0 600,000

Bauxite, Metallurgical (Surinam)... LDT 300,000 800,000 800,000

Bauxite, Refractory................ LCT 80,000 0 0

Beryl Ore.......................... ST 2,000 0 2,000

Beryllium Copper Master Alloy...... ST 0 1,250 1,250

Bismuth............................ LB 300,000 0 180,000

Cadmium............................ LB 1,200,000 0 1,200,000

Celestite.......................... SDT 3,600 0 3,600

Chromite, Chemical................. SDT 100,000 0 100,000

Chromite, Metallurgical............ SDT 250,000 0 250,000

Chromite, Refractory............... SDT 100,000 0 100,000

Chromium, Ferro.................... ST 50,000 0 50,000

Chromium, Metal.................... ST 0 500 500

Cobalt............................. LB Co 6,000,000 0 6,000,000

Columbium, Carbide................. LB Cb 0 21,372 21,000

Columbium Concentrates (Minerals).. LB Cb 0 200,000 200,000

Columbium, Ferro................... LB Cb 200,000 0 200,000

Diamond, Bort...................... CT 1,000,000 0 1,000,000

Diamond Dies, Small PCS............ PC 25,473 0 25,473

Diamond Stone...................... CT 2,000,000 0 2,000,000

Fluorspar, Acid Grade.............. SDT 180,000 0 180,000

Fluorspar, Metallurgical........... SDT 50,000 0 50,000

Germanium.......................... KG 8,000 0 8,000

Graphite, Natural Malagasy......... ST 2,660 0 2,660

Indium............................. TR Oz 35,000 0 15,000

Iodine............................. LB 450,000 1,000,000 1,000,000

Jewel Bearings..................... PC 31,000,000 52,000,000 52,000,000

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

Lead............................... ST 60,000 0 60,000

Manganese, Battery Grade Natural... SDT 20,000 0 20,000

Manganese, Battery Grade Synthetic. SDT 3,011 0 3,011

Manganese, Chemical Grade.......... SDT 40,000 0 40,000

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

Manganese, Metal Electrolytic...... ST 2,000 0 2,000

Manganese, Metallurgical Grade..... SDT 250,000 0 250,000

Mercury............................ FL 20,000 0 20,000

Mica (All Types)................... LB 2,260,000 0 2,260,000

Nickel............................. ST 10,000 0 2,000

Palladium.......................... TR Oz 15,000 200,000 300,000

Platinum........................... TR Oz 10,000 125,000 125,000

Quinidine.......................... Av Oz 750,000 0 750,000

[[Page 56150]]

Quinine............................ Av Oz 750,000 0 750,00

Rubber............................. LT 125,000 0 0

Sebacic Acid....................... LB 1,000,000 0 1,000,000

Silicon Carbide.................... ST 9,000 0 9,000

Silver (for coinage)............... Tr Oz 9,000,000 0 9,000,000

Talc............................... ST 1,000 0 1,000

Tantalum Carbide Powder............ LB Ta 2,000 0 2,000

Tantalum Minerals.................. LB Ta 100,000 0 100,000

Tantalum Oxide..................... LB Ta 20,000 0 20,000

Thorium Nitrate.................... LB 1,000,000 0 1,000,000

Tin................................ MT 12,000 0 12,000

Titanium Sponge.................... ST 0 4,000 5,000

Tungsten, Carbide.................. Lb W 0 100,000 100,000

Tungsten, Ferro.................... LB W 0 100,000 100,000

Tungsten, Metal Powder............. LB W 0 100,000 100,000

Tungsten Ores & Concentrates....... LB W 0 1,000,000 1,000,000

Vanadium Pentoxide................. ST V 200 0 0

Vegetable Tannin Extract, Chestnut. LT 7,500 0 7,500

Vegetable Tannin Extract, Quebrac.. LT 10,000 0 10,000

Vegetable Tannin Extract, Wattle... LT 10,000 0 10,000

Zinc............................... ST 50,000 0 50,000

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[FR Doc. 97-28645 Filed 10-28-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-33-P