Foreign-Trade Zone 114Peoria, Illinois; Application for Foreign-Trade Subzone Status; E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Inc. (Crop Protection Products), El Paso, Illinois

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Foreign-Trade Zones Board

[Docket 20-99]

Foreign-Trade Zone 114--Peoria, Illinois; Application for

Foreign-Trade Subzone Status; E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Inc.

(Crop Protection Products), El Paso, Illinois

An application has been submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones Board

(the Board) by the Economic Development Council, Inc. (of Peoria,

Illinois), grantee of FTZ 114, requesting special-purpose subzone

status for the manufacturing facilities (crop production products) of

E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, Inc. (Du Pont), located in El

Paso, Illinois. The application was submitted pursuant to the Foreign-

Trade Zones Act, as amended (19 U.S.C. 81a-81u), and the regulations of

the Board (15 CFR part 400). It was formally filed on May 7, 1999.

The DuPont facilities (49.2 acres, 320,512 sq. ft. + 240,000 sq.

ft. proposed) are located at on U.S. Highway 24 East in El Paso,

Illinois. The facilities (150 employees) produce herbicide products for

crop protection. DuPont initially intends to manufacture, test,

package, and warehouse sulfonylurea herbicides under FTZ procedures.

The herbicides to be produced are marketed under the following trade

names: Accent, Accent Gold Basis,

Basis Gold, Classic, Canopy, Canopy

XL, Pinnacle, and Reliance.

Foreign-sourced materials will account for, on average, 14 to 18

percent of finished products' value. Dupont has indicated that the

following inputs will be imported, or transferred under FTZ procedures

from the proposed subzone of DuPont Agricultural Caribe Industries,

Ltd. (in Manati, Puerto Rico): nicosulfuron; rimsulfuron;

thifensulfuron methyl; and chlorimuron ethyl (the duty rate on these is

10.0%). The application also indicates that the company may in the

future import under FTZ procedures a wide variety of other chemical

materials, as well as other products used in production, packaging, and

distribution of crop protection products.

Zone procedures would exempt DuPont from Customs duty payments on

foreign materials used in production for export. On domestic shipments,

the company would be able to defer Customs duty payments on foreign

materials, and to choose the duty rate that applies to the finished

products (6.5%) instead of the rate otherwise applicable to the foreign

input materials (noted above). The company would also be exempt from

duty payments on foreign merchandise that becomes scrap/waste. FTZ

status may also make a site eligible for benefits provided under state/

local programs. The application indicates that the savings from zone

procedures would help improve the plant's international

competitiveness.

In accordance with the Board's regulations, a member of the FTZ

Staff has been designated examiner to investigate the application and

report to the Board.

Public comment on the application is invited from interested

parties. Submissions (original and three copies) shall be addressed to

the Board's Executive Secretary at the address below. The closing

period for their receipt is July 19, 1999. Rebuttal comments in

response to material submitted during the foregoing period may be

submitted during the subsequent 15-day period to August 2, 1999.

A copy of the application and the accompanying exhibits will be

available for public inspection at each of the following locations:

Office of the Executive Secretary, Foreign-Trade Zones Board, U.S.

Department of Commerce, Room 3716, 14th and Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20230

U.S. Customs Service, 5701 W. Smithville Rd., Air Cargo Facility, Suite

700, Bartonville, IL 61607-1778

Dated: May 7, 1999.

Dennis Puccinelli,

Acting Executive Secretary.

[FR Doc. 99-12506 Filed 5-17-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P