Proposed Foreign-Trade ZoneRiverside County, California Application and Public Hearing

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Foreign-Trade Zones Board

[Docket 64-99]

Proposed Foreign-Trade Zone--Riverside County, California

Application and Public Hearing

An application has been submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZ)

Board (the Board) by the March Joint Powers Authority (a public

corporation), to establish a general-purpose foreign-trade zone in

Riverside County, California, adjacent to Los Angeles-Long Beach

Customs port of entry. The application was submitted pursuant to the

provisions of the FTZ Act, as amended (19 U.S.C. 81a-81u), and the

regulations of the Board (15 CFR part 400). It was formally filed on

December 6, 1999. The applicant is authorized to make the proposal

under Section 6302 of the California Code.

The proposed zone would be the fourth general-purpose zone in the

Los Angeles-Long Beach Customs port of entry area. The existing zones

are FTZ 50 in Long Beach (sites also in Ontario, Santa Ana and San

Bernardino) (Grantee: Board of Harbor Commissioners of the City of Long

Beach, Board Order 147, 44 FR 55919, 9/28/79); FTZ 191 in Palmdale

(Grantee: City of Palmdale, Board Order 628, 58 FR 6614, 2/1/93); and,

FTZ 202 in Los Angeles (sites also in Bakersfield, Rancho Dominguez and

Carson) (Grantee: Board of Harbor Commissioners of the City of Los

Angeles, Board Order 693, 59 FR 37464, 7/22/94).

The proposed new zone (2,480 acres) would be located at the March

Inland Port (MIP), which is related to a defense conversion project at

March Air Force Base. The site is located within Riverside County,

California, and straddles Interstate 215 a few miles south of State

Highway 60. The MIP development, consisting of over 7,000 acres of

land, adjacent to the Cities of Moreno Valley, Perris and Riverside, is

a newly-established civilian airport and air-cargo facility at the

realigned March Air Force Base. The base now serves as an Air Reserve

Base, and surplus lands are being made available for commercial uses.

MIP is a ``joint-use airport,'' where airport facilities are owned and

operated by the Air Force but made available for civilian aviation. The

area to be included in the proposed zone is currently owned by the U.S.

Air Force, but ownership is in the process of being conveyed to the

applicant for commercial use. The application indicates a need for zone

services in the Riverside County area. Several firms have indicated an

interest in using zone procedures for warehousing/distribution

activity. Specific manufacturing approvals are not being sought at this

time. Requests would be made to the Board on a case-by-case basis.

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.

As part of the investigation, the Commerce examiner will hold a

public hearing on February 4, 2000, 10:00 a.m., at the March Joint

Powers Authority Auditorium, 3409 Bundy Avenue, Riverside, California

92518.

Public comment on the application is invited from interested

parties. Submissions (original and 3 copies) shall be addressed to the

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

for their receipt is February 22, 2000. Rebuttal comments in response

to material submitted during the foregoing period may be submitted

during the subsequent 15-day period (to March 8, 2000).

A copy of the application and accompanying exhibits will be

available during this time for public inspection at the following

locations:

Office of the March Joint Powers Authority, 3430 Bundy Avenue, Suite

107, Building 3408, March AFB, California 92518.

Office of the Executive Secretary, Foreign-Trade Zones Board, Room

4008, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW,

Washington, DC 20230.

[[Page 69989]]

Dated: December 8, 1999.

Dennis Puccinelli,

Acting Executive Secretary.

[FR Doc. 99-32512 Filed 12-14-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P