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 Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security [Docket No. 170802716-7716-01]
 AGENCY: Bureau of Industry and Security, Commerce.
 ACTION: Notice of inquiry; request for comments.
 SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is to advise the public that the National Defense Stockpile Market Impact Committee, co-chaired by the Departments of Commerce and State, is seeking public comments on the potential market impact of the proposed Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Stockpile Annual Materials Plan. The role of the Market Impact 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 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 11, 2018.
 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, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Room 3876, Washington, DC 20230, fax: (202) 482-5650 (Attn: Eric Longnecker), email: 
                        *MIC@bis.doc.gov;*
                         and Matthew McManus, Deputy Director, Office of Policy Analysis and Public Diplomacy, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Energy Resources, 2201 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20520, fax: (202) 647-7431 (Attn: Matthew McManus), email: 
                        *McManusMT@state.gov.*
 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Parya Fenton, Office of Strategic Industries and Economic Security, Bureau of Industry and Security, U.S. Department of Commerce, telephone: (202) 482-8228, fax: (202) 482-5650 (Attn: Parya Fenton), email: 
                        *MIC@bis.doc.gov.*


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 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 must also balance market impact concerns with the statutory requirement to protect the U.S. Government against avoidable loss. 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 materials stored in or of interest to the National Defense Stockpile Manager. As the National Defense Stockpile Manager, the DLA must produce an Annual Materials Plan 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, 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 2020 Annual Materials Plan (“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, as noted. 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 for acquisition, disposal, conversion (upgrade, rotation, reprocessing, etc.), or recovery by Congress. The Committee is seeking public comments on the potential market impact associated with the proposed FY 2020 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 2020 AMP. All comments must be submitted to the addresses indicated in this notice. All comments submitted through email must include the phrase “Market Impact 
                    ( print page 45881)
                    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 11, 2018. The Committee will consider all comments received before the close of the comment period. Comments received after the end of the comment period 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. 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 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. Dated: September 5, 2018. Richard Ashooh, Assistant Secretary for Export Administration.
 Attachment 1 Proposed Fiscal Year 2020 Annual Materials Plan
Material
Unit
Quantity
Footnote**Potential Disposals**Beryllium Metal
ST
8Chromium, Ferro
ST
23,500Chromium, Metal
ST
200Germanium Scrap
kg
3,000Manganese, Ferro
ST
50,000Manganese, Metallurgical Grade
SDT
322,025Nickel Based Alloys
Lbs
600,000Platinum
Tr Oz
8,380PGM—Iridium
Tr Oz
489Tantalum Carbide Powder
Lb Ta
3,777Tantalum Scrap
Lbs
190Titanium Based Alloys
Lbs
150,000Tungsten Metal Powder
LB W
275,738Tungsten Ores and Concentrates
LB W
3,000,000Zinc
ST
7,993**Potential Acquisitions**Antimony
MT
1,100Boron Carbide
MT
1,000High Modulus High Strength Carbon Fibers
MT
72Carbon Fibers
m2
5,000Cerium
MT
900CZT (Cadmium Zinc Tellurium substrates)
cm2
32,000Electrolytic Manganese Metal
MT
5,000Lanthanum
MT
4,100Potassium Nitrate
Lbs
100,000Rare Earth Magnet Feedstock
MT
100Rayon
MT
600RDX/HMX/IMX/TNT
Lbs
7,000,000Silicon Carbide Fibers
Lbs
875TATB (Triamino-Trinitrobenzene)
Lbs
48,000Tantalum
Lb Ta
33,990Tin
MT
40Tungsten Rhenium Metal
kg
5,000**Potential Conversions (Upgrade, rotation, reprocessing, etc.)**Beryllium Metal
ST
8CZT (Cadmium Zinc Tellurium substrates)
cm2
32,000High Modulus High Strength Carbon Fibers
MT
72Dysprosium
MT
0.5Europium
MT
35Germanium (Scrap)
kg
5,000Iridium Catalyst
Lbs
50Lithium Ion Materials
MT
25Rare Earths Elements
MT
12Silicon Carbide Fibers
Lbs
875Tin
MT
804**Potential Recovery from Government Sources**Bearing Steel
MT
50( print page 45882)E-Waste
MT
50
(1
                            )Gadolinium Oxide
MT
4Germanium (Scrap)
kg
5,000Iridium Catalyst (Scrap)
Lbs
50Lithium Ion Materials
MT
25Magnesium Metal
MT
25Rhenium Metal
kg
500Super Alloys
Lbs
1,500,000Tantalum
MT
10Yttrium Aluminum Garnet Rods (Scrap)
kg
250Zirconia Oxide
MT
4Footnote Key:1
                         Strategic and Critical Materials collected from E-Waste (Strategic Materials collected from electronics waste).


[FR Doc. 2018-19617 Filed 9-10-18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-33-P