Revised Proposal for Changes to the Format of Annual Reports Submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones Board; Extension of Comment Period
The FTZ Board recently requested comments regarding the proposed changes to the format of the annual reports submitted to the FTZ Board by grantees.
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Revised Proposal for Changes to the Format of Annual Reports Submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones Board
Summary: On May 15, 2009, the Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZ) Board published a notice seeking comments on proposed revisions to the format of annual reports that are submitted by grantees to the FTZ Board. Based on comments received, the FTZ Board has made further revisions to the proposed annual report format. The most significant revision is a proposed shift from reporting on a Federal fiscal year basis to reporting on a calendar-year basis. The Board is inviting public comment on the latest proposal. Comments and questions regarding the original proposal are summarized and addressed below by general topic. The revised format follows the discussion of the comments.
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Foreign-Trade Zone 260--Lubbock, TX; Application for Reorganization Under Alternative Site Framework
An application has been submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZ) Board (the Board) by the City of Lubbock, Texas, grantee of FTZ 260, requesting authority to reorganize the zone under the alternative site framework (ASF) adopted by the Board (74 FR 1170, 01/12/09; correction 74 FR 3987, 01/22/09). The ASF is an option for grantees for the establishment or reorganization of general-purpose zones and can permit significantly greater flexibility in the designation of new ``usage-driven'' FTZ sites for operators/users located within a grantee's ``service area'' in the context of the Board's standard 2,000-acre activation limit for a general-purpose zone project. 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 July 15, 2009.
The grantee's proposed service area under the ASF would be Garza, Hale, Hockley, Lubbock and Terry Counties, Texas. If approved, the grantee would be able to serve sites throughout the service area based on companies' needs for FTZ designation. The proposed service area is adjacent to the Lubbock Customs and Border Protection port of entry.
FTZ 260 was approved by the FTZ Board on January 14, 2004 (Board Order 1315, 69 FR 3876, 1/27/04). The applicant is requesting to include the following current sites in the reorganized zone as ``magnet'' sites: Proposed Site 1 (693 acres)-Lubbock International Airport, 5401 N. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Lubbock; and Proposed Site 2 (1700 acres)-Reese Technology Center, 9801 Reese Blvd., Lubbock. The applicant proposes that Site 1 be exempt from ``sunset'' time limits that otherwise apply to sites under the ASF. The applicant is also requesting approval of the following initial ``usage-driven'' sites: Proposed Site 3 (1.4 acres)--Holiday LiteSource, 301 Southeast Loop 289, Lubbock; and Proposed Site 4 (5.3 acres)--J&B Industrial Services, Inc., 529 N.E. Loop 289, Lubbock.
In accordance with the Board's regulations, Kathleen Boyce of the FTZ Staff is designated examiner to evaluate and analyze the facts and information presented in the application and case record and to report findings and recommendations to the Board.
Public comment 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 September 21, 2009. Rebuttal comments in response to material submitted during the foregoing period may be submitted during the subsequent 15-day period (to October 5, 2009).
A copy of the application will be available for public inspection at the Office of the Executive Secretary,Foreign-Trade Zones Board, Room 2111, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230-0002, and in the ``Reading Room'' section of the Board's Web site, which is accessible via http://www.trade.gov/ftz.
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Foreign-Trade Zones Board
Proposal for Changes to the Format of Annual Reports Submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones Board
SUMMARY: The Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZ) Board is inviting public comment on a staff proposal to revise the format of annual reports that are submitted by zone grantees to the Foreign-Trade Zones Board. The revisions are intended to clarify the information that is being requested and focus on the information that is most important for oversight of the FTZ program. For comparison, the current format for annual reports is available on the FTZ Board's Web site -- accessible via http://www.trade.gov/ftz the ``Already in a Zone?'' section. Relative to the current format, a number of multiple-part questions have been broken out into separate questions for purposes of clarity and ease of use. In general, the amount of information being requested in the proposed format is reduced relative to the existing format.
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