FTZ 173 Washington Manufacturing Authority Application

Regs.gov: Foreign-trade Zones Board

Published April 4th, 2007

Detected March 20th, 2026

Summary

The Foreign-Trade Zones Board has received an application from the Port of Grays Harbor for manufacturing authority for Imperium Renewables, Inc. (IRI) within FTZ 173 in Washington state. The application seeks to allow IRI to manufacture biodiesel and glycerin, with public comment invited.

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What changed

The Foreign-Trade Zones Board (FTZB) has received an application from the Port of Grays Harbor, grantee of FTZ 173, on behalf of Imperium Renewables, Inc. (IRI). The application requests manufacturing authority for IRI's facility in Aberdeen and Hoquiam, Washington, to produce biodiesel and glycerin. This action is taken pursuant to the Foreign-Trade Zones Act and FTZB regulations. The application was formally filed on April 4, 2007.

Public comment is invited on this application, with a closing period for submissions on June 11, 2007, and rebuttal comments due by June 25, 2007. The FTZB will investigate the application, and if approved, IRI could benefit from exemptions from customs duty payments on foreign components used in export production and choose favorable duty rates for domestic sales, enhancing its international competitiveness. Compliance officers should review the application details and consider submitting comments if their organization is affected by potential changes in trade and manufacturing regulations.

What to do next

Review application details for FTZ 173 manufacturing authority for Imperium Renewables, Inc.
Submit public comments by June 11, 2007, if interested parties are affected.
Submit rebuttal comments by June 25, 2007, if applicable.

Source document (simplified)

Content

An application has been submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones Board (the Board) by the Port of Grays Harbor, grantee of FTZ
173, requesting manufacturing authority on behalf of Imperium Renewables, Inc. (IRI), within FTZ 173 in Aberdeen and Hoquiam,
Washington. The application was submitted pursuant to the provisions of 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 April 4, 2007.

The IRI facility (70 employees) is located within Site 1 of FTZ 173, at the Port of Grays Harbor Industrial area. The facility
will be used for the manufacturing and storage of biodiesel and glycerin (HTS duty rate ranges from duty-free- 4.6%). Components
and materials sourced from abroad (representing 70% of the value of the finished product) include: soybean oil, sunflower
oil, safflower oil, cottonseed oil, rape oil, colza oil, mustard oil and rapeseed oil (duty rate ranges from 1.7¢+3.4% to
19.1%).

FTZ procedures would exempt IRI from customs duty payments on the foreign components used in export production. The company
anticipates that some 20 percent of the plant's shipments will be exported. On its domestic sales, IRI would be able to choose
the duty rate during customs entry procedures that apply to finished biodiesel and the glycerin byproduct for the foreign
inputs noted above. The request indicates that the savings from FTZ procedures would help improve the plant's international
competitiveness.

In accordance with the Board's regulations, a member of the FTZ staff has been appointed examiner to investigate the application
and report 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 June 11, 2007. Rebuttal comments in response to material
submitted during the foregoing period may be submitted during the subsequent 15-day period to June 25, 2007.

A copy of the application will be available for public inspection at each of the following locations:

U.S. Department of Commerce Export Assistance Center, 2601 Fourth Avenue, Suite 310, Seattle, WA 98121.

Office of the Executive Secretary, Foreign-Trade Zones Board, U.S. Department of Commerce, Room 2814B, 1401 Constitution Ave.
NW, Washington, DC 20230.

For further information, contact Elizabeth Whiteman at Elizabeth_Whiteman@ita.doc.gov or (202) 482-0473.

Dated: April 4, 2007. Andrew McGilvray, Executive Secretary. [FR Doc. E7-6872 Filed 4-10-07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-DS-S