2013-12799. Foreign-Trade Zone 146-Lawrence County, Illinois; Application for Reorganization and Expansion Under Alternative Site Framework

An application has been submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZ) Board by the Bi-State Authority, grantee of FTZ 146, requesting authority to reorganize the zone under the alternative site framework (ASF) adopted by the FTZ Board (15 CFR 400.2(c)). The ASF is an option for grantees for the establishment or reorganization of zones and can permit significantly greater flexibility in the designation of new subzones or “usage-driven” FTZ sites for operators/users located within a grantee's “service area” in the context of the FTZ Board's standard 2,000-acre activation limit for a zone. 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 docketed on May 20, 2013.

FTZ 146 was approved by the FTZ Board on February 11, 1988 (Board Order 371, 53 FR 5436, 2/24/1988) and expanded on April 18, 2000 (Board Order 1085, 65 FR 24675, 4/27/2000).

The current zone includes the following sites: Site 1 (43 acres)—Mid-America Air Center, Route 50, Lawrenceville, Lawrence County; and, Site 2 (62 acres)—Effingham Industrial Park, Effingham, Effingham County.

The grantee's proposed service area under the ASF would be Clay, Crawford, Edwards, Hamilton, Lawrence, Richland and Wayne Counties, Illinois, as described in the application. 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 within and adjacent to the Evansville Customs and Border Protection port of entry.

The applicant is requesting authority to reorganize its existing zone project to include both of the existing sites as “magnet” sites. The applicant is also requesting approval of the following “usage-driven” site: Proposed Site 3 (11.5 acres)—Hella Electronics Corporation, 1101 Vincennes Avenue, Flora, Clay County. The application would have no impact on FTZ 146's previously authorized subzones.

In accordance with the FTZ Board's regulations, Elizabeth Whiteman 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 FTZ Board.

Public comment is invited from interested parties. Submissions shall be addressed to the FTZ Board's Executive Secretary at the address below. The closing period for their receipt is July 29, 2013. Rebuttal comments in response to material submitted during the foregoing period may be submitted during the subsequent 15-day period to August 13, 2013.

A copy of the application will be available for public inspection at the Office of the Executive Secretary, Foreign-Trade Zones Board, Room 21013, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230-0002, and in the “Reading Room” section of the FTZ Board's Web site, which is accessible via www.trade.gov/​ftz. For further information, contact Elizabeth Whiteman at [e-mail] or [phone].

Dated: May 20, 2013.

Andrew McGilvray,

Executive Secretary.