E9-19351. Foreign-Trade Zone 274-Butte-Silver Bow, MT; Application for Reorganization under Alternative Site Framework

An application has been submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZ) Board (the Board) by the City and County of Butte-Silver Bow, Montana, grantee of FTZ 274, 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 August 4, 2009.

The grantee's proposed service area under the ASF would be the City and County of Butte-Silver Bow, Montana. 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 Butte-Silver Bow Customs and Border Protection port of entry.

FTZ 274 was approved on June 4, 2009 (74 FR 31009, 6/29/09). The applicant is requesting to include its current site in the reorganized zone as a “magnet” site. The applicant proposes that Site 1 be exempt from “sunset” time limits that otherwise apply to sites under the ASF. No usage-driven sites are being proposed at this time.

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 October 13, 2009. Rebuttal comments in response to material submitted during the foregoing period may be submitted during the subsequent 15-day period (to October 26, 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. For further information, contact Kathleen Boyce at [e-mail] or 202-482-1346.

Dated: August 4, 2009.

Andrew McGilvray,

Executive Secretary.