DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Foreign-Trade Zones Board
[Docket No. 28-89]
54 FR 48291
November 22, 1989
Proposed Foreign-Trade Zone, Grays Harbor County, Washington and Subzone
for Lamb-Grays Harbor Company (Automatic Guided Vehicles); Application and
Public Hearing
TEXT: An application has been submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones Board
(the Board) by the Port of Grays Harbor (PGH), requesting authority to
establish a general-purpose foreign-trade zone in Grays Harbor County,
Washington, adjacent to the Aberdeen-Hoquiam Customs port of entry, and for
subzone status at the manufacturing plant of Lamb-Grays Harbor Company
(Lamb) in Hoquiam. It 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), and was formally filed on
November 13, 1989. The applicant is authorized to make this proposal under
the Revised Code of Washington, Section 24.46.020.
The proposed general-purpose zone will involve five sites on Grays
Harbor: Site 1 (292 acres), PGH Port Industrial Area, including marine
terminal complex, Aberdeen and Hoquiam; Site 2 (45 acres), PGH Industrial
Development District No. 1, harbor navigation channel, Hoquiam; Site 3
(132 acres), Bowerman Airfield and adjacent industrial park, Grays Harbor
County; Site 4 (117 acres), PGH industrial parcel on State Highway 105,
Westport; and Site 5 (2.8 acres), main dock, PGH Westport Marina, Westport.
The general purpose zone part of the application contains evidence of
the need for zone services in the Grays Harbor County area. Several firms
have expressed an interest in using zone procedures for warehousing/
distribution of products including autos, steel, cement, and a variety of
bulk metals and ores. No specific manufacturing approvals are being sought
for the general-purpose zone sites at this time. Such requests would be
made to the Board on a case-by-case basis.
The proposal also requests authority for subzone status for a portion
(14 acres) of the manufacturing facility of Lamb-Grays Harbor Company
(Lamb), located at Blain and Firman Streets in Hoquiam. The facility is
used to produce automated guided vehicles (AGV's) used by paper
manufacturing and publishing industries for moving large rolls of paper.
Foreign-sourced components account for approximately 60 percent of the
value of the finished AGV, and include electronic automatic data processing
units, sensors, transmitters, controllers, steering drives, armatures,
tachometers, and antennae.
Zone procedures would exempt Lamb from Customs duty payments on the
foreign components used in AGV's that are exported. On domestic sales the
company would be able to choose to pay duties at the rate applicable to the
finished AGV's (duty-free) rather than at the rates on the components
(3.7 to 8.0 percent). The applicant indicates that zone savings will help
improve the company's international competiveness.
In accordance with the Board's regulations, an examiners committee has
been appointed to investigate the application and report to the Board.
The committee consists of: John J. Da Ponte, Jr. (chairman), Director,
Foreign-Trade Zones Staff, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, DC
20230; Daniel C. Holland, District Director, U.S. Customs Service, Pacific
Region, 909 First Avenue, room 2039, Seattle, Washington 98174; and Col.
Philip L. Hall, District Engineer, U.S. Army Engineer District Seattle,
P.O. Box C-3755, Seattle, Washington 98124-2255.
As part of its investigation, the examiners committee will hold a
public hearing on December 14, 1989, beginning at 9 a.m., in the Port of
Grays Harbor Commission Meeting Room, 111 South Wooding Street, Aberdeen,
Washington.
Interested parties are invited to present their views at the hearing.
Persons wishing to testify should notify the Board's Executive Secretary
in writing at the address below or by phone (202/377-2862) by December 7,
1989. Instead of an oral presentation, written statements may be submitted
in accordance with the Board's regulations to the examiners committee, care
of the Executive Secretary, at any time from the date of this notice
through January 16, 1990.
A copy of the application and accompanying exhibits will be available
during this time for public inspection at each of the following locations:
Port Director's Office,
421 West State Street,
P.O. Box 268,
Aberdeen, Washington 98520.
Office of the Executive Secretary,
Foreign-Trade Zones Board,
U.S. Department of Commerce,
14th and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Room 2835,
Washington, DC 20230.
Dated: November 15, 1989.
Dennis Puccinelli,
Acting Executive Secretary.
[FR Doc. 89-27383 Filed 11-21-89; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-05-M