BIS National Defense Stockpile Market Impact Committee Requests Public Comments on Potential Market Impact of Proposed Stockpile Disposals for Fiscal Year 2011
September 9, 2009The Bureau of Industry’s (BIS) National Defense Stockpile Market Impact Committee (Committee), co-chaired by the Departments of Commerce and State, is seeking public comments on the potential market impact of the proposed disposal levels of excess materials for the fiscal year (FY) 2011 Annual Materials Plan.
Under the authority of the Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling Act of 1979, as amended (50 U.S.C. 98, et seq.), the Department of Defense (DOD), as National Defense Stockpile Manager, maintains a stockpile of strategic and critical materials to supply the military, industrial, and essential civilian needs of the United States for national defense. Section 3314 of the FY 1993 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) (50 U.S.C. 98h-1) formally established the Committee to “advise the National Defense Stockpile Manager on the projected domestic and foreign economic effects of all acquisitions and disposals of materials from the stockpile. * * *” The Committee must also balance market impact concerns with the statutory requirement to protect the government against avoidable loss.
The Committee comprises representatives from the Departments of Commerce, State, Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior, the Treasury, and Homeland Security, and is co-chaired by the Departments of Commerce and State. The FY 1993 NDAA directs the Committee to consult with industry representatives that produce, process, or consume the materials contained in the stockpile.
The Defense National Stockpile Center (DNSC) lists the proposed quantities that are enumerated in the stockpile inventory for the FY 2011 Annual Materials Plan. The quantities listed are not disposal or sales target quantities, but rather a statement of the proposed maximum disposal quantity of each listed material that may be sold in a particular fiscal year by the DNSC. The quantity of each material that will actually be offered for sale will depend on the market for the material at the time of the offering, as well as on the quantity of each material approved for disposal by Congress. For more information, see the notice (PDF) published in the Federal Register.
The Committee is asking that interested parties provide written comments, supporting data and documentation, and any other relevant information on the potential market impact of the sale of these commodities. All comments submitted through e-mail must include the phrase “Market Impact Committee Notice of Inquiry” in the subject line. The period for submission of comments will close on October 5, 2009.
Comments should be sent to John Isbell, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Strategic Industries and Economic Security, 1401 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room 3876, Washington, DC 20230; fax: (202) 482-5650; e-mail: MIC@bis.doc.gov.
For further information, contact: David Newsom, Office of Strategic Industries and Economic Security, Bureau of Industry and Security, U.S. Department of Commerce; phone: (202) 482-7417.
