FTZB Receives Application to Expand Activity in Illinois Zone

The Foreign-Trade Zones Board has received an application from the Tri-City Regional Port District, grantee of FTZ 31, requesting authority on behalf of WRB Refining LLC to expand the scope of manufacturing activity conducted under zone procedures within Subzone 31B at the WRB oil refinery complex at sites in Madison County, Ill. Comments on this application are due by May 19.

The refinery is undergoing an expansion that will add units and upgrade existing units within the subzone boundaries and is expected to expand crude production capacity up to 380,000 barrels per day. Zone procedures would exempt the increased production from customs duty payments on the foreign products used in its exports. On domestic sales of the increased production the company would be able to choose the duty rates for certain petrochemical feedstocks (zero) by admitting foreign crude oil in non-privileged foreign status.

To view this article, visit WorldTrade/Interactive at http://www.strtrade.com/wti/wti.asp?pub=0&story=30574&date=3%2F20%2F2009&company=

Foreign Trade Zone Designation is Elusive

Created in the summer of 2006 with great fanfare and expectations, the Southeast Iowa Regional Economic and Port Authority has been the class underachiever in the Lee County school of economic development.

One of the first actions of the port authority upon its creation was to pursue a foreign trade zone designation.

Foreign trade zones serve as places where foreign and domestic merchandise is considered to be outside the United States, according to a Web site for the National Association of Foreign Trade Zones.

Zones encourage local business and manufacturing by removing disincentives to manufacturing in the United States such as duties and tariffs.

The next closest FTZ is in the Quad Cities area.

For the southeast Iowa port authority, officials applied to have four areas declared general-purpose foreign trade zones: Mount Pleasant, Burlington, Louisa County and Lee County.

Unfortunately, that FTZ application has been waylaid by miles of bureaucratic red tape.

To view the full article, visit The Hawk Eye at http://www.thehawkeye.com/Story/Prg-port-authority-031509