15 CFR 715.1 – Annual declaration requirements for production by synthesis of unscheduled discrete organic chemicals (UDOCs)
(a) Declaration of production by synthesis of UDOCs for purposes not prohibited by the CWC—(1) Production quantities that trigger the declaration requirement. See § 711.6 of the CWCR for information on obtaining the forms you will need to declare production of unscheduled discrete organic chemicals. You must complete the forms specified in paragraph (b) of this section if your plant site produced by synthesis:
(i) In excess of 200 metric tons aggregate of all UDOCs (including all UDOCs containing the elements phosphorus, sulfur or fluorine, referred to as “PSF chemicals”) during the previous calendar year; or
(ii) In excess of 30 metric tons of an individual PSF chemical at one or more plants at your plant site during the previous calendar year.
In calculating the aggregate production quantity of each individual PSF chemical produced by a PSF plant, do not include production of a PSF chemical that was produced in quantities less than 30 metric tons. Include only production quantities from those PSF plants that produced more than 30 metric tons of an individual PSF chemical.
(2) UDOCs subject to declaration requirements under this part. (i) UDOCs subject to declaration requirements under this part are those produced by synthesis that have been isolated for:
(A) Use; or
(B) Sale as a specific end product.
(ii) Exemptions. (A) Polymers and oligomers consisting of two or more repeating units;
(B) Chemicals and chemical mixtures produced through a biological or biomediated process;
(C) Products from the refining of crude oil, including sulfur-containing crude oil;
(D) Metal carbides (i.e., chemicals consisting only of metal and carbon); and
(E) UDOCs produced by synthesis that are ingredients or by-products in foods designed for consumption by humans and/or animals.
See supplement no. 2 to this part 715 for examples of UDOCs subject to the declaration requirements of this part, and for examples of activities that are not considered production by synthesis.
(3) Exemptions for UDOC plant sites. UDOC plant sites that exclusively produced hydrocarbons or explosives are exempt from UDOC declaration requirements. For the purposes of this part, the following definitions apply for hydrocarbons and explosives:
(i) Hydrocarbon means any organic compound that contains only carbon and hydrogen; and
(ii) Explosive means a chemical (or a mixture of chemicals) that is included in Class 1 of the United Nations Organization hazard classification system.
(b) Types of declaration forms to be used—(1) Annual declaration on past activities. You must complete the Certification Form and Form UDOC (consisting of two pages), unless there are no changes from the previous year’s declaration and you submit a No Changes Authorization Form pursuant to paragraph (b)(2) of this section. Attach Form A as appropriate; Form B is optional.
If there is a change in the inspection status of your plant site, as described in paragraph (d)(2) of this section, you may submit an Annual Declaration on Past Activities, in lieu of a Change in Inspection Status Form, under the circumstances described in Note 3 to paragraph (d)(2). In this case, the due date for submitting the Annual Declaration on Past Activities to BIS, covering UDOC production at your plant site during the current calendar year, would be December 15th of the current calendar year, instead of February 28th of the next calendar year (also see supplement no. 3 to this part). If you choose to submit your Annual Declaration on Past Activities to BIS by December 15th and, subsequently, you determine that the production by synthesis of UDOCs at your plant site actually exceeded the UDOC inspection threshold level specified in paragraph (d)(1) of this section, you must submit an amendment to your Annual Declaration on Past Activities (see § 715.2 of the CWCR) and indicate, on Form B, the reason your plant site exceeded the UDOC inspection threshold.
(2) No Changes Authorization Form. You may complete the No Changes Authorization Form if there are no updates or changes to any information (except the certifying official and dates signed and submitted) in your plant site’s previously submitted annual declaration on past activities. Your plant site’s activities will be declared to the OPCW and subject to inspection, if applicable, based upon the data reported in the most recent UDOC Declaration that you submitted to BIS.
If, after submitting the No Changes Authorization Form, you have changes to information, you must submit a complete amendment to the annual declaration on past activities. See § 715.2 of the CWCR.
(c) “Declared” UDOC plant site. A plant site that submitted a declaration pursuant to paragraph (a)(1) of this section is a “declared” UDOC plant site.
(d) Routine inspections of declared UDOC plant sites—(1) Inspection requirement. A “declared” UDOC plant site is subject to routine inspection by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) (see part 716 of the CWCR) if it produced by synthesis more than 200 metric tons aggregate of UDOCs during the previous calendar year.
(2) Change in inspection status. You may complete the Change in Inspection Status Form, to ensure that your facility does not remain subject to inspection during the first 90 days of the next calendar year (i.e., prior to the submission of the U.S. declaration to the OPCW), if:
(i) Your plant site is currently subject to inspection, pursuant to paragraph (d)(1) of this section, based on your plant site’s production by synthesis of UDOCs during the previous calendar year; and
(ii) Your plant site’s production by synthesis of UDOCs in the current calendar year will be below the inspection threshold level specified in paragraph (d)(1) of this section by the deadline indicated in supplement no. 3 to this part, and is anticipated to remain below that threshold level through the remainder of the current calendar year.
Upon receipt of the Change in Inspection Status Form, BIS will inform the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) that your plant site is not subject to inspection during the next calendar year.
If, after submitting your Change in Inspection Status Form to BIS, you determine that the production by synthesis of UDOCs at your plant site actually exceeded the UDOC inspection threshold level specified in paragraph (d)(1) of this section, you must indicate this fact when you submit your Annual Declaration on Past Activities to BIS and indicate, on Form B, the reason your plant site exceeded the UDOC inspection threshold.
You may submit the Annual Declaration on Past Activities described in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, instead of the Change in Inspection Status Form, if you anticipate that UDOC production at your plant site during the current calendar year will be below the inspection threshold level specified in paragraph (d)(1) of this section, but you expect your plant site to remain subject to the UDOC declaration requirements in paragraph (a)(1) of this section. In this case, the due date for the Annual Declaration on Past Activities will be December 15th of the current calendar year, instead of February 28th of the next calendar year. Note that any changes to information contained in the Annual Declaration on Past Activities must be addressed in accordance with the amendment requirements in § 715.2 of the CWCR. For example, if subsequent to the submission of your Annual Declaration on Past Activities to BIS on December 15th, you determine that the production by synthesis of UDOCs at your plant site actually exceeded the UDOC inspection threshold level specified in paragraph (d)(1) of this section, you must submit an amendment to your Annual Declaration on Past Activities (see § 715.2 of the CWCR) and indicate, on Form B, the reason your plant site exceeded the UDOC inspection threshold.
Currently inspectable UDOC plant sites that do not submit either a Change in Inspection Status Form or Annual Declaration of Past Activities by December 15th of the current calendar year, in accordance with paragraph (d)(2) of this section, will remain subject to inspection through at least the 90-day period at the beginning of the next calendar year.