Certain Cold-Rolled Steel Flat Products From the People's Republic of China: Countervailing Duty Order, 45960-45962 [2016-16794]
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[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 135 (Thursday, July 14, 2016)] [Notices] [Pages 45960-45962] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 2016-16794] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE International Trade Administration [C-570-030] Certain Cold-Rolled Steel Flat Products From the People's Republic of China: Countervailing Duty Order AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce. SUMMARY: Based on affirmative final determinations by the Department of Commerce (the Department) and the International Trade Commission (ITC), the Department is issuing a countervailing duty order on certain cold- rolled steel flat products (cold-rolled steel) from the People's Republic of China (PRC). DATES: Effective Date: July 14, 2016. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Yasmin Bordas at (202) 482-3813 or John Corrigan at (202) 482-7438, AD/CVD Operations, Office VI, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background On May 24, 2016, the Department published its final determination in the countervailing duty investigation of cold-rolled steel from the PRC.\1\ On July 7, 2016, the ITC notified the Department of its final determination pursuant to section 705(b)(1)(A)(i) and section 705(d) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (Act), that an industry in the United States is materially injured by reason of subsidized imports of cold-rolled steel from the PRC, and its determination pursuant to section 705(b)(4)(A) of the Act that critical circumstances do not exist with respect to imports of subject merchandise from the PRC that are subject to the Department's affirmative critical circumstances finding, in part.\2\ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \1\ See Certain Cold-Rolled Steel Flat Products From the People's Republic of China: Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination and Final Partial Affirmative Critical Circumstances Determination, 81 FR 32729 (May 26, 2016) (Final Determination). \2\ See Letter to Christian Marsh, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Enforcement and Compliance, from Irving A Williamson, Chairman of the U.S. International Trade Commission, regarding certain cold-rolled steel flat products from China and Japan (July 7, 2016) (ITC Letter). See also Cold-Rolled Steel Flat Products from China and Japan (Investigation Nos. 701-TA-541 and 731-TA-1284 and 1286 (Final), USITC Publication 4619, July 2016) (Final). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scope of the Order The products covered by this order are certain cold-rolled (cold- reduced), flat-rolled steel products, whether or not annealed, painted, varnished, or coated with plastics or other non-metallic substances. The products covered do not include those that are clad, plated, or coated with metal. The products covered include coils that have a width or other lateral measurement (``width'') of 12.7 mm or greater, regardless of form of coil (e.g., in successively superimposed layers, spirally oscillating, etc.). The products covered also include products not in coils (e.g., in straight lengths) of a thickness less than 4.75 mm and a width that is 12.7 mm or greater and that measures at least 10 times the thickness. The products covered also include products not in coils (e.g., in straight lengths) of a thickness of 4.75 mm or more and a width exceeding 150 mm and measuring at least twice the thickness. The products described above may be rectangular, square, circular, or other shape and include products of either rectangular or non- rectangular cross-section where such cross-section is achieved subsequent to the rolling process, i.e., products which have been ``worked after rolling'' (e.g., products which have been beveled or rounded at the edges). For purposes of the width and thickness requirements referenced above: (1) Where the nominal and actual measurements vary, a product is within the scope if application of either the nominal or actual measurement would place it within the scope based on the definitions set forth above, and (2) where the width and thickness vary for a specific product (e.g., the thickness of certain products with non-rectangular cross- section, the width of certain products with non-rectangular shape, etc.), the measurement at its greatest width or thickness applies. Steel products included in the scope of this order are products in which: (1) Iron predominates, by weight, over each of the other contained elements; (2) the carbon content is 2 percent or less, by weight; and (3) none of the elements listed below exceeds the quantity, by weight, respectively indicated:2.50 percent of manganese, or 3.30 percent of silicon, or 1.50 percent of copper, or 1.50 percent of aluminum, or 1.25 percent of chromium, or 0.30 percent of cobalt, or 0.40 percent of lead, or 2.00 percent of nickel, or 0.30 percent of tungsten (also called wolfram), or 0.80 percent of molybdenum, or 0.10 percent of niobium (also called columbium), or 0.30 percent of vanadium, or 0.30 percent of zirconium. Unless specifically excluded, products are included in this scope regardless of levels of boron and titanium. For example, specifically included in this scope are vacuum degassed, fully stabilized (commonly referred to as interstitial-free (IF)) steels, high strength low alloy (HSLA) steels, motor lamination steels, Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS), and Ultra High Strength Steels (UHSS). IF steels are recognized as low carbon steels with micro-alloying levels of elements such as titanium and/or niobium added to stabilize carbon and nitrogen elements. HSLA steels are recognized as steels with micro-alloying levels of elements such as chromium, copper, niobium, titanium, vanadium, and molybdenum. Motor lamination steels contain micro-alloying levels of elements such as silicon and aluminum. AHSS and UHSS are considered high tensile strength and high elongation steels, although AHSS and UHSS are covered whether or not they are high tensile strength or high elongation steels. Subject merchandise includes cold-rolled steel that has been further processed in a third country, including but not limited to annealing, tempering, painting, varnishing, trimming, cutting, punching, and/or slitting, or any other processing that would not otherwise remove the merchandise from the scope of the investigation if performed in the [[Page 45961]] country of manufacture of the cold-rolled steel. All products that meet the written physical description, and in which the chemistry quantities do not exceed any one of the noted element levels listed above, are within the scope of this investigation unless specifically excluded. The following products are outside of and/or specifically excluded from the scope of this order: Ball bearing steels; \3\ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \3\ Ball bearing steels are defined as steels which contain, in addition to iron, each of the following elements by weight in the amount specified: (i) Not less than 0.95 nor more than 1.13 percent of carbon; (ii) not less than 0.22 nor more than 0.48 percent of manganese; (iii) none, or not more than 0.03 percent of sulfur; (iv) none, or not more than 0.03 percent of phosphorus; (v) not less than 0.18 nor more than 0.37 percent of silicon; (vi) not less than 1.25 nor more than 1.65 percent of chromium; (vii) none, or not more than 0.28 percent of nickel; (viii) none, or not more than 0.38 percent of copper; and (ix) none, or not more than 0.09 percent of molybdenum. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tool steels; \4\ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \4\ Tool steels are defined as steels which contain the following combinations of elements in the quantity by weight respectively indicated: (i) More than 1.2 percent carbon and more than 10.5 percent chromium; or (ii) not less than 0.3 percent carbon and 1.25 percent or more but less than 10.5 percent chromium; or (iii) not less than 0.85 percent carbon and 1 percent to 1.8 percent, inclusive, manganese; or (iv) 0.9 percent to 1.2 percent, inclusive, chromium and 0.9 percent to 1.4 percent, inclusive, molybdenum; or (v) not less than 0.5 percent carbon and not less than 3.5 percent molybdenum; or (vi) not less than 0.5 percent carbon and not less than 5.5 percent tungsten. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Silico-manganese steel; \5\ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \5\ Silico-manganese steel is defined as steels containing by weight: (i) Not more than 0.7 percent of carbon; (ii) 0.5 percent or more but not more than 1.9 percent of manganese, and (iii) 0.6 percent or more but not more than 2.3 percent of silicon. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Grain-oriented electrical steels (GOES) as defined in the final determination of the U.S. Department of Commerce in Grain- Oriented Electrical Steel From Germany, Japan, and Poland.\6\ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \6\ Grain-Oriented Electrical Steel From Germany, Japan, and Poland: Final Determinations of Sales at Less Than Fair Value and Certain Final Affirmative Determination of Critical Circumstances, 79 FR 42501, 42503 (Dep't of Commerce, July 22, 2014). This determination defines grain-oriented electrical steel as ``a flat- rolled alloy steel product containing by weight at least 0.6 percent but not more than 6 percent of silicon, not more than 0.08 percent of carbon, not more than 1.0 percent of aluminum, and no other element in an amount that would give the steel the characteristics of another alloy steel, in coils or in straight lengths.'' --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Non-Oriented Electrical Steels (NOES), as defined in the antidumping orders issued by the U.S. Department of Commerce in Non- Oriented Electrical Steel From the People's Republic of China, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, and Taiwan.\7\ --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \7\ Non-Oriented Electrical Steel From the People's Republic of China, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, and Taiwan: Antidumping Duty Orders, 79 FR 71741, 71741-42 (Dep't of Commerce, Dec. 3, 2014). The orders define NOES as ``cold-rolled, flat-rolled, alloy steel products, whether or not in coils, regardless of width, having an actual thickness of 0.20 mm or more, in which the core loss is substantially equal in any direction of magnetization in the plane of the material. The term `substantially equal' means that the cross grain direction of core loss is no more than 1.5 times the straight grain direction (i.e., the rolling direction) of core loss. NOES has a magnetic permeability that does not exceed 1.65 Tesla when tested at a field of 800 A/m (equivalent to 10 Oersteds) along (i.e., parallel to) the rolling direction of the sheet (i.e., B800 value). NOES contains by weight more than 1.00 percent of silicon but less than 3.5 percent of silicon, not more than 0.08 percent of carbon, and not more than 1.5 percent of aluminum. NOES has a surface oxide coating, to which an insulation coating may be applied.'' --------------------------------------------------------------------------- The products subject to this order are currently classified in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) under item numbers: 7209.15.0000, 7209.16.0030, 7209.16.0060, 7209.16.0070, 7209.16.0091, 7209.17.0030, 7209.17.0060, 7209.17.0070, 7209.17.0091, 7209.18.1530, 7209.18.1560, 7209.18.2510, 7209.18.2520, 7209.18.2580, 7209.18.6020, 7209.18.6090, 7209.25.0000, 7209.26.0000, 7209.27.0000, 7209.28.0000, 7209.90.0000, 7210.70.3000, 7211.23.1500, 7211.23.2000, 7211.23.3000, 7211.23.4500, 7211.23.6030, 7211.23.6060, 7211.23.6090, 7211.29.2030, 7211.29.2090, 7211.29.4500, 7211.29.6030, 7211.29.6080, 7211.90.0000, 7212.40.1000, 7212.40.5000, 7225.50.6000, 7225.50.8080, 7225.99.0090, 7226.92.5000, 7226.92.7050, and 7226.92.8050. The products subject to this order may also enter under the following HTSUS numbers: 7210.90.9000, 7212.50.0000, 7215.10.0010, 7215.10.0080, 7215.50.0016, 7215.50.0018, 7215.50.0020, 7215.50.0061, 7215.50.0063, 7215.50.0065, 7215.50.0090, 7215.90.5000, 7217.10.1000, 7217.10.2000, 7217.10.3000, 7217.10.7000, 7217.90.1000, 7217.90.5030, 7217.90.5060, 7217.90.5090, 7225.19.0000, 7226.19.1000, 7226.19.9000, 7226.99.0180, 7228.50.5015, 7228.50.5040, 7228.50.5070, 7228.60.8000, and 7229.90.1000. The HTSUS subheadings above are provided for convenience and customs purposes only. The written description of the scope of the order is dispositive. Countervailing Duty Order In accordance with sections 705(b)(1)(A)(i) and 705(d) of the Act, the ITC has notified the Department of its final determination in this investigation, in which it found that imports of certain cold-rolled steel flat products from the PRC are materially injuring a U.S. industry.\8\ Therefore, in accordance with section 705(c)(2) of the Act, we are publishing this countervailing duty order. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \8\ See ITC Letter. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- In accordance with section 706(a) of the Act, the Department will direct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to assess, upon further instruction by the Department, countervailing duties on unliquidated entries of cold-rolled steel from the PRC entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after December 22, 2015, the date on which the Department published its preliminary countervailing duty determinations in the Federal Register,\9\ and before April 20, 2016, the date on which the Department instructed CBP to discontinue the suspension of liquidation in accordance with section 703(d) of the Act. Section 703(d) of the Act states that the suspension of liquidation pursuant to a preliminary determination may not remain in effect for more than four months. Therefore, entries of cold-rolled steel made on or after April 20, 2016, and prior to the date of publication of the ITC's final determination in the Federal Register are not liable for the assessment of countervailing duties due to the Department's discontinuation, effective April 20, 2016, of the suspension of liquidation. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- \9\ See Countervailing Duty Investigation of Certain Cold-Rolled Steel Flat Products From the People's Republic of China: Preliminary Affirmative Determination, Preliminary Partial Affirmative Critical Circumstances Determination, and Alignment of Final Determination With Final Antidumping Duty Determination, 80 FR 79558 (December 22, 2015) (Preliminary Determination). --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Suspension of Liquidation In accordance with section 706 of the Act, the Department will direct CBP to reinstitute the suspension of liquidation of cold-rolled steel from the PRC, effective on the date of publication of the ITC's notice of final determination in the Federal Register, and to assess, upon further instruction by the Department pursuant to section 706(a)(1) of the Act, countervailing duties for each entry of the subject merchandise in an amount based on the net countervailable subsidy rates for the subject merchandise. On or after the date of publication of the ITC's final injury determinations in the Federal Register, CBP must require, at the same time as importers would normally deposit estimated duties on this [[Page 45962]] merchandise, a cash deposit equal to the rates noted below: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Subsidy Exporter/producer rate (percent) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Angang Group Hong Kong Co., Ltd............................. 256.44 Benxi Iron and Steel (Group) Special Steel Co., Ltd......... 256.44 Qian'an Golden Point Trading Co., Ltd....................... 256.44 All-Others.................................................. 256.44 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Critical Circumstances With regard to the ITC's negative critical circumstances determination on imports of cold-rolled steel from the PRC, we will instruct CBP to lift suspension and to refund any cash deposits made to secure the payment of estimated countervailing duties with respect to entries of the subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after September 23, 2015 (i.e., 90 days prior to the date of the publication of the CVD Preliminary Determination), but before December 22, 2015 (i.e., the date of publication of the CVD Preliminary Determination). Notifications to Interested Parties This notice constitutes the countervailing duty order with respect to cold-rolled steel from the PRC pursuant to section 706(a) of the Act. Interested parties may contact the Department's Central Records Unit, Room B8024 of the main Commerce Building, for copies of an updated list of countervailing duty orders currently in effect. This order is issued and published in accordance with section 706(a) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.211(b). Dated: July 11, 2016. Ronald K. Lorentzen, Acting Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance. [FR Doc. 2016-16794 Filed 7-13-16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P
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