Stainless Steel Bar From India: Initiation of Antidumping Duty Changed Circumstances Review, 91118-91120 [2016-30323]
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91118
Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 242 / Friday, December 16, 2016 / Notices
entries during the POR. Failure to
comply with this requirement could
result in the Department’s presumption
that reimbursement of antidumping
duties occurred and the subsequent
assessment of doubled antidumping
duties.
Administrative Protective Order
This notice also serves as a reminder
to parties subject to administrative
protective order (APO) of their
responsibility concerning the return or
destruction of proprietary information
disclosed under APO in accordance
with 19 CFR 351.305(a)(3), which
continues to govern business
proprietary information in this segment
of the proceeding. Timely written
notification of the return/destruction of
APO materials, or conversion to judicial
protective order, is hereby requested.
Failure to comply with the regulations
and the terms of an APO is a
sanctionable violation.
We are issuing and publishing this
notice in accordance with sections
751(a)(1) and 777(i)(1) of the Act and 19
CFR 351.213(h).
Dated: December 9, 2016.
Paul Piquado,
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and
Compliance.
Appendix—List of Topics Discussed in
the Final Issues and Decision
Memorandum
I. Summary
II. List of Issues
III. Background
IV. Scope of the Order
V. Discussion of Interested Party Comments
Comment 1: Whether Certain of Toyo
Kohan’s Home Market Transactions
Were Made Outside the Ordinary Course
of Trade and Should Be Excluded From
Analysis
Comment 2: U.S. Date of Sale
Comment 3: Whether the Costs for a
Certain Control Number Should Be
Disregarded
VI. Recommendation
[FR Doc. 2016–30306 Filed 12–15–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
[A–533–810]
Stainless Steel Bar From India:
Initiation of Antidumping Duty
Changed Circumstances Review
Enforcement and Compliance,
International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce
(the Department) is initiating a changed
AGENCY:
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circumstances review of the
antidumping duty order on stainless
steel bar (SSB) from India to determine
whether to reinstate the order with
`
respect to Viraj Profıles Ltd. (Viraj) and
Venus Wire Industries Pvt. Ltd. and its
affiliates Hindustan Inox, Precision
Metals and Sieves Manufacturers (India)
Pvt. Ltd. (collectively, Venus).
DATES: Effective December 16, 2016.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Thomas Schauer, Enforcement and
Compliance, International Trade
Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue
NW., Washington, DC 20230; telephone
(202) 482–0410.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On February 21, 1995, the Department
published the antidumping duty (AD)
order on SSB from India.1 On
September 14, 2004, the Department
conditionally revoked the Order with
respect to merchandise produced and
exported by Viraj Alloys, Ltd., Viraj
Forgings, Ltd., and Viraj Impoexpo, Ltd.
(collectively, Viraj, and now known as
Viraj Profiles Limited 2), based on a
finding of three years of no dumping.3
On September 13, 2011, the Department
conditionally revoked the Order with
respect to merchandise produced and
exported by Venus, based on a finding
of three years of no dumping.4
1 See Antidumping Duty Orders: Stainless Steel
Bar from Brazil, India, and Japan, 60 FR 9661
(February 21, 1995) (Order).
2 In July 2006, Viraj Forgings Ltd. merged with
Viraj Alloys Ltd.; in April 2007, Viraj Alloys and
Viraj Impoexpo Ltd. merged into Viraj Profiles Ltd.
See Letter from the petitioners, ‘‘Stainless Steel Bar
From India—Petitioners’ Request for Changed
Circumstances Reviews,’’ dated September 29, 2016
(CCR Request) at Exhibit GEN–1.
3 See Stainless Steel Bar From India; Final
Results, Rescission of Antidumping Duty
Administrative Review in Part, and Determination
To Revoke in Part, 69 FR 55409 (September 14,
2004) (Viraj Revocation). The regulatory provision
governing partial revocation at the time of Viraj’s
(and Venus’s) revocation was 19 CFR 353.25 (1997).
The relevant language remained substantively
unchanged when 19 CFR 353.25 was superseded by
19 CFR 351.222 in 1997. See Antidumping Duties;
Countervailing Duties: Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking and Request for Public Comments, 61
FR 7308 (February 27, 1996) (1996 Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking); see also Antidumping
Duties; Countervailing Duties; Final Rule, 62 FR
27296, 27325–26, 27399–402 (May 19, 1997)
(Preamble). The portion of 19 CFR 351.222 related
to partial revocations of orders as to specific
companies has been revoked for all reviews
initiated on or after June 20, 2012. See Modification
to Regulation Concerning the Revocation of
Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Orders:
Final Rule, 77 FR 29875 (May 21, 2012) (Revocation
Final Rule).
4 See Stainless Steel Bar from India: Final Results
of the Antidumping Duty Administrative Review,
and Revocation of the Order, in Part, 76 FR 56401
(September 13, 2011) (Venus Revocation).
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On September 29, 2016, the
petitioners 5 alleged that, since their
conditional revocation from the Order,
there is evidence that Viraj and Venus
have both resumed sales to the United
States at prices below normal value
(NV). The petitioners note that Viraj and
Venus agreed in writing to
reinstatement into the AD order if either
company were found to have resumed
dumping, and alleges that, because Viraj
and Venus violated this agreement, the
Department should initiate a changed
circumstances review (CCR) to
determine whether to reinstate Viraj and
Venus into the Order.6
In November 2016, Viraj and Venus
objected to the petitioners’ request for a
CCR.7 On November 28, 2016, the
petitioners submitted a rebuttal to
Venus’ objection to the request for a
CCR.8 Also in November 2016, the
Department extended the time period
for determining whether to initiate the
CCR by 45 days to December 28, 2016.9
In accordance with section 751(b) of
the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the
Act) and 19 CFR 351.216(b), and as
discussed in further detail below, the
Department finds the information
submitted by the petitioners sufficient
to warrant initiation of a CCR of the AD
order on SSB from India with respect to
Viraj and Venus. The period of review
(POR) is July 1, 2015, through June 30,
2016.
In this CCR, we intend to determine
whether Viraj or Venus sold SSB from
India at less than NV subsequent to their
revocations from the Order. If we make
an affirmative preliminarily finding, we
will direct U.S. Customs and Border
Protection to suspend liquidation of all
entries of SSB manufactured in India
and exported by the company(ies) for
which we made an affirmative finding.
Scope of the Order
The merchandise subject to the order
is stainless steel bar. Stainless steel bar
5 Carpenter Technology Corporation, Crucible
Industries LLC, Electralloy, a Division of G.O.
Carlson, Inc., North American Stainless,
Outokumpu Stainless Bar, LLC, Universal Stainless
& Alloy Products, Inc., and Valbruna Slater
Stainless, Inc. (collectively, the petitioners)
6 See CCR Request.
7 See Letter from Viraj, ‘‘Stainless Steel Bar from
India,’’ dated November 14, 2016 (Viraj Rebuttal)
and Letter from Venus, ‘‘Stainless Steel Bars
(‘‘SSB’’) from India—Response to Request for
Changed Circumstances Review,’’ dated November
4, 2016 (Venus Rebuttal).
8 See Letter from the petitioners, ‘‘Stainless Bar
from India—Petitioners’ Comments Concerning
Venus’ Rebuttal Comments to Petitioners’ Changed
Circumstances Review Request,’’ dated November
29, 2016.
9 See Memorandum, ‘‘Extension of Deadline to
Initiate Changed Circumstances Review,’’ dated
November 10, 2016.
E:\FR\FM\16DEN1.SGM
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means articles of stainless steel in
straight lengths that have been either
hot-rolled, forged, turned, cold-drawn,
cold-rolled or otherwise cold-finished,
or ground, having a uniform solid cross
section along their whole length in the
shape of circles, segments of circles,
ovals, rectangles (including squares),
triangles, hexagons, octagons, or other
convex polygons. Stainless steel bar
includes cold-finished stainless steel
bars that are turned or ground in straight
lengths, whether produced from hotrolled bar or from straightened and cut
rod or wire, and reinforcing bars that
have indentations, ribs, grooves, or
other deformations produced during the
rolling process.
Except as specified above, the term
does not include stainless steel semifinished products, cut-to-length flatrolled products (i.e., cut-to-length rolled
products which if less than 4.75 mm in
thickness have a width measuring at
least 10 times the thickness, or if 4.75
mm or more in thickness having a width
which exceeds 150 mm and measures at
least twice the thickness), wire (i.e.,
cold-formed products in coils, of any
uniform solid cross section along their
whole length, which do not conform to
the definition of flat-rolled products),
and angles, shapes, and sections.
Imports of these products are
currently classifiable under subheadings
7222.10.00, 7222.11.00, 7222.19.00,
7222.20.00, 7222.30.00 of the
Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS).
Although the HTS subheadings are
provided for convenience and customs
purposes, our written description of the
scope of the order is dispositive.
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
Allegation of Resumed Dumping
The allegation of resumed dumping
upon which the Department has based
its decision to initiate a CCR is detailed
below. The sources of data for the
adjustments that the petitioners
calculated relating to NV and U.S. price
are discussed in greater detail in the
Changed Circumstances Review
Initiation Checklist dated concurrently
with this notice.
1. Constructed Export Price
The petitioners based U.S. price upon
offers for sale from the respondents’
U.S. affiliates to unaffiliated customers
in the United States, which they
obtained from a proprietary source.10
The offers for sale identify prices and
terms of sale for a number of SSB
models sold by the respondents’ U.S.
affiliates.11 The petitioners made
10 See CCR Request at 11–12 and Exhibits AD–IN–
2.B.1 and AD–IN–2.B.2.
11 Id.
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adjustments for movement expenses
consistent with the terms of sale, for the
U.S. affiliates’ profit and selling
expenses, and for imputed credit
expenses.12 We recalculated the
imputed expenses to be consistent with
Policy Bulletin 98.1.13
2. Normal Value
The petitioners based NV on home
market prices obtained from a
proprietary source.14 The petitioners
made an adjustment for imputed credit
expenses.15
3. Cost of Production
The petitioners based COP on the
costs of an integrated U.S. producer of
the subject merchandise, as the best
information reasonably available, and
made adjustments for known differences
in cost between the domestic industry
and the respondents.16 Based on a
comparison of home market sales and
the COP, the petitioners assert that there
is reason to believe or suspect that
certain home market sales made by Viraj
and Venus were priced below COP.17
Accordingly, the petitioners consider
those home market sales to be outside
the ordinary course of trade, and relied
on the remaining home market sales
above COP to establish normal value.18
2. Alleged Margins of Dumping
The petitioners allege that there is
evidence that Viraj and Venus have both
resumed dumping SSB in the United
States that is sufficient to warrant
initiation of a CCR to determine whether
the respondents should be reinstated
into the AD order. The petitioners’
estimated dumping margins, as revised
to recalculate imputed credit expenses
for U.S. sales, range from 9.27 to 45.98
percent for Viraj and from 26.59 to 43.55
percent for Venus.19
Comments by Interested Parties
As noted above, in November 2016,
Viraj and Venus submitted comments
on the petitioners’ request that the
Department initiate a CCR.20 These
comments are detailed in the Changed
12 Id. at 11–12 and Exhibits AD–IN–2.A.1 and
AD–IN–2.A.2.
13 See Changed Circumstances Review Initiation
Checklist at ‘‘Constructed Export Price’’ section.
14 Id. at 15 and Exhibits AD–IN–3.A.1 and AD–
IN–3.A.2.
15 Id.
16 Id. at 15–17 and Exhibits AD–IN–4.F.1 and
AD–IN–4.F.2.
17 Id. at 17 and Exhibits AD–IN–5.A.1 and AD–
IN–5.A.2.
18 Id. at 17 and Exhibits AD–IN–6.A and AD–IN–
6.B.
19 See Changed Circumstances Review Initiation
Checklist at ‘‘Estimated Margins’’ section.
20 See Viraj Rebuttal and Venus Rebuttal.
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91119
Circumstances Review Initiation
Checklist.
Initiation of Changed Circumstances
Review
Pursuant to section 751(b) of the Act,
the Department will conduct a CCR
upon receipt of a request ‘‘from an
interested party for review of an
Aantidumping duty order which shows
changed circumstances sufficient to
warrant a review of the order.’’ After
examining the petitioners’ allegation
and supporting documentation, we find
that the petitioners have provided
evidence of changed circumstances
sufficient to initiate a review to
determine whether Viraj or Venus have
resumed dumping and should be
reinstated in the Order.21
The Department’s authority to
reinstate a revoked company into an AD
order by means of a CCR derives from
sections 751(b) and (d) of the Act.22 The
Department’s authority to revoke an
order is expressed in section 751(d) of
the Act. The statute, however, provides
no detailed description of the criteria,
procedures, or conditions relating to the
Department’s exercise of this authority.
Accordingly, the Department issued
regulations that set forth in detail how
the Department will exercise the
authority granted to it under the statute.
At the time of the respondents’
revocations from the Order, a
Department regulation authorized the
partial and conditional revocation of
orders as to companies that were
determined not to have made sales at
less than NV for the equivalent of three
consecutive years and that certified to
the immediate reinstatement into an
order if they resumed dumping.23
Although the regulatory provision for
partial and conditional revocation of
companies from orders has since been
revoked, we have clarified that all
conditionally revoked companies
remain subject to their certified
agreements to be reinstated into the
21 See Changed Circumstances Review Initiation
Checklist.
22 See Sahaviriya Steel Indus. Pub. Co., Ltd. v.
United States, 649 F.3d 1371, 1378 (Fed. Cir. 2011)
(Sahaviriya) (‘‘{T}his court holds, applying
Chevron deference, that Commerce reasonably
interpreted its revocation authority under {section
751(d) of the Act} to permit conditional revocation
. . . .’’); id. at 1378–80 (finding that Commerce
properly conducted a changed circumstances
review for purposes of reconsidering revocation).
23 See 19 CFR 353.25 (1997). As noted above, the
relevant language regarding reinstatement remained
substantively unchanged when 19 CFR 353.25 was
superseded by 19 CFR 351.222 (1997), and the
portion of 19 CFR 351.222 related to partial
revocations of orders as to specific companies has
been revoked for all reviews initiated on or after
June 20, 2012. See 1996 Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking; Preamble; Revocation Final Rule.
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Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 242 / Friday, December 16, 2016 / Notices
order from which they were revoked if
the Department finds that the company
has resumed dumping.24 For these
reasons, conducting a CCR pursuant to
section 751(b) of the Act to determine
whether to reinstate Viraj or Venus into
the Order is consistent with the statute
and with the certification that the
respondents signed as a precondition to
their conditional revocation.25
Period of Changed Circumstances
Review
The Department intends to request
data from Viraj and Venus for the July
1, 2015, through June 30, 2016, period
to determine whether it should reinstate
the Order with respect to these
companies because they resumed
dumping.
Public Comment
The Department intends to publish in
the Federal Register a notice of
preliminary results of CCR in
accordance with 19 CFR 351.221(b)(4)
and 351.221(c)(3)(i), which will set forth
the Department’s preliminary factual
and legal conclusions. Pursuant to 19
CFR 351.221(b)(4)(ii), interested parties
will have an opportunity to comment on
the preliminary results. Unless
otherwise extended, the Department
intends to issue its final results of
review in accordance with the time
limits set forth in 19 CFR 351.216(e).
This notice is published in
accordance with sections 751(b)(1) and
777(i)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR
351.221(b) of the Department’s
regulations.
Dated: December 12, 2016.
Christian Marsh,
Deputy Assistant Secretary, for Antidumping
and Countervailing Duty Operations.
[FR Doc. 2016–30323 Filed 12–15–16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P
24 See
Revocation Final Rule, 77 FR at 29882.
e.g., Sahaviriya, 649 F.3d at 1380;
Initiation of Antidumping Duty Changed
Circumstances Review: Certain Hot-Rolled Carbon
Steel Flat Products from Thailand, 73 FR 18766,
18769 (April 7, 2008); see also Viraj Revocation, 69
FR at 55411 (‘‘Viraj provided each of the
certifications required under 19 CFR 351.222(e)
. . . {including} an agreement to immediate
reinstatement of the order if the Department
concludes that the company, subsequent to the
revocation, sold subject merchandise at less than
NV.’’); see also Venus Revocation, 76 at 56402–3
(‘‘the company has agreed to immediate
reinstatement of the order if we find that it has
resumed making sales at less than fair value’’). See
also Changed Circumstances Review Initiation
Checklist at Exhibit 6 for copies of the respondents’
agreements.
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
25 See,
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18:42 Dec 15, 2016
Jkt 241001
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[A–475–818]
Certain Pasta From Italy: Final Results
of Antidumping Duty Administrative
Review; 2014–2015
Enforcement and Compliance,
International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
AGENCY:
On August 12, 2016, the
Department of Commerce (the
Department) published the preliminary
results of the antidumping duty
administrative review of certain pasta
(pasta) from Italy. The period of review
(POR) is July 1, 2014, through June 30,
2015. As a result of our analysis of the
comments and information received,
these final results differ from the
Preliminary Results with respect to
Industria Alimentare Colavita S.p.A.
(Indalco) and Liguori Pastificio Dal 1820
(Liguori). For the final weighted-average
dumping margins, see the ‘‘Final Results
of Review’’ section below.
SUMMARY:
DATES:
Effective December 16, 2016.
Joy
Zhang (Liguori) or George McMahon
(Indalco), AD/CVD Operations, Office
III, Enforcement and Compliance,
International Trade Administration,
U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th
Street and Constitution Avenue NW.,
Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202)
482–1168 or (202) 482–1167,
respectively.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On August 12, 2016, the Department
of Commerce (the Department)
published the Preliminary Results.1 In
accordance with 19 CFR
351.309(c)(1)(ii), we invited parties to
comment on our Preliminary Results.
On September 7, 2016, Liguori
submitted a request for a hearing, which
was withdrawn on October 6, 2016.2 On
August 31, 2016, the Department
revised the briefing schedule.3 On
1 See Certain Pasta From Italy: Preliminary
Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative
Review; 2014–2015, 81 FR 53404 (August 12, 2016)
(Preliminary Results), and accompanying
Preliminary Decision Memorandum.
2 See Liguori’s letter titled, ‘‘Hearing Request of
Liguori Pastificio dal 1820 S.p.A.,’’ dated
September 7, 2016. See also Liguori’s letter titled,
‘‘Certain Pasta from Italy: Withdrawal of Hearing
Request of Liguori Pastificio dal 1820 S.p.A.,’’ dated
October 6, 2016.
3 See the Department’s Memorandum to All
Interested Parties titled, ‘‘Postponement of Briefing
Schedule,’’ dated August 31, 2016.
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
September 19, 2016, Petitioners,4
Indalco, and Liguori submitted their
case briefs. On September 26, 2016,
Petitioners, Indalco, and Liguori
submitted their rebuttal briefs.
Scope of the Order
Imports covered by the order are
shipments of certain non-egg dry pasta.
The merchandise subject to review is
currently classifiable under items
1901.90.90.95 and 1902.19.20 of the
Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the
United States (HTSUS). Although the
HTSUS subheadings are provided for
convenience and customs purposes, the
written description of the merchandise
subject to the order is dispositive.5
Analysis of Comments Received
All issues raised in the case and
rebuttal briefs by parties to this
administrative review are addressed in
the Issues and Decision Memorandum.
A list of the issues that parties raised
and to which we responded is attached
to this notice as an Appendix. The
Issues and Decision Memorandum is a
public document and is on-file
electronically via Enforcement and
Compliance’s Antidumping and
Countervailing Duty Centralized
Electronic Service System (ACCESS).
ACCESS is available to registered users
at https://access.trade.gov and in the
Central Records Unit (CRU), room
B8024 of the main Department of
Commerce building. In addition, a
complete version of the Issues and
Decision Memorandum can be accessed
directly on the Internet at https://
enforcement.trade.gov/frn/.
The signed Issues and Decision
Memorandum and the electronic
versions of the Issues and Decision
Memorandum are identical in content.
Changes Since the Preliminary Results
Based on a review of the record and
comments received from interested
parties regarding our Preliminary
Results, we have recalculated Indalco
and Liguori’s weighted-average
dumping margins.6 As a result of the
4 Petitioners consist of New World Pasta
Company, American Italian Pasta Company and
Dakota Growers Pasta Company.
5 For a full description of the scope of the order,
see the ‘‘Issues and Decision Memorandum for the
Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative
Review and Partial Rescission: Certain Pasta from
Italy; 2014–2015’’ from Christian Marsh, Deputy
Assistant Secretary for Antidumping and
Countervailing Duty Operations, to Paul Piquado,
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and
Compliance, dated concurrently with this notice
(Issues and Decision Memorandum) and
incorporated herein by reference.
6 See Issues and Decision Memorandum; see also
Memorandum to the File, Through Eric B.
Greynolds, Program Manager, Office III, from Joy
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 242 (Friday, December 16, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 91118-91120]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-30323]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[A-533-810]
Stainless Steel Bar From India: Initiation of Antidumping Duty
Changed Circumstances Review
AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (the Department) is initiating a
changed circumstances review of the antidumping duty order on stainless
steel bar (SSB) from India to determine whether to reinstate the order
with respect to Viraj Prof[igrave]les Ltd. (Viraj) and Venus Wire
Industries Pvt. Ltd. and its affiliates Hindustan Inox, Precision
Metals and Sieves Manufacturers (India) Pvt. Ltd. (collectively,
Venus).
DATES: Effective December 16, 2016.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Schauer, Enforcement and
Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230; telephone
(202) 482-0410.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On February 21, 1995, the Department published the antidumping duty
(AD) order on SSB from India.\1\ On September 14, 2004, the Department
conditionally revoked the Order with respect to merchandise produced
and exported by Viraj Alloys, Ltd., Viraj Forgings, Ltd., and Viraj
Impoexpo, Ltd. (collectively, Viraj, and now known as Viraj Profiles
Limited \2\), based on a finding of three years of no dumping.\3\ On
September 13, 2011, the Department conditionally revoked the Order with
respect to merchandise produced and exported by Venus, based on a
finding of three years of no dumping.\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ See Antidumping Duty Orders: Stainless Steel Bar from
Brazil, India, and Japan, 60 FR 9661 (February 21, 1995) (Order).
\2\ In July 2006, Viraj Forgings Ltd. merged with Viraj Alloys
Ltd.; in April 2007, Viraj Alloys and Viraj Impoexpo Ltd. merged
into Viraj Profiles Ltd. See Letter from the petitioners,
``Stainless Steel Bar From India--Petitioners' Request for Changed
Circumstances Reviews,'' dated September 29, 2016 (CCR Request) at
Exhibit GEN-1.
\3\ See Stainless Steel Bar From India; Final Results,
Rescission of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review in Part, and
Determination To Revoke in Part, 69 FR 55409 (September 14, 2004)
(Viraj Revocation). The regulatory provision governing partial
revocation at the time of Viraj's (and Venus's) revocation was 19
CFR 353.25 (1997). The relevant language remained substantively
unchanged when 19 CFR 353.25 was superseded by 19 CFR 351.222 in
1997. See Antidumping Duties; Countervailing Duties: Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking and Request for Public Comments, 61 FR 7308
(February 27, 1996) (1996 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking); see also
Antidumping Duties; Countervailing Duties; Final Rule, 62 FR 27296,
27325-26, 27399-402 (May 19, 1997) (Preamble). The portion of 19 CFR
351.222 related to partial revocations of orders as to specific
companies has been revoked for all reviews initiated on or after
June 20, 2012. See Modification to Regulation Concerning the
Revocation of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Orders: Final
Rule, 77 FR 29875 (May 21, 2012) (Revocation Final Rule).
\4\ See Stainless Steel Bar from India: Final Results of the
Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, and Revocation of the Order,
in Part, 76 FR 56401 (September 13, 2011) (Venus Revocation).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
On September 29, 2016, the petitioners \5\ alleged that, since
their conditional revocation from the Order, there is evidence that
Viraj and Venus have both resumed sales to the United States at prices
below normal value (NV). The petitioners note that Viraj and Venus
agreed in writing to reinstatement into the AD order if either company
were found to have resumed dumping, and alleges that, because Viraj and
Venus violated this agreement, the Department should initiate a changed
circumstances review (CCR) to determine whether to reinstate Viraj and
Venus into the Order.\6\
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\5\ Carpenter Technology Corporation, Crucible Industries LLC,
Electralloy, a Division of G.O. Carlson, Inc., North American
Stainless, Outokumpu Stainless Bar, LLC, Universal Stainless & Alloy
Products, Inc., and Valbruna Slater Stainless, Inc. (collectively,
the petitioners)
\6\ See CCR Request.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
In November 2016, Viraj and Venus objected to the petitioners'
request for a CCR.\7\ On November 28, 2016, the petitioners submitted a
rebuttal to Venus' objection to the request for a CCR.\8\ Also in
November 2016, the Department extended the time period for determining
whether to initiate the CCR by 45 days to December 28, 2016.\9\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ See Letter from Viraj, ``Stainless Steel Bar from India,''
dated November 14, 2016 (Viraj Rebuttal) and Letter from Venus,
``Stainless Steel Bars (``SSB'') from India--Response to Request for
Changed Circumstances Review,'' dated November 4, 2016 (Venus
Rebuttal).
\8\ See Letter from the petitioners, ``Stainless Bar from
India--Petitioners' Comments Concerning Venus' Rebuttal Comments to
Petitioners' Changed Circumstances Review Request,'' dated November
29, 2016.
\9\ See Memorandum, ``Extension of Deadline to Initiate Changed
Circumstances Review,'' dated November 10, 2016.
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In accordance with section 751(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as
amended (the Act) and 19 CFR 351.216(b), and as discussed in further
detail below, the Department finds the information submitted by the
petitioners sufficient to warrant initiation of a CCR of the AD order
on SSB from India with respect to Viraj and Venus. The period of review
(POR) is July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2016.
In this CCR, we intend to determine whether Viraj or Venus sold SSB
from India at less than NV subsequent to their revocations from the
Order. If we make an affirmative preliminarily finding, we will direct
U.S. Customs and Border Protection to suspend liquidation of all
entries of SSB manufactured in India and exported by the company(ies)
for which we made an affirmative finding.
Scope of the Order
The merchandise subject to the order is stainless steel bar.
Stainless steel bar
[[Page 91119]]
means articles of stainless steel in straight lengths that have been
either hot-rolled, forged, turned, cold-drawn, cold-rolled or otherwise
cold-finished, or ground, having a uniform solid cross section along
their whole length in the shape of circles, segments of circles, ovals,
rectangles (including squares), triangles, hexagons, octagons, or other
convex polygons. Stainless steel bar includes cold-finished stainless
steel bars that are turned or ground in straight lengths, whether
produced from hot-rolled bar or from straightened and cut rod or wire,
and reinforcing bars that have indentations, ribs, grooves, or other
deformations produced during the rolling process.
Except as specified above, the term does not include stainless
steel semi-finished products, cut-to-length flat-rolled products (i.e.,
cut-to-length rolled products which if less than 4.75 mm in thickness
have a width measuring at least 10 times the thickness, or if 4.75 mm
or more in thickness having a width which exceeds 150 mm and measures
at least twice the thickness), wire (i.e., cold-formed products in
coils, of any uniform solid cross section along their whole length,
which do not conform to the definition of flat-rolled products), and
angles, shapes, and sections.
Imports of these products are currently classifiable under
subheadings 7222.10.00, 7222.11.00, 7222.19.00, 7222.20.00, 7222.30.00
of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS). Although the HTS subheadings
are provided for convenience and customs purposes, our written
description of the scope of the order is dispositive.
Allegation of Resumed Dumping
The allegation of resumed dumping upon which the Department has
based its decision to initiate a CCR is detailed below. The sources of
data for the adjustments that the petitioners calculated relating to NV
and U.S. price are discussed in greater detail in the Changed
Circumstances Review Initiation Checklist dated concurrently with this
notice.
1. Constructed Export Price
The petitioners based U.S. price upon offers for sale from the
respondents' U.S. affiliates to unaffiliated customers in the United
States, which they obtained from a proprietary source.\10\ The offers
for sale identify prices and terms of sale for a number of SSB models
sold by the respondents' U.S. affiliates.\11\ The petitioners made
adjustments for movement expenses consistent with the terms of sale,
for the U.S. affiliates' profit and selling expenses, and for imputed
credit expenses.\12\ We recalculated the imputed expenses to be
consistent with Policy Bulletin 98.1.\13\
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\10\ See CCR Request at 11-12 and Exhibits AD-IN-2.B.1 and AD-
IN-2.B.2.
\11\ Id.
\12\ Id. at 11-12 and Exhibits AD-IN-2.A.1 and AD-IN-2.A.2.
\13\ See Changed Circumstances Review Initiation Checklist at
``Constructed Export Price'' section.
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2. Normal Value
The petitioners based NV on home market prices obtained from a
proprietary source.\14\ The petitioners made an adjustment for imputed
credit expenses.\15\
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\14\ Id. at 15 and Exhibits AD-IN-3.A.1 and AD-IN-3.A.2.
\15\ Id.
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3. Cost of Production
The petitioners based COP on the costs of an integrated U.S.
producer of the subject merchandise, as the best information reasonably
available, and made adjustments for known differences in cost between
the domestic industry and the respondents.\16\ Based on a comparison of
home market sales and the COP, the petitioners assert that there is
reason to believe or suspect that certain home market sales made by
Viraj and Venus were priced below COP.\17\ Accordingly, the petitioners
consider those home market sales to be outside the ordinary course of
trade, and relied on the remaining home market sales above COP to
establish normal value.\18\
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\16\ Id. at 15-17 and Exhibits AD-IN-4.F.1 and AD-IN-4.F.2.
\17\ Id. at 17 and Exhibits AD-IN-5.A.1 and AD-IN-5.A.2.
\18\ Id. at 17 and Exhibits AD-IN-6.A and AD-IN-6.B.
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2. Alleged Margins of Dumping
The petitioners allege that there is evidence that Viraj and Venus
have both resumed dumping SSB in the United States that is sufficient
to warrant initiation of a CCR to determine whether the respondents
should be reinstated into the AD order. The petitioners' estimated
dumping margins, as revised to recalculate imputed credit expenses for
U.S. sales, range from 9.27 to 45.98 percent for Viraj and from 26.59
to 43.55 percent for Venus.\19\
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\19\ See Changed Circumstances Review Initiation Checklist at
``Estimated Margins'' section.
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Comments by Interested Parties
As noted above, in November 2016, Viraj and Venus submitted
comments on the petitioners' request that the Department initiate a
CCR.\20\ These comments are detailed in the Changed Circumstances
Review Initiation Checklist.
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\20\ See Viraj Rebuttal and Venus Rebuttal.
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Initiation of Changed Circumstances Review
Pursuant to section 751(b) of the Act, the Department will conduct
a CCR upon receipt of a request ``from an interested party for review
of an Aantidumping duty order which shows changed circumstances
sufficient to warrant a review of the order.'' After examining the
petitioners' allegation and supporting documentation, we find that the
petitioners have provided evidence of changed circumstances sufficient
to initiate a review to determine whether Viraj or Venus have resumed
dumping and should be reinstated in the Order.\21\
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\21\ See Changed Circumstances Review Initiation Checklist.
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The Department's authority to reinstate a revoked company into an
AD order by means of a CCR derives from sections 751(b) and (d) of the
Act.\22\ The Department's authority to revoke an order is expressed in
section 751(d) of the Act. The statute, however, provides no detailed
description of the criteria, procedures, or conditions relating to the
Department's exercise of this authority. Accordingly, the Department
issued regulations that set forth in detail how the Department will
exercise the authority granted to it under the statute. At the time of
the respondents' revocations from the Order, a Department regulation
authorized the partial and conditional revocation of orders as to
companies that were determined not to have made sales at less than NV
for the equivalent of three consecutive years and that certified to the
immediate reinstatement into an order if they resumed dumping.\23\
Although the regulatory provision for partial and conditional
revocation of companies from orders has since been revoked, we have
clarified that all conditionally revoked companies remain subject to
their certified agreements to be reinstated into the
[[Page 91120]]
order from which they were revoked if the Department finds that the
company has resumed dumping.\24\ For these reasons, conducting a CCR
pursuant to section 751(b) of the Act to determine whether to reinstate
Viraj or Venus into the Order is consistent with the statute and with
the certification that the respondents signed as a precondition to
their conditional revocation.\25\
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\22\ See Sahaviriya Steel Indus. Pub. Co., Ltd. v. United
States, 649 F.3d 1371, 1378 (Fed. Cir. 2011) (Sahaviriya)
(``{T{time} his court holds, applying Chevron deference, that
Commerce reasonably interpreted its revocation authority under
{section 751(d) of the Act{time} to permit conditional revocation .
. . .''); id. at 1378-80 (finding that Commerce properly conducted a
changed circumstances review for purposes of reconsidering
revocation).
\23\ See 19 CFR 353.25 (1997). As noted above, the relevant
language regarding reinstatement remained substantively unchanged
when 19 CFR 353.25 was superseded by 19 CFR 351.222 (1997), and the
portion of 19 CFR 351.222 related to partial revocations of orders
as to specific companies has been revoked for all reviews initiated
on or after June 20, 2012. See 1996 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking;
Preamble; Revocation Final Rule.
\24\ See Revocation Final Rule, 77 FR at 29882.
\25\ See, e.g., Sahaviriya, 649 F.3d at 1380; Initiation of
Antidumping Duty Changed Circumstances Review: Certain Hot-Rolled
Carbon Steel Flat Products from Thailand, 73 FR 18766, 18769 (April
7, 2008); see also Viraj Revocation, 69 FR at 55411 (``Viraj
provided each of the certifications required under 19 CFR 351.222(e)
. . . {including{time} an agreement to immediate reinstatement of
the order if the Department concludes that the company, subsequent
to the revocation, sold subject merchandise at less than NV.''); see
also Venus Revocation, 76 at 56402-3 (``the company has agreed to
immediate reinstatement of the order if we find that it has resumed
making sales at less than fair value''). See also Changed
Circumstances Review Initiation Checklist at Exhibit 6 for copies of
the respondents' agreements.
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Period of Changed Circumstances Review
The Department intends to request data from Viraj and Venus for the
July 1, 2015, through June 30, 2016, period to determine whether it
should reinstate the Order with respect to these companies because they
resumed dumping.
Public Comment
The Department intends to publish in the Federal Register a notice
of preliminary results of CCR in accordance with 19 CFR 351.221(b)(4)
and 351.221(c)(3)(i), which will set forth the Department's preliminary
factual and legal conclusions. Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.221(b)(4)(ii),
interested parties will have an opportunity to comment on the
preliminary results. Unless otherwise extended, the Department intends
to issue its final results of review in accordance with the time limits
set forth in 19 CFR 351.216(e).
This notice is published in accordance with sections 751(b)(1) and
777(i)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.221(b) of the Department's
regulations.
Dated: December 12, 2016.
Christian Marsh,
Deputy Assistant Secretary, for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty
Operations.
[FR Doc. 2016-30323 Filed 12-15-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P