Sodium Sulfate Anhydrous From Canada: Final Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value and Final Negative Determination of Critical Circumstances, 17534-17536 [2020-06547]
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17534
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 61 / Monday, March 30, 2020 / Notices
Administrative Protective Order (APO)
This notice also serves as the only
reminder to parties subject to an APO of
their responsibility concerning the
return or destruction of proprietary
information disclosed under APO in
accordance with 19 CFR 351.305.
Timely notification of the return or
destruction of APO materials or
conversion to judicial protective order is
hereby requested. Failure to comply
with the regulations and terms of an
APO is a violation which is subject to
sanction.
the ‘‘Final Determination’’ section of
this notice.
DATES: Applicable March 30, 2020.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Davina Friedmann or Erin Kearney, AD/
CVD Operations, Office VI, Enforcement
and Compliance, International Trade
Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue
NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone:
(202) 482–6312 or (202) 482–0167,
respectively.
Notification to Interested Parties
We are issuing and publishing the
final results and this notice in
accordance with sections 751(c), 752(b),
and 777(i)(1) of the Act, and 19 CFR
351.218.
Background
Dated: March 24, 2020.
Jeffrey I. Kessler,
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and
Compliance.
Appendix
List of Topics Discussed in the Issues and
Decision Memorandum
I. Summary
II. Background
III. History of the Order
IV. Scope of the Order
V. Legal Framework
VI. Discussion of the Issues
1. Likelihood of Continuation or
Recurrence of a Countervailable Subsidy
2. Net Countervailable Subsidy Rates
Likely to Prevail
3. Nature of the Subsidies
VII. Final Results of Sunset Review
VIII. Recommendation
BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[A–122–866]
Sodium Sulfate Anhydrous From
Canada: Final Determination of Sales
at Less Than Fair Value and Final
Negative Determination of Critical
Circumstances
Enforcement and Compliance,
International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce
(Commerce) determines that sodium
sulfate anhydrous (sodium sulfate) from
Canada is being, or is likely to be, sold
in the United States at less than fair
value (LTFV). The period of
investigation (POI) is January 1, 2018
through December 31, 2018. The final
estimated weighted-average dumping
margins of sales at LTFV are shown in
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This final determination is made in
accordance with section 735 of the
Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act).
On November 8, 2019, Commerce
published the preliminary affirmative
determination of sales at LTFV in the
investigation of sodium sulfate from
Canada, and also extended the final
determination to March 23, 2020.1 We
invited interested parties to comment on
the Preliminary Determination. On
January 17, 2020, we received case
briefs from the sole respondent,
Saskatchewan Mining and Minerals Inc.
(SMM),2 and Cooper Natural Resources,
Inc., Elementis Global LLC, and Searles
Valley Minerals (collectively, the
petitioners).3 On January 22, 2020, we
received rebuttal briefs from SMM,4 the
Government of Canada,5 and the
petitioners.6 On February 28, we held a
public hearing concerning the issues
raised in case and rebuttal briefs.7
Analysis of Comments Received
All issues raised in the case and
rebuttal briefs by parties in this
investigation are addressed in the Issues
[FR Doc. 2020–06549 Filed 3–27–20; 8:45 am]
AGENCY:
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1 See Sodium Sulfate Anhydrous from Canada:
Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Sales at
Less Than Fair Value, Preliminary Negative
Determination of Critical Circumstances,
Postponement of Final Determination, and
Extension of Provisional Measures, 84 FR 60375
(November 8, 2019) (Preliminary Determination)
and accompanying Preliminary Decision
Memorandum (PDM).
2 See SMM’s Letter, ‘‘Antidumping Duty
Investigation of Sodium Sulfate Anhydrous from
Canada: Case Brief for SMMI,’’ dated January 17,
2020.
3 See Petitioners’ Letter, ‘‘Sodium Sulfate
Anhydrous from Canada: Petitioners’ Case Brief,’’
dated January 17, 2020.
4 See SMM’s Letter, ‘‘Antidumping Duty
Investigation of Sodium Sulfate Anhydrous from
Canada: Rebuttal Brief for SMMI,’’ dated January
22, 2020.
5 See Government of Canada’s Letter, ‘‘Rebuttal
Brief of the Government of Canada,’’ dated January
22, 2020.
6 See Petitioners’ Letter, ‘‘Sodium Sulfate
Anhydrous from Canada: Petitioners’ Rebuttal
Brief,’’ dated January 22, 2020.
7 See Hearing Transcript from Neal R. Gross and
Co., Inc., dated March 6, 2020.
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and Decision Memorandum.8 A list of
the issues raised is attached to this
notice as Appendix II. 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 it is available to
all parties in the Central Records Unit,
room B–8024 of the main Department of
Commerce building. In addition, a
complete version of the Issues and
Decision Memorandum can be accessed
directly at https://enforcement.trade.gov/
frn/. The signed and
electronic versions of the Issues and
Decision Memorandum are identical in
content.
Scope of the Investigation
The product covered by this
investigation is sodium sulfate from
Canada. For a full description of the
scope of this investigation, see the
‘‘Scope of the Investigation,’’ in
Appendix I of this notice.
Verification
As provided in section 782(i) of the
Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act),
in October and December 2019, we
verified the cost and sales information
submitted by SMM for use in our final
determination. We used standard
verification procedures, including
examination of relevant accounting and
production records, and original source
documents provided by SMM.9
Analysis of Comments Received and
Changes Since the Preliminary
Determination
As noted above, we received case and
rebuttal briefs pertaining to the
Preliminary Determination. For the
purposes of the final determination,
Commerce has made certain changes to
the Preliminary Determination:
We incorporated into the final margin
calculation the minor corrections
presented by SMM at the outset of
8 See Memorandum, ‘‘Issues and Decision
Memorandum for the Final Affirmative
Determination in the Less-Than-Fair-Value
Investigation of Sodium Sulfate Anhydrous from
Canada and Final Negative Determination of
Critical Circumstances,’’ dated concurrently with,
and hereby adopted by, this notice (Issues and
Decision Memorandum).
9 See Memorandum, ‘‘Verification of the Cost
Response of Saskatchewan Mining and Minerals
Inc. in the Antidumping Duty Investigation of
Sodium Sulfate Anhydrous from Canada,’’ dated
December 10, 2019; see also Memorandum,
‘‘Verification of the Sales Response of
Saskatchewan Mining and Minerals Inc. in the
Antidumping Investigation of Sodium Sulfate from
Canada,’’ dated January 9, 2020.
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 61 / Monday, March 30, 2020 / Notices
verification, including SMM’s inland
freight variances. We modified the
build-up of home-market and U.S.
movement expenses (USMOVE)
includes all freight expenses. In doing
so, we also ensured that SMM’s freight
revenue reported in both markets is
capped appropriately by the expenses
associated with that same type of
activity. In the final margin calculation
program, we accounted for all reported
U.S. billing adjustments and included
repacking expenses in the build-up of
home-market packing expenses. Finally,
we incorporated the revised cost figures
into the program for the final
determination.
Final Negative Determination of
Critical Circumstances
In accordance with section 733(e) of
the Act and 19 CFR 351.206, Commerce
preliminarily finds that critical
circumstances do not exist for SMM or
for all other producers and exporters.
For a full description of the
methodology and results of Commerce’s
critical circumstances analysis, see the
Issues and Decision Memorandum.
All-Others Rate
As discussed in the Preliminary
Determination, Commerce calculated an
individual estimated weighted-average
dumping margin for SMM, the only
individually examined exporter/
producer in this investigation. Because
the only individually calculated
dumping margin is not zero, de
minimis, or based entirely on facts
otherwise available, the estimated
weighted-average dumping margin
calculated for SMM is the margin
assigned to all other producers and
exporters, pursuant to section
735(c)(5)(A) of the Act.
Continuation of Suspension of
Liquidation
In accordance with section
735(c)(1)(B) and (C) of the Act,
Commerce will instruct U.S. Customs
and Border Protection (CBP) to continue
the suspension of liquidation of all
appropriate entries of sodium sulfate
from Canada, as described in Appendix
I of this notice, which were entered, or
withdrawn from warehouse, for
consumption on or after November 8,
2019, the date of publication of the
Preliminary Determination of this
investigation in the Federal Register.
Because Commerce preliminarily did
not determine the existence of critical
circumstances, no retroactive
liquidation by CBP prior to November 8,
2019, is necessary.
Pursuant to section 735(c)(1)(B)(ii) of
the Act, we will instruct CBP to require
a cash deposit for such entries of
merchandise equal to the estimated
weighted-average dumping margin in
the table above as follows: (1) The cash
deposit rate for the respondent listed
above will be equal to the respondentspecific estimated weighted-average
dumping margin determined in this
final determination; (2) if the exporter is
not a respondent identified above but
the producer is, then the cash deposit
rate will be equal to the respondentspecific estimated weighted-average
dumping margin established for that
producer of the subject merchandise;
and (3) the cash deposit rate for all other
producers and exporters will be equal to
the all others estimated weightedaverage dumping margin. These
suspension of liquidation instructions
will remain in effect until further notice.
International Trade Commission
Notification
In accordance with section 735(d) of
the Act, we will notify the International
Trade Commission (ITC) of the final
affirmative determination of sales at
The final estimated weighted-average
LTFV. Because the final determination
dumping margins are as follows:
in this proceeding is affirmative, the ITC
will make its final determination as to
Weightedaverage dumping whether the domestic industry in the
Exporter/Manufacturer
margins
United States is materially injured, or
(percent)
threatened with material injury, by
reason of imports of sodium sulfate from
Saskatchewan Mining
and Minerals Inc .........
8.89 Canada no later than 75 days after our
All Others ........................
8.89 final determination. If the ITC
determines that material injury, or
threat of material injury, does not exist,
Disclosure
this proceeding will be terminated and
Commerce intends to disclose the
cash deposits will be refunded. If the
calculations performed in connection
ITC determines that such injury exists,
with this final determination within five Commerce will issue an antidumping
days of the date of publication of this
duty order directing CBP to assess, upon
notice to parties in this proceeding in
further instruction by Commerce,
accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b).
antidumping duties on all imports of the
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17535
subject merchandise entered, or
withdrawn from warehouse, for
consumption on or after the effective
date of the suspension of liquidation, as
discussed in the ‘‘Suspension of
Liquidation’’ section.
Notification Regarding Administrative
Protective Orders
This notice serves as a reminder to
parties subject to an administrative
protective order (APO) of their
responsibility concerning the
disposition of proprietary information
disclosed under APO in accordance
with 19 CFR 351.305(a)(3). Timely
written notification of the return or
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.
This determination is issued and
published in accordance with sections
735(d) and 777(i)(1) of the Act and 19
CFR 351.210(c).
Dated: March 23, 2020.
Jeffrey I. Kessler,
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and
Compliance.
Appendix I—Scope of the Investigation
The scope of this investigation covers
sodium sulfate (Na2SO4) (Chemical Abstracts
Service (CAS) Number 7757–82–6) that is
anhydrous (i.e., containing no water),
regardless of purity, grade, color, production
method, and form of packaging, in which the
percentage of particles between 20 mesh and
100 mesh, based on U.S. mesh series screens,
ranges from 10–95% and the percentage of
particles finer than 100 mesh, based on U.S.
mesh series screens, ranges from 5–90%.
Excluded from the scope of this
investigation are specialty sodium sulfate
anhydrous products, which are products
whose particle distributions fall outside the
described ranges. Glauber’s salt
(Na2SO4·10H2O), also known as sodium
sulfate decahydrate, an intermediate product
in the production of sodium sulfate
anhydrous that has no known commercial
uses, is not included within the scope of the
investigation, although some end-users may
mistakenly refer to sodium sulfate anhydrous
as Glauber’s salt. Other forms of sodium
sulfate that are hydrous (i.e., containing
water) are also excluded from the scope of
the investigation.
The merchandise subject to this
investigation is classifiable under
Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United
States (HTSUS) subheading 2833.11.5010.
Subject merchandise may also be classified
under 2833.11.1000, 2833.11.5050, and
2833.19.0000. Although the HTSUS
subheadings and CAS registry number are
provided for convenience and customs
purposes, the written description of the
scope of the investigation is dispositive.
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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 61 / Monday, March 30, 2020 / Notices
Appendix II—List of Topics Discussed
in the Issues and Decision
Memorandum
I. Summary
II. Background
III. Changes from the Preliminary
Determination
Comment 1: Impairment Losses
Comment 2: Packing Expenses
Comment 3: Freight Variance
Comment 4: Programming Errors
IV. Discussion of the Issues
V. Negative Determination of Critical
Circumstances
VI. Recommendation
[FR Doc. 2020–06547 Filed 3–27–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[C–533–892]
Forged Steel Fittings From India:
Preliminary Affirmative Countervailing
Duty Determination, and Alignment of
Final Determination With Final
Antidumping Duty Determination
Enforcement and Compliance,
International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce
(Commerce) preliminarily determines
that countervailable subsidies are being
provided to producers and exporters of
forged steel fittings from India for the
period of investigation January 1, 2018
through December 31, 2018. Interested
parties are invited to comment on this
preliminary determination.
DATES: Applicable March 30, 2020.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Lauren Caserta, AD/CVD Operations,
Office VII, Enforcement and
Compliance, International Trade
Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue
NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone:
(202) 482–4737.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
AGENCY:
lotter on DSKBCFDHB2PROD with NOTICES
Background
This preliminary determination is
made in accordance with section 703(b)
of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended
(the Act). Commerce published the
notice of initiation of this investigation
on November 21, 2020.1 On January 10,
2020, Commerce postponed the
preliminary determination of this
investigation and the revised deadline is
1 See Forged Steel Fittings from India and the
Republic of Korea: Initiation of Countervailing Duty
Investigation, 84 FR 64270 (November 21, 2019)
(Initiation Notice).
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18:05 Mar 27, 2020
Jkt 250001
now March 23, 2020.2 For a complete
description of the events that followed
the initiation of this investigation, see
the Preliminary Decision
Memorandum.3 A list of topics
discussed in the Preliminary Decision
Memorandum is included as Appendix
II to this notice. The Preliminary
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 is available to all
parties in the Central Records Unit,
room B8024 of the main Commerce
building. In addition, a complete
version of the Preliminary Decision
Memorandum can be accessed directly
at https://enforcement.trade.gov/frn/.
The signed and electronic versions of
the Preliminary Decision Memorandum
are identical in content.
Scope of the Investigation
The products covered by this
investigation are forged steel fittings
from India. For a complete description
of the scope of this investigation, see
Appendix I.
Scope Comments
In accordance with the Preamble to
Commerce’s regulations,4 the Initiation
Notice set aside a period of time for
parties to raise issues regarding product
coverage (i.e., scope).5 Certain interested
parties commented on the scope of the
investigation as it appeared in the
Initiation Notice. For a summary of the
product coverage comments submitted
to the record for this preliminary
determination, and accompanying
discussion and analysis of all comments
timely received, see the Preliminary
Decision Memorandum. Commerce is
preliminarily modifying the scope
language as it appeared in the Initiation
Notice. See revised scope in Appendix
I.
Methodology
Commerce is conducting this
investigation in accordance with section
2 See Forged Steel Fittings from India:
Postponement of Preliminary Determination in the
Countervailing Duty Investigation, 85 FR 1300
(January 10, 2020).
3 See Memorandum, ‘‘Decision Memorandum for
the Preliminary Determination in the
Countervailing Duty Investigation of Forged Steel
Fittings from India,’’ dated concurrently with, and
hereby adopted by, this notice (Preliminary
Decision Memorandum).
4 See Antidumping Duties; Countervailing Duties,
Final Rule, 62 FR 27296, 27323 (May 19, 1997)
(Preamble).
5 See Initiation Notice.
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701 of the Act. For each of the subsidy
programs found countervailable,
Commerce preliminarily determines
that there is a subsidy, i.e., a financial
contribution by an ‘‘authority’’ that
gives rise to a benefit to the recipient,
and that the subsidy is specific.6
Alignment
As noted in the Preliminary Decision
Memorandum, in accordance with
section 705(a)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR
351.210(b)(4), Commerce is aligning the
final CVD determination in this
investigation with the final
determination in the companion AD
investigation of forged steel fittings from
India based on a request made by the
petitioner.7 Consequently, the final CVD
determination will be issued on the
same date as the final AD
determination, which is currently
scheduled no later than August 3, 2020,
unless postponed.8
All-Others Rate
Sections 703(d) and 705(c)(5)(A) of
the Act provide that in the preliminary
determination, Commerce shall
determine an estimated all-others rate
for companies not individually
examined. This rate shall be an amount
equal to the weighted average of the
estimated subsidy rates established for
those companies individually
examined, excluding any zero and de
minimis rates and any rates based
entirely under section 776 of the Act.
In this investigation, Commerce
preliminarily calculated a rate for
Shakti, the only participating
respondent. The only rate that is not
zero, de minimis or based entirely on
facts otherwise available is the rate
calculated for Shakti. Consequently, the
rate calculated for Shakti is also
assigned as the rate for all other
producers and exporters.
Preliminary Determination
Commerce preliminarily determines
that the following estimated
countervailable subsidy rates exist:
6 See sections 771(5)(B) and (D) of the Act
regarding financial contribution; section 771(5)(E)
of the Act regarding benefit; and section 771(5A) of
the Act regarding specificity.
7 See Petitioners’ Letter, ‘‘Forged Steel Fittings
from India: Request for Alignment,’’ dated March 5,
2020.
8 See Forged Steel Fittings from India and the
Republic of Korea: Postponement of Preliminary
Determinations in the Less-Than-Fair-Value
Investigations, 85 FR 11965 (February 28, 2020).
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 61 (Monday, March 30, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17534-17536]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-06547]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[A-122-866]
Sodium Sulfate Anhydrous From Canada: Final Determination of
Sales at Less Than Fair Value and Final Negative Determination of
Critical Circumstances
AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that sodium
sulfate anhydrous (sodium sulfate) from Canada is being, or is likely
to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV). The
period of investigation (POI) is January 1, 2018 through December 31,
2018. The final estimated weighted-average dumping margins of sales at
LTFV are shown in the ``Final Determination'' section of this notice.
DATES: Applicable March 30, 2020.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Davina Friedmann or Erin Kearney, AD/
CVD Operations, Office VI, Enforcement and Compliance, International
Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-6312 or (202)
482-0167, respectively.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
This final determination is made in accordance with section 735 of
the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). On November 8, 2019,
Commerce published the preliminary affirmative determination of sales
at LTFV in the investigation of sodium sulfate from Canada, and also
extended the final determination to March 23, 2020.\1\ We invited
interested parties to comment on the Preliminary Determination. On
January 17, 2020, we received case briefs from the sole respondent,
Saskatchewan Mining and Minerals Inc. (SMM),\2\ and Cooper Natural
Resources, Inc., Elementis Global LLC, and Searles Valley Minerals
(collectively, the petitioners).\3\ On January 22, 2020, we received
rebuttal briefs from SMM,\4\ the Government of Canada,\5\ and the
petitioners.\6\ On February 28, we held a public hearing concerning the
issues raised in case and rebuttal briefs.\7\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ See Sodium Sulfate Anhydrous from Canada: Preliminary
Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value,
Preliminary Negative Determination of Critical Circumstances,
Postponement of Final Determination, and Extension of Provisional
Measures, 84 FR 60375 (November 8, 2019) (Preliminary Determination)
and accompanying Preliminary Decision Memorandum (PDM).
\2\ See SMM's Letter, ``Antidumping Duty Investigation of Sodium
Sulfate Anhydrous from Canada: Case Brief for SMMI,'' dated January
17, 2020.
\3\ See Petitioners' Letter, ``Sodium Sulfate Anhydrous from
Canada: Petitioners' Case Brief,'' dated January 17, 2020.
\4\ See SMM's Letter, ``Antidumping Duty Investigation of Sodium
Sulfate Anhydrous from Canada: Rebuttal Brief for SMMI,'' dated
January 22, 2020.
\5\ See Government of Canada's Letter, ``Rebuttal Brief of the
Government of Canada,'' dated January 22, 2020.
\6\ See Petitioners' Letter, ``Sodium Sulfate Anhydrous from
Canada: Petitioners' Rebuttal Brief,'' dated January 22, 2020.
\7\ See Hearing Transcript from Neal R. Gross and Co., Inc.,
dated March 6, 2020.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analysis of Comments Received
All issues raised in the case and rebuttal briefs by parties in
this investigation are addressed in the Issues and Decision
Memorandum.\8\ A list of the issues raised is attached to this notice
as Appendix II. 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 it is available to all parties in the Central
Records Unit, room B-8024 of the main Department of Commerce building.
In addition, a complete version of the Issues and Decision Memorandum
can be accessed directly at https://enforcement.trade.gov/frn/. The signed and electronic versions of the Issues and
Decision Memorandum are identical in content.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\8\ See Memorandum, ``Issues and Decision Memorandum for the
Final Affirmative Determination in the Less-Than-Fair-Value
Investigation of Sodium Sulfate Anhydrous from Canada and Final
Negative Determination of Critical Circumstances,'' dated
concurrently with, and hereby adopted by, this notice (Issues and
Decision Memorandum).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scope of the Investigation
The product covered by this investigation is sodium sulfate from
Canada. For a full description of the scope of this investigation, see
the ``Scope of the Investigation,'' in Appendix I of this notice.
Verification
As provided in section 782(i) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended
(the Act), in October and December 2019, we verified the cost and sales
information submitted by SMM for use in our final determination. We
used standard verification procedures, including examination of
relevant accounting and production records, and original source
documents provided by SMM.\9\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\9\ See Memorandum, ``Verification of the Cost Response of
Saskatchewan Mining and Minerals Inc. in the Antidumping Duty
Investigation of Sodium Sulfate Anhydrous from Canada,'' dated
December 10, 2019; see also Memorandum, ``Verification of the Sales
Response of Saskatchewan Mining and Minerals Inc. in the Antidumping
Investigation of Sodium Sulfate from Canada,'' dated January 9,
2020.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Analysis of Comments Received and Changes Since the Preliminary
Determination
As noted above, we received case and rebuttal briefs pertaining to
the Preliminary Determination. For the purposes of the final
determination, Commerce has made certain changes to the Preliminary
Determination:
We incorporated into the final margin calculation the minor
corrections presented by SMM at the outset of
[[Page 17535]]
verification, including SMM's inland freight variances. We modified the
build-up of home-market and U.S. movement expenses (USMOVE) includes
all freight expenses. In doing so, we also ensured that SMM's freight
revenue reported in both markets is capped appropriately by the
expenses associated with that same type of activity. In the final
margin calculation program, we accounted for all reported U.S. billing
adjustments and included repacking expenses in the build-up of home-
market packing expenses. Finally, we incorporated the revised cost
figures into the program for the final determination.
Final Negative Determination of Critical Circumstances
In accordance with section 733(e) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.206,
Commerce preliminarily finds that critical circumstances do not exist
for SMM or for all other producers and exporters. For a full
description of the methodology and results of Commerce's critical
circumstances analysis, see the Issues and Decision Memorandum.
All-Others Rate
As discussed in the Preliminary Determination, Commerce calculated
an individual estimated weighted-average dumping margin for SMM, the
only individually examined exporter/producer in this investigation.
Because the only individually calculated dumping margin is not zero, de
minimis, or based entirely on facts otherwise available, the estimated
weighted-average dumping margin calculated for SMM is the margin
assigned to all other producers and exporters, pursuant to section
735(c)(5)(A) of the Act.
Final Determination
The final estimated weighted-average dumping margins are as
follows:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weighted- average
Exporter/Manufacturer dumping margins
(percent)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Saskatchewan Mining and Minerals Inc................. 8.89
All Others........................................... 8.89
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disclosure
Commerce intends to disclose the calculations performed in
connection with this final determination within five days of the date
of publication of this notice to parties in this proceeding in
accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b).
Continuation of Suspension of Liquidation
In accordance with section 735(c)(1)(B) and (C) of the Act,
Commerce will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to
continue the suspension of liquidation of all appropriate entries of
sodium sulfate from Canada, as described in Appendix I of this notice,
which were entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or
after November 8, 2019, the date of publication of the Preliminary
Determination of this investigation in the Federal Register. Because
Commerce preliminarily did not determine the existence of critical
circumstances, no retroactive liquidation by CBP prior to November 8,
2019, is necessary.
Pursuant to section 735(c)(1)(B)(ii) of the Act, we will instruct
CBP to require a cash deposit for such entries of merchandise equal to
the estimated weighted-average dumping margin in the table above as
follows: (1) The cash deposit rate for the respondent listed above will
be equal to the respondent-specific estimated weighted-average dumping
margin determined in this final determination; (2) if the exporter is
not a respondent identified above but the producer is, then the cash
deposit rate will be equal to the respondent-specific estimated
weighted-average dumping margin established for that producer of the
subject merchandise; and (3) the cash deposit rate for all other
producers and exporters will be equal to the all others estimated
weighted-average dumping margin. These suspension of liquidation
instructions will remain in effect until further notice.
International Trade Commission Notification
In accordance with section 735(d) of the Act, we will notify the
International Trade Commission (ITC) of the final affirmative
determination of sales at LTFV. Because the final determination in this
proceeding is affirmative, the ITC will make its final determination as
to whether the domestic industry in the United States is materially
injured, or threatened with material injury, by reason of imports of
sodium sulfate from Canada no later than 75 days after our final
determination. If the ITC determines that material injury, or threat of
material injury, does not exist, this proceeding will be terminated and
cash deposits will be refunded. If the ITC determines that such injury
exists, Commerce will issue an antidumping duty order directing CBP to
assess, upon further instruction by Commerce, antidumping duties on all
imports of the subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from
warehouse, for consumption on or after the effective date of the
suspension of liquidation, as discussed in the ``Suspension of
Liquidation'' section.
Notification Regarding Administrative Protective Orders
This notice serves as a reminder to parties subject to an
administrative protective order (APO) of their responsibility
concerning the disposition of proprietary information disclosed under
APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305(a)(3). Timely written
notification of the return or 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.
This determination is issued and published in accordance with
sections 735(d) and 777(i)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.210(c).
Dated: March 23, 2020.
Jeffrey I. Kessler,
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.
Appendix I--Scope of the Investigation
The scope of this investigation covers sodium sulfate (Na2SO4)
(Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) Number 7757-82-6) that is
anhydrous (i.e., containing no water), regardless of purity, grade,
color, production method, and form of packaging, in which the
percentage of particles between 20 mesh and 100 mesh, based on U.S.
mesh series screens, ranges from 10-95% and the percentage of
particles finer than 100 mesh, based on U.S. mesh series screens,
ranges from 5-90%.
Excluded from the scope of this investigation are specialty
sodium sulfate anhydrous products, which are products whose particle
distributions fall outside the described ranges. Glauber's salt
(Na2SO4[middot]10H2O), also known as sodium sulfate decahydrate, an
intermediate product in the production of sodium sulfate anhydrous
that has no known commercial uses, is not included within the scope
of the investigation, although some end-users may mistakenly refer
to sodium sulfate anhydrous as Glauber's salt. Other forms of sodium
sulfate that are hydrous (i.e., containing water) are also excluded
from the scope of the investigation.
The merchandise subject to this investigation is classifiable
under Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS)
subheading 2833.11.5010. Subject merchandise may also be classified
under 2833.11.1000, 2833.11.5050, and 2833.19.0000. Although the
HTSUS subheadings and CAS registry number are provided for
convenience and customs purposes, the written description of the
scope of the investigation is dispositive.
[[Page 17536]]
Appendix II--List of Topics Discussed in the Issues and Decision
Memorandum
I. Summary
II. Background
III. Changes from the Preliminary Determination
Comment 1: Impairment Losses
Comment 2: Packing Expenses
Comment 3: Freight Variance
Comment 4: Programming Errors
IV. Discussion of the Issues
V. Negative Determination of Critical Circumstances
VI. Recommendation
[FR Doc. 2020-06547 Filed 3-27-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P