International Trade Administration January 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Commerce (the Department) has received requests to conduct administrative reviews of various antidumping and countervailing duty orders and findings with December anniversary dates. In accordance with our regulations, we are initiating those administrative reviews. The Department also received a request to revoke, in part, one antidumping duty order.

On January 18, 2005, the Canadian Lumber Remanufacturer's Alliance (``CLRA'') and its individual members filed a First Request for Panel Review with the United States Section of the NAFTA Secretariat pursuant to Article 1904 of the North American Free Trade Agreement. A second, third, fourth and fifth Request for Panel Review was filed on January 19, 2005 on behalf of the Canfor Corporation and its affiliates Lakeland Mills Ltd. and the Pas Lumber Company Ltd. (collectively ``Canfor''); Terminal Forest Products Ltd. (``Terminal''); and on behalf of the Government of Canada, the Governments of the Provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Saskatchewan, the Gouvernement du Quebec, the Governments of the Northwest Territories and the Yukon Territory, the British Columbia Lumber Trade Council and its constituent associations (the Coast Forest & Lumber Association and the Council of Forest Industries), the Ontario Forest Industries Association, the Ontario Lumber Manufacturers Association, Quebec Lumber Manufacturers Association; Apex Forest Products Inc., Aspen Planers Ltd., Buchanan Lumber Sales, Inc. and the Buchanan affiliated mills, exporters and importers (including Atikokan Forest Products Ltd., Buchanan Forest Products Ltd., Buchanan Northern Hardwoods Inc., Dubreuil Forest Products Limited, Great West Timber Limited, Long Lake Forest Products Inc., McKenzie Forest Products Inc., Nakina Forest Products Limited, Northern Sawmills Inc., Northern Wood, and Solid Wood Products Inc.), Devlin Timber (1992) Ltd., Downie Timber Ltd., Federated Co-operative Limited, Gorman Bros. Lumber Ltd., Haida Forest Products Ltd., Kenora Forest Products Ltd., Lecours Lumber Co. Limited, Liskeard Lumber Limited, Manitou Forest Products Ltd., Manning Diversified Forest Products Ltd., Midway Lumber Mills Ltd., Mill & Timber Products Ltd., Nickel Lake Lumber, North Enderby Timber Ltd., Olav Haavaldsrud Timber Company Limited, Pastway Planing Limited, R. Fryer Forest Products Limited, Selkirk Specialty Wood Ltd., Tembec Inc., Tyee Timber Products Ltd., and West Hastings Lumber Products (hereafter, ``the Parties''), respectively. Panel review was requested of the final results of countervailing duty administrative review and rescission of certain company-specific reviews made by the United States Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, respecting Certain Softwood Lumber Products from Canada. This determination was published in the Federal Register, (69 FR 75917) on December 20, 2004. The determination was amended by Notice of Correction to Final Results on December 27, 2004 , 69 Federal Register 77220. The NAFTA Secretariat has assigned Case Number USA-CDA-2005-1904-01 to this request.

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burdens, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on the continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 3506 (c)(2)(A)).

In response to a request from SST Materials, Inc. d/b/a Genesis Chemicals, Inc. (Genesis), a domestic producer of subject merchandise, the Department of Commerce (the Department) initiated an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on sebacic acid from the People's Republic of China (PRC) for entries of subject merchandise by Tianjin Chemical Import and Export Corporation (Tianjin) and Guangdong Chemical Import and Export Corporation (Guangdong), covering the period July 1, 2003, through June 30, 2004. We are now rescinding this review as a result of the petitioner's withdrawal of its request for an administrative review.

The Environmental Technologies Trade Advisory Committee (ETTAC) will hold a plenary meeting on February 11, 2005, at the U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230, in Room 3407. The ETTAC will discuss Tsunami Relief efforts and how environmental technologies companies can assist with the efforts, as well as continuing discussions on trade liberalization in environmental goods and services. The meeting is open to the public and time will be permitted for public comment. Written comments concerning ETTAC affairs are welcome anytime before or after the meeting. Minutes will be available within 30 days of this meeting. The ETTAC is mandated by Public Law 103-392. It was created to advise the U.S. government on environmental trade policies and programs, and to help it to focus its resources on increasing the exports of the U.S. environmental industry. ETTAC operates as an advisory committee to the Secretary of Commerce and the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC). ETTAC was originally chartered in May of 1994. It was most recently rechartered until May 30, 2006. For further information phone Joseph Ayoub, Office of Environmental Technologies Industries (ETI), International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce at (202) 482-0313 or 5225. This meeting is physically accessible to people with disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids should be directed to OEEI at (202) 482-5225.

The Department of Commerce has issued an Export Trade Certificate of Review to AmRus Ventures, Inc. (``AMRUS''). This notice summarizes the conduct for which certification has been granted.

The Department of Commerce (the Department) has preliminarily determined that sales by the respondents in this review, covering the period December 1, 2002, through November 30, 2003, have been made at prices less than normal value (NV). In addition, we are preliminarily rescinding this review with respect to Tianjin Custom Wood Processing Co., Ltd. (TCW), because TCW reported, and we confirmed, that it made no shipments of subject merchandise to the United States during the period of review (POR). If these preliminary results are adopted in the final results of this review, we will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to assess antidumping duties on all appropriate entries. The Department invites interested parties to comment on these preliminary results.

On July 7, 2004, the Department of Commerce (``Department'') published in the Federal Register the preliminary results of the administrative review of the order on certain stainless steel butt-weld pipe fittings from Taiwan. See Certain Stainless Steel Butt-Weld Pipe Fittings From Taiwan: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review and Notice of Intent To Rescind in Part, 69 FR 40859 (July 7, 2004) (``Preliminary Results''). This review covers one manufacturer/exporter of the subject merchandise. The period of review (``POR'') is June 1, 2002, through May 31, 2003. We gave interested parties an opportunity to comment on the preliminary results. Based upon our analysis of the comments received, we have made no changes in the margin calculation. Therefore, the final results have not changed from the Preliminary Results of this review. The final weight-averaged dumping margin is listed below in the section titled ``Final Results of the Review.''

This is an amendment to the notices of ``Opportunity to Request Administrative Review of Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Order, Finding, or Suspended Investigation'' with respect to Certain Cut-to-Length Carbon Steel Plate from the Russian Federation, that published on October 1, 2004 (69 FR 58889) and on January 3, 2005 (70 FR 74).

In response to requests from interested parties, the Department of Commerce is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on stainless steel wire rods from India. The period of review is December 1, 2002, through November 30, 2003. This review covers three companies. We have preliminarily determined that Chandan Steel, Ltd., and Isibars Steel, Ltd., sold subject merchandise at less than normal value during the period of review and that the Viraj Group has made sales in the United States at prices not below normal value.\1\ We have also preliminarily determined to revoke the order with respect to subject merchandise produced and exported by Viraj Alloys, Ltd., and VSL Wires, Ltd.

In November 2004, the Department of Commerce received three requests to conduct new shipper reviews of the antidumping duty order on fresh garlic from the People's Republic of China. We have determined that these requests meet the statutory and regulatory requirements for the initiation of a new shipper review.