International Trade Administration November 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

On November 15, 2012,\1\ the United States Court of International Trade (``CIT'') sustained the Department of Commerce's (``the Department'') results of redetermination \2\ pursuant to the CIT's Remand Order.\3\

The Department of Commerce (``the Department'') has determined that a request for a new shipper review (``NSR'') of the antidumping duty order on steel wire garment hangers from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'') meets the statutory and regulatory requirements for initiation.

The Department of Commerce (``the Department'') and the Russian Federation's Ministry of Economic Development (``MED'') have initialed a draft revision to the Agreement Suspending the Antidumping Investigation on Certain Hot-Rolled Flat-Rolled Carbon Quality Steel Products (``Suspension Agreement''). The proposed revision will update the reference prices provided under the Suspension Agreement applicable to October 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012, to bring them into alignment with current U.S. prices. The Department is now inviting interested parties to comment on the text of the proposed revision.

On August 3, 2012, the Department of Commerce (``the Department'') published in the Federal Register its preliminary results of administrative review of the countervailing duty order on certain pasta from Turkey for the period January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2010. We received no comments on those preliminary results and we continue to determine that Marsan Gida Sanayi ve Ticaret A.[Scedil]. (``Marsan''), Birlik Pazarlama Sanayi ve Ticaret A.[Scedil]. (``Birlik''), and Bellini Gida Sanayi A.[Scedil]. (``Bellini'') received de minimis countervailable subsidies during the period of review.\1\

On August 1, 2012, the Department of Commerce (the ``Department'') published in the Federal Register its preliminary results of administrative review of the countervailing duty order on certain pasta from Italy for the period January 1, 2010, through December 31, 2010. We received no comments on those preliminary results and we continue to determine that Molino e Pastificio Tomasello S.p.A. (``Tomasello'') received countervailable subsidies during the period of review.

The United States Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration, U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service is amending the Notice regarding the U.S. Multi-Sector Trade Mission to South India (Chennai and Cochin) and Sri Lanka (Colombo) February 3-8, 2013, published at 77 FR 48499, August 14, 2012 to revise the application deadline from November 30, 2012 to the new deadline of December 21, 2012, to provide for selection of applicants on a rolling basis, and to expand the eligibility to include U.S. trade associations.

On October 2, 2012, in response to a request by domestic producers of the subject merchandise, the Department of Commerce (the Department) published a notice of initiation of changed circumstances reviews of the antidumping and countervailing duty orders on honey from Argentina.\1\ In the Initiation Notice, we invited interested parties to comment on the Department's initiation. We received no comments from domestic parties. Therefore, we preliminarily conclude that producers accounting for substantially all of the production of the domestic like product to which these orders pertain lack interest in the relief provided by the antidumping and countervailing duty orders. Accordingly, we are notifying the public of our preliminary intent to revoke the antidumping duty order, in whole, with respect to products entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after December 1, 2010, and the countervailing duty order, in whole, with respect to products entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after December 1, 2011, because domestic parties have expressed no interest in the continuation of the orders after these dates.

On August 21, 2012, the Department of Commerce published the preliminary results of the administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain small diameter carbon and alloy seamless standard, line and pressure pipe from Romania. The period of review is August 1, 2010, through July 31, 2011. We gave interested parties an opportunity to comment on the preliminary results, but we received no comments. The final weighted-average dumping margin for ArcelorMittal Tubular Products Roman S.A. is listed below in the ``Final Results of the Review'' section of this notice.

On May 4, 2012, the Department published its Preliminary Results in the antidumping duty administrative review of frontseating service valves from the People's Republic of China.\1\ The period of review (``POR'') is April 1, 2010, through March 31, 2011. We have determined that neither Zhejiang DunAn Hetian Metal Co., Ltd. (``DunAn'') nor Zhejiang Sanhua Co., Ltd. (``Sanhua''), the only companies covered by this review, made sales in the United States at prices below normal value (``NV''). We invited interested parties to comment on our Preliminary Results. Based on our analysis of the comments received, we made changes to our margin calculations for DunAn and Sanhua. The final dumping margins for this review are listed in the ``Final Results Margins'' section below.

In response to requests from interested parties, the Department of Commerce (the Department) is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on carbon and certain alloy steel wire rod (wire rod) from Mexico. The period of review is October 1, 2010, through September 30, 2011, and the review covers one producer/ exporter of the subject merchandise, Deacero S.A. de C.V. and Deacero USA, Inc. (collectively, Deacero). We have preliminarily found that sales of the subject merchandise have been made at prices below normal value.

The Department of Commerce (``the Department'') is conducting the third administrative review of steel wire garment hangers from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'') for the period October 1, 2010, through September 30, 2011. The Department has preliminarily determined that Shanghai Wells Hanger Co., Ltd., Hong Kong Wells Ltd., (USA), and Hong Kong Wells Ltd.,\1\ did not sell subject merchandise in the United States at prices below normal value (``NV'').

As a result of the determination by the International Trade Commission (the ITC) that revocation of the antidumping duty (AD) order on silicomanganese from Brazil would not be likely to lead to the continuation or recurrence of material injury to an industry in the United States, the Department of Commerce (the Department) is revoking this AD order.

On October 9, 2012, Eastman Chemical, Co. filed a First Request for Panel Review with the Mexican Section of the NAFTA Secretariat pursuant to Article 1904 of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Panel Review was requested of the Final Results of the Antidumping Administrative Review, regarding the importation of ethylene glycol monobutyl ether from the United States of America, regardless of country of origin. This determination was published in the Diario Oficial de la Federaci[oacute]on, on September 11, 2012 . The NAFTA Secretariat has assigned Case Number MEX-USA-2012-1904-02 to this request.

In June 2012, the East African Community (EAC) Secretariat, the EAC member country Governments, and the Government of the United States agreed to explore establishing a Commercial Dialogue as part of the U.S.-EAC Trade and Investment Partnership (``Partnership''). The U.S.-EAC Commercial Dialogue will be a consultative mechanism through which the United States, the EAC Secretariat, and EAC member country governments, will work to advance priorities that will strengthen the U.S.-EAC trade and investment relationship, as well as support the EAC's regional integration process. The Market Access and Compliance division of the International Trade Administration, through its Office of Africa, seeks public comment and recommendations concerning those areas upon which the Commercial Dialogue should focus its efforts in order to reflect the priorities and concerns of the business community, civil society, and other interested stakeholders. Proposed activities and areas of focus for the Commercial Dialogue are described in the Supplementary Information below.

The Department of Commerce (the Department), as of September 2012, has rechartered the Civil Nuclear Trade Advisory Committee (CINTAC) and is seeking nominations for 40 members to be appointed for the new two-year charter term. The purpose of the CINTAC is to advise the Secretary of Commerce regarding the development and administration of programs to expand United States exports of civil nuclear goods and services in accordance with applicable United States laws and regulations, for use by the Department as chair of the Civil Nuclear Trade Working Group (CINTWG) of the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee (TPCC).

On October 23, 2012, the United States Court of International Trade (``CIT'') sustained the Department of Commerce's (``the Department'') results of redetermination, pursuant to the CIT's remand order, in Shantou Red Garden Foodstuff Co., Ltd., v. United States, Slip Op. 12-133 (CIT 2012).\1\

On October 24, 2012, GD Affiliates S. de R.L. de C.V. 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. Panel Review was requested of the U.S. Department of Commerce's final determination regarding Seamless Refined Copper Pipe and Tube from Mexico: Final Results of the November 22, 2010-April 30, 2011 New Shipper Antidumping Duty Administration Review. This determination was published in the Federal Register (77 FR 59178), on September 26, 2012. The NAFTA Secretariat has assigned Case Number USA- MEX-2012-1904-03 to this request.

On September 14, 2012, the Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration published a notice in the Federal Register (77 FR 56811) soliciting applications for appointment of 25 members of the Manufacturing Council (Council) for a two-year term to begin in fall 2012. The September 14, 2012 notice provided that all applications must be received by the Office of Advisory Committees of the Department of Commerce by close of business on November 2, 2012. This notice extends the application period in order to provide the public with an additional opportunity to submit applications. The eligibility and evaluation criteria contained in the September 14, 2012 notice shall continue to apply. The purpose of the Council is to advise the Secretary of Commerce on matters relating to the competitiveness of the U.S. manufacturing sector and to provide a forum for regular communication between Government and the manufacturing sector.