[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 12 (Friday, January 17, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3245-3246]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-00800]
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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION
[Investigation Nos. 701-TA-498 and 731-TA-1213-1214 (Final)]
Certain Steel Threaded Rod From India and Thailand; Scheduling of
the Final Phase of Countervailing Duty and Antidumping Investigations.
AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Commission hereby gives notice of the scheduling of the
final phase of antidumping and countervailing duty investigation Nos.
701-TA-498 and 731-TA-1213-1214 (Final) under sections 705(b) and
731(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1671d(b) and 1673d(b)) (the
Act) to determine whether an industry in the United States is
materially injured or threatened with material injury, or the
establishment of an industry in the United States is materially
retarded, by reason of imports from India and Thailand of certain steel
threaded rod, provided for primarily in subheading 7318.15.50 of the
Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States,\1\ that are alleged to
be sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV) and
subsidized by the Government of India.
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\1\ For purposes of these investigations, the Department of
Commerce has defined the subject merchandise as: ``Steel threaded
rod is certain threaded rod, bar, or studs, of carbon quality steel,
having a solid, circular cross section, of any diameter, in any
straight length, that have been forged, turned, cold-drawn, cold-
rolled, machine straightened, or otherwise cold-finished, and into
which threaded grooves have been applied. In addition, the steel
threaded rod, bar, or studs subject to these investigations are
nonheaded and threaded along greater than 25 percent of their total
length. A variety of finishes or coatings, such as plain oil finish
as a temporary rust protectant, zinc coating (i.e., galvanized,
whether by electroplating or hot-dipping), paint, and other similar
finishes and coatings, may be applied to the merchandise.
Included in the scope of these investigations are steel threaded
rod, bar, or studs, in which: (1) Iron predominates, by weight, over
each of the other contained elements; (2) the carbon content is 2
percent or less, by weight; and (3) none of the elements listed
below exceeds the quantity, by weight, respectively indicated:
1.80 percent of manganese, or
1.50 percent of silicon, or
1.00 percent of copper, or
0.50 percent of aluminum, or
1.25 percent of chromium, or
0.30 percent of cobalt, or
0.40 percent of lead, or
1.25 percent of nickel, or
0.30 percent of tungsten, or
0.012 percent of boron, or
0.10 percent of molybdenum, or
0.10 percent of niobium, or
0.41 percent of titanium, or
0.15 percent of vanadium, or
0.15 percent of zirconium.
Steel threaded rod is currently classifiable under subheadings
7318.15.5051, 7318.15.5056, 7318.15.5090 and 7318.15.2095 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 is
dispositive.
Excluded from the scope of these investigations are: (a)
Threaded rod, bar, or studs which are threaded only on one or both
ends and the threading covers 25 percent or less of the total
length; and (b) threaded rod, bar, or studs made to American Society
for Testing and Materials (``ASTM'') A193 Grade B7, ASTM A193 Grade
B7M, ASTM A193 Grade B16, and ASTM A320 Grade L7.''
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For further information concerning the conduct of this phase of the
investigations, hearing procedures, and rules of general application,
consult the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure, part 201,
subparts A through E (19 CFR part 201), and part 207, subparts A and C
(19 CFR part 207).
DATES: Effective December 31, 2013.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nathanael Comly (202-205-3174) or
Michelle Breaux (202-205-2781), Office of Investigations, U.S.
International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20436.
Hearing-impaired persons can obtain information on this matter by
contacting the Commission's TDD terminal on 202-205-1810. Persons with
mobility impairments who will need special assistance in gaining access
to the Commission should contact the Office of the Secretary at 202-
205-2000. General information concerning the Commission may also be
obtained by accessing its internet server (http://www.usitc.gov). The
public record for these investigations may be viewed on the
Commission's electronic docket (EDIS) at http://edis.usitc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background.--The final phase of these investigations is being
scheduled as a result of affirmative preliminary determinations by the
Department of Commerce that certain benefits which constitute subsidies
within the meaning of section 703 of the Act (19 U.S.C. 1671b) are
being provided to manufacturers, producers, or exporters in India of
certain steel threaded rod, and that such products from India and
Thailand are being sold in the United
[[Page 3246]]
States at less than fair value within the meaning of section 733 of the
Act (19 U.S.C. 1673b).\2\ The investigations were requested in a
petition filed on June 27, 2013, by All America Threaded Products Inc.,
Denver, Colorado; Bay Standard Manufacturing Inc., Brentwood,
California; and Vulcan Threaded Products Inc., Pelham, Alabama.
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\2\ In addition to making its preliminary affirmative
countervailing duty determination on certain steel threaded rod from
India, the Department of Commerce simultaneously announced the
alignment of the final countervailing duty determination with the
final determination in the companion antidumping duty investigation
(India). Thus, the Department of Commerce's final countervailing
duty will be issued on the same date as the final antidumping
determination, which is currently scheduled to be issued on April
28, 2014. 78 FR 76815.
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Participation in the investigations and public service list.--
Persons, including industrial users of the subject merchandise and, if
the merchandise is sold at the retail level, representative consumer
organizations, wishing to participate in the final phase of these
investigations as parties must file an entry of appearance with the
Secretary to the Commission, as provided in section 201.11 of the
Commission's rules, no later than 21 days prior to the hearing date
specified in this notice. A party that filed a notice of appearance
during the preliminary phase of the investigations need not file an
additional notice of appearance during this final phase. The Secretary
will maintain a public service list containing the names and addresses
of all persons, or their representatives, who are parties to the
investigations.
Limited disclosure of business proprietary information (BPI) under
an administrative protective order (APO) and BPI service list.--
Pursuant to section 207.7(a) of the Commission's rules, the Secretary
will make BPI gathered in the final phase of these investigations
available to authorized applicants under the APO issued in the
investigations, provided that the application is made no later than 21
days prior to the hearing date specified in this notice. Authorized
applicants must represent interested parties, as defined by 19 U.S.C.
1677(9), who are parties to the investigations. A party granted access
to BPI in the preliminary phase of the investigations need not reapply
for such access. A separate service list will be maintained by the
Secretary for those parties authorized to receive BPI under the APO.
Staff report.--The prehearing staff report in the final phase of
these investigations will be placed in the nonpublic record on March 7,
2014, and a public version will be issued thereafter, pursuant to
section 207.22 of the Commission's rules.
Hearing.--The Commission will hold a hearing in connection with the
final phase of these investigations beginning at 9:30 a.m. on March 20,
2014, at the U.S. International Trade Commission Building. Requests to
appear at the hearing should be filed in writing with the Secretary to
the Commission on or before March 14, 2014. A nonparty who has
testimony that may aid the Commission's deliberations may request
permission to present a short statement at the hearing. All parties and
nonparties desiring to appear at the hearing and make oral
presentations should attend a prehearing conference to be held at 9:30
a.m. on March 18, 2014, at the U.S. International Trade Commission
Building. Oral testimony and written materials to be submitted at the
public hearing are governed by sections 201.6(b)(2), 201.13(f), and
207.24 of the Commission's rules. Parties must submit any request to
present a portion of their hearing testimony in camera no later than 7
business days prior to the date of the hearing.
Written submissions.--Each party who is an interested party shall
submit a prehearing brief to the Commission. Prehearing briefs must
conform with the provisions of section 207.23 of the Commission's
rules; the deadline for filing is March 14, 2014. Parties may also file
written testimony in connection with their presentation at the hearing,
as provided in section 207.24 of the Commission's rules, and
posthearing briefs, which must conform with the provisions of section
207.25 of the Commission's rules. The deadline for filing posthearing
briefs is March 27, 2014. In addition, any person who has not entered
an appearance as a party to the investigations may submit a written
statement of information pertinent to the subject of the
investigations, including statements of support or opposition to the
petition, on or before March 27, 2014. On April 10, 2014, the
Commission will make available to parties all information on which they
have not had an opportunity to comment. Parties may submit final
comments on this information on or before April 14, 2014, but such
final comments must not contain new factual information and must
otherwise comply with section 207.30 of the Commission's rules.
Finally, on May 2, 2014, parties may submit supplemental final comments
addressing only Commerce's final antidumping and countervailing duty
determinations regarding imports from India. These supplemental final
comments may not contain new factual information and may not exceed
five (5) pages in length. All written submissions must conform with the
provisions of section 201.8 of the Commission's rules; any submissions
that contain BPI must also conform with the requirements of sections
201.6, 207.3, and 207.7 of the Commission's rules. The Commission's
Handbook on E-Filing, available on the Commission's Web site at http://edis.usitc.gov, elaborates upon the Commission's rules with respect to
electronic filing.
Additional written submissions to the Commission, including
requests pursuant to section 201.12 of the Commission's rules, shall
not be accepted unless good cause is shown for accepting such
submissions, or unless the submission is pursuant to a specific request
by a Commissioner or Commission staff.
In accordance with sections 201.16(c) and 207.3 of the Commission's
rules, each document filed by a party to the investigations must be
served on all other parties to the investigations (as identified by
either the public or BPI service list), and a certificate of service
must be timely filed. The Secretary will not accept a document for
filing without a certificate of service.
Authority: These investigations are being conducted under
authority of title VII of the Tariff Act of 1930; this notice is
published pursuant to section 207.21 of the Commission's rules.
Issued: January 13, 2014.
By order of the Commission.
Lisa R. Barton,
Acting Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. 2014-00800 Filed 1-16-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020-02-P