[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 54 (Friday, March 20, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14907-14908]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-06483]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[C-580-877]
Welded Line Pipe From the Republic of Korea: Preliminary Negative
Countervailing Duty Determination and Alignment of Final Determination
With Final Antidumping Duty Determination
AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (the Department) preliminarily
determines that de minimis countervailable subsidies are being provided
to producers and exporters of welded line pipe from the Republic of
Korea (Korea). The period of investigation is January 1, 2013, through
December 31, 2013. Interested parties are invited to comment on this
preliminary determination.
DATES: Effective March 20, 2015.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rebecca Trainor or Reza Karamloo, AD/
CVD Operations, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and
Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-
4007 or (202) 482-4470, respectively.
Alignment of Final Countervailing Duty (CVD) Determination With Final
Antidumping Duty (AD) Determination
On the same day the Department initiated this CVD investigation,
the Department also initiated a CVD investigation of welded line pipe
from the Republic of Turkey (Turkey) and AD investigations of welded
line pipe from Korea and Turkey.\1\ The CVD and AD investigations cover
the same merchandise. On February 27, 2015, in accordance with section
705(a)(1) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (Act), the petitioners
\2\ requested alignment of the final CVD determination with the final
AD determination of welded line pipe from Korea. Therefore, in
accordance with section 705(a)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.210(b)(4),
we are aligning the
[[Page 14908]]
final CVD determination with the final AD determination. Consequently,
the final CVD determination will be issued on the same date as the
final AD determination, which is currently scheduled to be issued no
later than July 28, 2015, unless postponed.
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\1\ See Welded Line Pipe From the Republic of Korea and the
Republic of Turkey: Initiation of Countervailing Duty
Investigations, 79 FR 67419 (November 13, 2014). See also Welded
Line Pipe From the Republic of Korea and the Republic of Turkey:
Initiation of Less-Than-Fair-Value Investigations, 79 FR 68213
(November 14, 2014).
\2\ The petitioners in this investigation are American Cast Iron
Pipe Company, Energex (a division of JMC Steel Group), Maverick Tube
Corporation, Northwest Pipe Company, Stupp Corporation (a division
of Stupp Bros., Inc.), Tex-Tube Company, TMK IPSCO, and Welspun
Tubular LLC USA.
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Scope of the Investigation
The scope of the investigation covers welded line pipe, which is
carbon and alloy steel pipe of a kind used for oil or gas pipelines,
not more than 24 inches in nominal outside diameter. For a complete
description of the scope of the investigation, see Appendix I.
Scope Comments
Certain interested parties commented on the scope of the
investigation as it appeared in the Initiation Notice. For discussion
of those comments, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.\3\
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\3\ See Memorandum from Gary Taverman, Associate Deputy
Assistant Secretary for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty
Operations, to Paul Piquado, Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and
Compliance, regarding ``Countervailing Duty Investigation of Welded
Line Pipe from the Republic of Korea: Decision Memorandum for the
Negative Preliminary Determination,'' dated concurrently with this
notice (Preliminary Decision Memorandum).
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Methodology
The Department is conducting this countervailing duty (CVD)
investigation in accordance with section 701 of the Tariff Act of 1930,
as amended (the Act). For a full description of the methodology
underlying our preliminary conclusions, see the Preliminary Decision
Memorandum. 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 http://access.trade.gov, and is available to all parties in the Central
Records Unit, room 7046 of the main Department of Commerce building. In
addition, a complete version of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum can
be accessed directly on the Internet at http://enforcement.trade.gov/frn/. The signed Preliminary Decision Memorandum and the electronic
version of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum are identical in
content.
Preliminary Determination and Suspension of Liquidation
In accordance with section 703(d)(1)(A)(i) of the Act, we
calculated a CVD rate for each individually investigated producer/
exporter of the subject merchandise. Consistent with section
703(b)(4)(A) of the Act, we have disregarded de minimis rates and
preliminarily determine that countervailable subsides are not being
provided with respect to the manufacture, production or exportation of
the subject merchandise. Consistent with section 703(d) of the Act, we
have not calculated an all-others rate because we have not reached an
affirmative preliminarily determination. We preliminarily determine the
countervailable subsidy rates to be:
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Company Subsidy rate
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SeAH Steel Corporation.................... 0.52 percent (de minimis).
NEXTEEL Co., Ltd.......................... 0.47 percent (de minimis).
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Because we preliminarily determine that the CVD rates in this
investigation are de minimis, we will not direct U.S. Customs and
Border Protection to suspend liquidation of entries of subject
merchandise.
Verification
As provided in section 782(i)(1) of the Act, we intend to verify
the information submitted by the respondents prior to making our final
determination.
International Trade Commission
In accordance with section 703(f) of the Act, we will notify the
International Trade Commission (ITC) of our determination. In addition,
we are making available to the ITC all non-privileged and non-
proprietary information relating to this investigation. We will allow
the ITC access to all privileged and business proprietary information
in our files, provided the ITC confirms that it will not disclose such
information, either publicly or under an administrative protective
order, without the written consent of the Assistant Secretary for
Enforcement and Compliance.
In accordance with section 705(b)(3) of the Act, if our final
determination is affirmative, the ITC will make its final determination
within 75 days after we make our final determination.
Disclosure and Public Comment
The Department intends to disclose to interested parties the
calculations performed in connection with this preliminary
determination within five days of its public announcement.\4\
Interested parties may submit case briefs, rebuttal briefs, and hearing
requests.\5\ For a schedule of the deadlines for filing case briefs,
rebuttal briefs, and hearing requests, see the Preliminary Decision
Memorandum.
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\4\ See 19 CFR 351.224(b).
\5\ See 19 CFR 351.309(c)-(d), 19 CFR 351.310(c).
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This determination is issued and published pursuant to sections
703(f) and 777(i) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.205(c).
Dated: March 16, 2015.
Paul Piquado,
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.
Appendix I
Scope of the Investigation
The merchandise covered by this investigation is circular welded
carbon and alloy steel (other than stainless steel) pipe of a kind
used for oil or gas pipelines (welded line pipe), not more than 24
inches in nominal outside diameter, regardless of wall thickness,
length, surface finish, end finish, or stenciling. Welded line pipe
is normally produced to the American Petroleum Institute (API)
specification 5L, but can be produced to comparable foreign
specifications, to proprietary grades, or can be non-graded
material. All pipe meeting the physical description set forth above,
including multiple-stenciled pipe with an API or comparable foreign
specification line pipe stencil is covered by the scope of this
investigation.
The welded line pipe that is subject to this investigation is
currently classifiable in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the
United States (HTSUS) under subheadings 7305.11.1030, 7305.11.5000,
7305.12.1030, 7305.12.5000, 7305.19.1030, 7305.19.5000,
7306.19.1010, 7306.19.1050, 7306.19.5110, and 7306.19.5150. The
subject merchandise may also enter in HTSUS 7305.11.1060 and
7305.12.1060. While the HTSUS subheadings are provided for
convenience and customs purposes, the written description of the
scope of this investigation is dispositive.
Appendix II
List of Topics Discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum
I. Summary
II. Background
III. Scope Comments
IV. Scope of the Investigation
V. Injury Test
VI. Use of Facts Otherwise Available
VII. Subsidies Valuation
VIII. Analysis of Programs
IX. ITC Notification
X. Disclosure and Public Comment
XI. Verification
XII. Conclusion
[FR Doc. 2015-06483 Filed 3-19-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P