[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 1 (Monday, January 3, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 105-108]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-28729]
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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION
[Investigations Nos. 701-TA-202, 731-TA-103, and 731-TA-514 (Second
Review)]
Cotton Shop Towels From Bangladesh, China, and Pakistan
AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.
ACTION: Institution of five-year reviews concerning the countervailing
duty
[[Page 106]]
order on cotton shop towels from Pakistan and the antidumping duty
orders on cotton shop towels from Bangladesh and China.
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SUMMARY: The Commission hereby gives notice that it has instituted
reviews pursuant to section 751(c) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C.
1675(c)) (the Act) to determine whether revocation of the
countervailing duty order on cotton shop towels from Pakistan and the
antidumping duty orders on cotton shop towels from Bangladesh and China
would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material
injury. Pursuant to section 751(c)(2) of the Act, interested parties
are requested to respond to this notice by submitting the information
specified below to the Commission; \1\ to be assured of consideration,
the deadline for responses is February 22, 2005. Comments on the
adequacy of responses may be filed with the Commission by March 18,
2005. For further information concerning the conduct of these reviews
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, D, E, and F (19 CFR part 207).
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\1\ No response to this request for information is required if a
currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) number is not
displayed; the OMB number is 3117-0016/USITC No. 05-5-104,
expiration date June 30, 2005. Public reporting burden for the
request is estimated to average 7 hours per response. Please send
comments regarding the accuracy of this burden estimate to the
Office of Investigations, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20436.
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DATES: Effective Date: January 3, 2005.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Messer (202-205-3193), 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 reviews may be
viewed on the Commission's electronic docket (EDIS) at http://edis.usitc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background. On October 4, 1983, the Department of Commerce
(``Commerce'') issued an antidumping duty order on imports of cotton
shop towels from China (48 FR 45277). On March 9, 1984, Commerce issued
a countervailing duty order on imports of cotton shop towels from
Pakistan (49 FR 8974). On March 20, 1992, Commerce issued an
antidumping duty order on imports of cotton shop towels from Bangladesh
(57 FR 9688). Following five-year reviews by Commerce and the
Commission, effective February 17, 2000, Commerce issued continuations
of the countervailing duty order on imports of cotton shop towels from
Pakistan and the antidumping duty orders on imports of cotton shop
towels from Bangladesh and China (65 FR 8119). The Commission is now
conducting second reviews to determine whether revocation of the orders
would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material
injury to the domestic industry within a reasonably foreseeable time.
It will assess the adequacy of interested party responses to this
notice of institution to determine whether to conduct full reviews or
expedited reviews. The Commission's determinations in any expedited
reviews will be based on the facts available, which may include
information provided in response to this notice.
Definitions. The following definitions apply to these reviews:
(1) Subject Merchandise is the class or kind of merchandise that is
within the scope of the five-year reviews, as defined by Commerce.
(2) The Subject Countries in these reviews are Bangladesh, China,
and Pakistan.
(3) The Domestic Like Product is the domestically produced product
or products which are like, or in the absence of like, most similar in
characteristics and uses with, the Subject Merchandise. In each of the
original determinations and its full five-year review determinations,
the Commission defined the Domestic Like Product as all shop towels.
The Commission has expressly explained that this definition includes
shop towels whether cotton or a cotton blend, whether of domestic or
imported fabric, and whether greige, dyed, treated with soil-release
features, or imprinted with customer names or logos.
(4) The Domestic Industry is the U.S. producers as a whole of the
Domestic Like Product, or those producers whose collective output of
the Domestic Like Product constitutes a major proportion of the total
domestic production of the product. In its original determinations
concerning China and Pakistan, the Commission defined the Domestic
Industry as all producers of shop towels. In its original determination
concerning Bangladesh, the Commission defined the Domestic Industry as
all producers of shop towels, including integrated producers,
converters, and toll producers. In its full five-year review
determinations, the Commission determined the Domestic Industry to
consist of all producers of shop towels.
(5) An Importer is any person or firm engaged, either directly or
through a parent company or subsidiary, in importing the Subject
Merchandise into the United States from a foreign manufacturer or
through its selling agent.
Participation in the reviews 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 reviews as parties must
file an entry of appearance with the Secretary to the Commission, as
provided in section 201.11(b)(4) of the Commission's rules, no later
than 21 days after publication of this notice in the Federal Register.
The Secretary will maintain a public service list containing the names
and addresses of all persons, or their representatives, who are parties
to the reviews.
Former Commission employees who are seeking to appear in Commission
five-year reviews are reminded that they are required, pursuant to 19
CFR 201.15, to seek Commission approval if the matter in which they are
seeking to appear was pending in any manner or form during their
Commission employment. The Commission is seeking guidance as to whether
a second transition five-year review is the ``same particular matter''
as the underlying original investigation for purposes of 19 CFR 201.15
and 18 U.S.C. 207, the post employment statute for Federal employees.
Former employees may seek informal advice from Commission ethics
officials with respect to this and the related issue of whether the
employee's participation was ``personal and substantial.'' However, any
informal consultation will not relieve former employees of the
obligation to seek approval to appear from the Commission under its
rule 201.15. For ethics advice, contact Carol McCue Verratti, Deputy
Agency Ethics Official, at 202-205-3088.
Limited disclosure of business proprietary information (BPI) under
an administrative protective order (APO) and APO service list. Pursuant
to section 207.7(a) of the Commission's rules, the Secretary will make
BPI submitted in these reviews available to authorized applicants under
the APO
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issued in the reviews, provided that the application is made no later
than 21 days after publication of this notice in the Federal Register.
Authorized applicants must represent interested parties, as defined in
19 U.S.C. 1677(9), who are parties to the reviews. A separate service
list will be maintained by the Secretary for those parties authorized
to receive BPI under the APO.
Certification. Pursuant to section 207.3 of the Commission's rules,
any person submitting information to the Commission in connection with
these reviews must certify that the information is accurate and
complete to the best of the submitter's knowledge. In making the
certification, the submitter will be deemed to consent, unless
otherwise specified, for the Commission, its employees, and contract
personnel to use the information provided in any other reviews or
investigations of the same or comparable products which the Commission
conducts under Title VII of the Act, or in internal audits and
investigations relating to the programs and operations of the
Commission pursuant to 5 U.S.C. Appendix 3.
Written submissions. Pursuant to section 207.61 of the Commission's
rules, each interested party response to this notice must provide the
information specified below. The deadline for filing such responses is
February 22, 2005. Pursuant to section 207.62(b) of the Commission's
rules, eligible parties (as specified in Commission rule 207.62(b)(1))
may also file comments concerning the adequacy of responses to the
notice of institution and whether the Commission should conduct
expedited or full reviews. The deadline for filing such comments is
March 18, 2005. All written submissions must conform with the
provisions of sections 201.8 and 207.3 of the Commission's rules and
any submissions that contain BPI must also conform with the
requirements of sections 201.6 and 207.7 of the Commission's rules. The
Commission's rules do not authorize filing of submissions with the
Secretary by facsimile or electronic means, except to the extent
permitted by section 201.8 of the Commission's rules, as amended, 67 FR
68036 (November 8, 2002). Also, in accordance with sections 201.16(c)
and 207.3 of the Commission's rules, each document filed by a party to
the reviews must be served on all other parties to the reviews (as
identified by either the public or APO service list as appropriate),
and a certificate of service must accompany the document (if you are
not a party to the reviews you do not need to serve your response).
Inability to provide requested information. Pursuant to section
207.61(c) of the Commission's rules, any interested party that cannot
furnish the information requested by this notice in the requested form
and manner shall notify the Commission at the earliest possible time,
provide a full explanation of why it cannot provide the requested
information, and indicate alternative forms in which it can provide
equivalent information. If an interested party does not provide this
notification (or the Commission finds the explanation provided in the
notification inadequate) and fails to provide a complete response to
this notice, the Commission may take an adverse inference against the
party pursuant to section 776(b) of the Act in making its
determinations in the reviews.
Information To Be Provided in Response to This Notice of
Institution: If you are a domestic producer, union/worker group, or
trade/business association; import/export Subject Merchandise from more
than one Subject Country; or produce Subject Merchandise in more than
one Subject Country, you may file a single response. If you do so,
please ensure that your response to each question includes the
information requested for each pertinent Subject Country. As used
below, the term ``firm'' includes any related firms.
(1) The name and address of your firm or entity (including World
Wide Web address if available) and name, telephone number, fax number,
and E-mail address of the certifying official.
(2) A statement indicating whether your firm/entity is a U.S.
producer of the Domestic Like Product, a U.S. union or worker group, a
U.S. importer of the Subject Merchandise, a foreign producer or
exporter of the Subject Merchandise, a U.S. or foreign trade or
business association, or another interested party (including an
explanation). If you are a union/worker group or trade/business
association, identify the firms in which your workers are employed or
which are members of your association.
(3) A statement indicating whether your firm/entity is willing to
participate in these reviews by providing information requested by the
Commission.
(4) A statement of the likely effects of the revocation of the
countervailing duty order and/or revocation of the antidumping duty
orders on the Domestic Industry in general and/or your firm/entity
specifically. In your response, please discuss the various factors
specified in section 752(a) of the Act (19 U.S.C. 1675a(a)) including
the likely volume of subject imports, likely price effects of subject
imports, and likely impact of imports of Subject Merchandise on the
Domestic Industry.
(5) A list of all known and currently operating U.S. producers of
the Domestic Like Product. Identify any known related parties and the
nature of the relationship as defined in section 771(4)(B) of the Act
(19 U.S.C. 1677(4)(B)).
(6) A list of all known and currently operating U.S. importers of
the Subject Merchandise and producers of the Subject Merchandise in
each Subject Country that currently export or have exported Subject
Merchandise to the United States or other countries after 1998.
(7) If you are a U.S. producer of the Domestic Like Product,
provide the following information on your firm's operations on that
product during calendar year 2004 (report quantity data in number of
towels and value data in U.S. dollars, f.o.b. plant). If you are a
union/worker group or trade/business association, provide the
information, on an aggregate basis, for the firms in which your workers
are employed/which are members of your association.
(a) Production (quantity) and, if known, an estimate of the
percentage of total U.S. production of the Domestic Like Product
accounted for by your firm's(s') production;
(b) the quantity and value of U.S. commercial shipments of the
Domestic Like Product produced in your U.S. plant(s); and
(c) the quantity and value of U.S. internal consumption/company
transfers of the Domestic Like Product produced in your U.S. plant(s).
(8) If you are a U.S. importer or a trade/business association of
U.S. importers of the Subject Merchandise from the Subject
Country(ies), provide the following information on your firm's(s')
operations on that product during calendar year 2004 (report quantity
data in number of towels and value data in U.S. dollars). If you are a
trade/business association, provide the information, on an aggregate
basis, for the firms which are members of your association.
(a) The quantity and value (landed, duty-paid but not including
antidumping or countervailing duties) of U.S. imports and, if known, an
estimate of the percentage of total U.S. imports of Subject Merchandise
from each Subject Country accounted for by your firm's(s') imports;
(b) the quantity and value (f.o.b. U.S. port, including antidumping
and/or countervailing duties) of U.S. commercial shipments of Subject
Merchandise imported from each Subject Country; and
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(c) the quantity and value (f.o.b. U.S. port, including antidumping
and/or countervailing duties) of U.S. internal consumption/company
transfers of Subject Merchandise imported from each Subject Country.
(9) If you are a producer, an exporter, or a trade/business
association of producers or exporters of the Subject Merchandise in the
Subject Country(ies), provide the following information on your
firm's(s') operations on that product during calendar year 2004 (report
quantity data in number of towels and value data in U.S. dollars,
landed and duty-paid at the U.S. port but not including antidumping or
countervailing duties). If you are a trade/business association,
provide the information, on an aggregate basis, for the firms which are
members of your association.
(a) Production (quantity) and, if known, an estimate of the
percentage of total production of Subject Merchandise in each Subject
Country accounted for by your firm's(s') production; and
(b) the quantity and value of your firm's(s') exports to the United
States of Subject Merchandise and, if known, an estimate of the
percentage of total exports to the United States of Subject Merchandise
from each Subject Country accounted for by your firm's(s') exports.
(10) Identify significant changes, if any, in the supply and demand
conditions or business cycle for the Domestic Like Product that have
occurred in the United States or in the market for the Subject
Merchandise in the Subject Country(ies) after 1998, and significant
changes, if any, that are likely to occur within a reasonably
foreseeable time. Supply conditions to consider include technology;
production methods; development efforts; ability to increase production
(including the shift of production facilities used for other products
and the use, cost, or availability of major inputs into production);
and factors related to the ability to shift supply among different
national markets (including barriers to importation in foreign markets
or changes in market demand abroad). Demand conditions to consider
include end uses and applications; the existence and availability of
substitute products; and the level of competition among the Domestic
Like Product produced in the United States, Subject Merchandise
produced in each Subject Country, and such merchandise from other
countries.
(11) (Optional) A statement of whether you agree with the above
definitions of the Domestic Like Product and Domestic Industry; if you
disagree with either or both of these definitions, please explain why
and provide alternative definitions.
Authority: These reviews are being conducted under authority of
title VII of the Tariff Act of 1930; this notice is published
pursuant to section 207.61 of the Commission's rules.
Issued: December 20, 2004.
By order of the Commission.
Marilyn R. Abbott,
Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. 04-28729 Filed 12-30-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020-02-P