[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 152 (Monday, August 8, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48130-48142]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-20070]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[C-475-819]


Certain Pasta From Italy: Preliminary Results of the 14th (2009) 
Countervailing Duty Administrative Review

AGENCY: Import Administration, International Trade Administration, 
Department of Commerce.

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (``Department'') is conducting an 
administrative review of the countervailing duty order on certain pasta 
from Italy for the period January 1, 2009, through December 31, 2009. 
We preliminarily find that Molino e Pastificio Tomasello S.p.A. 
(``Tomasello'') and Pastificio Antonio Pallante S.r.L. (``Pallante'') 
received countervailable subsidies and that F.lli De Cecco di Filippo 
Fara San Martino S.p.A. (``De Cecco'') received de minimis 
countervailable subsidies. We also find that Pastificio Fabianelli 
S.p.A. (``Fabianelli'') received countervailable subsidies that were 
expensed prior to 2009 and did not confer any benefit to Fabianelli 
during the period of review (``POR''). See the ``Preliminary Results of 
Review'' section of this notice below. Interested parties are invited 
to comment on these preliminary results. See the ``Disclosure and 
Public Comment'' section of this notice below.

DATES: Effective Date: August 8, 2011.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mahnaz Khan or Christopher Siepmann, 
AD/CVD Operations, Office 1, Import Administration, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 
20230; telephone: (202) 482-0914 and (202) 482-7958, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    On July 24, 1996, the Department published a countervailing duty 
order on certain pasta (``pasta'' or ``subject merchandise'') from 
Italy. See Notice of Countervailing Duty Order and Amended Final 
Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination: Certain Pasta From 
Italy, 61 FR 38544 (July 24, 1996). On July 1, 2010, the Department 
published a notice of ``Opportunity to Request Administrative Review'' 
of this countervailing duty order for the POR corresponding to calendar 
year 2009. See Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Order, Finding, or 
Suspended Investigation; Opportunity To Request Administrative Review, 
75 FR 38074 (July 1, 2010). On July 29,

[[Page 48131]]

2010, we received such a request from De Cecco. On July 31, 2010, we 
received a request from New World Pasta Company, American Italian Pasta 
Company, and Dakota Growers Pasta Company (``the petitioners''). In 
their request letter, the petitioners requested that the Department 
initiate a review on Pallante, Fabianelli, and Tomasello. In accordance 
with 19 CFR 351.221(c)(1)(i), we published a notice of initiation of 
this review on August 31, 2010. See Initiation of Antidumping and 
Countervailing Duty Administrative Reviews and Deferral of Initiation 
of Administrative Review, 75 FR 53274 (August 31, 2010).
    On September 20, 2010, we issued countervailing duty questionnaires 
to the Commission of the European Union (``EU''), the Government of 
Italy (``GOI''), De Cecco, Fabianelli, Tomasello, and Pallante. We 
received responses to our questionnaires in November 2010. We issued 
supplemental questionnaires to De Cecco on February 10, and June 27, 
2011, and we received responses to our supplemental questionnaires on 
February 18, April 5, and June 30, 2011. We issued supplemental 
questionnaires to Fabianelli on March 1, April 15, and May 17, 2011, 
and received responses to our supplemental questionnaires on March 30, 
May 16, and May 19, 2011. On March 1, and May 25, 2011, the Department 
issued supplemental questionnaires to Tomasello, and we received 
responses to our supplemental questionnaire on April 13, and June 24, 
2011. We issued supplemental questionnaires to Pallante on March 3, 
June 27, and June 28, 2011, and received responses to our supplemental 
questionnaires on March 31, and June 30, 2011. We issued supplemental 
questionnaires to the GOI on March 16, May 12, June 17, June 28, and 
July 11, 2011, and received responses on April 15, June 13, July 1, and 
July 25, 2011.

Period of Review

    The POR for which we are measuring subsidies is January 1, 2009, 
through December 31, 2009.

Scope of the Order

    Imports covered by the order are shipments of certain non-egg dry 
pasta in packages of five pounds four ounces or less, whether or not 
enriched or fortified or containing milk or other optional ingredients 
such as chopped vegetables, vegetable purees, milk, gluten, diastasis, 
vitamins, coloring and flavorings, and up to two percent egg white. The 
pasta covered by the scope of the order is typically sold in the retail 
market, in fiberboard or cardboard cartons, or polyethylene or 
polypropylene bags of varying dimensions.
    Excluded from the scope of the order are refrigerated, frozen, or 
canned pastas, as well as all forms of egg pasta, with the exception of 
non-egg dry pasta containing up to two percent egg white. Also excluded 
are imports of organic pasta from Italy that are accompanied by the 
appropriate certificate issued by the Instituto Mediterraneo Di 
Certificazione, Bioagricoop S.r.l., QC&I International Services, 
Ecocert Italila, Consorzio per il Controllo dei Prodotti Biologici, 
Associazione Italiana per l'Agricoltura Biologica, or Codex S.r.l. In 
addition, based on publicly available information, the Department has 
determined that, as of August 4, 2004, imports of organic pasta from 
Italy that are accompanied by the appropriate certificate issued by 
Bioagricert S.r.l. are also excluded from the order. See Memorandum 
from Eric B. Greynolds to Melissa G. Skinner, dated August 4, 2004, 
which is on file in the Department's CRU. In addition, based on 
publicly available information, the Department has determined that, as 
of March 13, 2003, imports of organic pasta from Italy that are 
accompanied by the appropriate certificate issued by Instituto per la 
Certificazione Etica e Ambientale are also excluded from the order. See 
Memorandum from Audrey Twyman to Susan Kuhbach, dated February 28, 
2006, entitled ``Recognition of Instituto per la Certificazione Etica e 
Ambientale (ICEA) as a Public Authority for Certifying Organic Pasta 
from Italy,'' which is on file in the Department's CRU. Pursuant to the 
Department's May 12, 2011 changed circumstances review, effective 
January 1, 2009, gluten-free pasta is also excluded from the scope of 
the CVD order. See Certain Pasta From Italy: Final Results of 
Countervailing Duty Changed Circumstances Review and Revocation, In 
Part, 76 FR 27634 (May 12, 2011).
    The merchandise subject to review is currently classifiable under 
items 1901.90.90.95 and 1902.19.20 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 subject to the order is dispositive.

Scope Rulings

    The Department has issued the following scope rulings to date:
    (1) On August 25, 1997, the Department issued a scope ruling 
finding that multicolored pasta, imported in kitchen display bottles of 
decorative glass that are sealed with cork or paraffin and bound with 
raffia, is excluded from the scope of the antidumping and 
countervailing duty orders. See Memorandum from Edward Easton to 
Richard Moreland, dated August 25, 1997, which is on file in the CRU.
    (2) On July 30, 1998, the Department issued a scope ruling finding 
that multipacks consisting of six one-pound packages of pasta that are 
shrink-wrapped into a single package are within the scope of the 
antidumping and countervailing duty orders. See Letter from Susan H. 
Kuhbach to Barbara P. Sidari, dated July 30, 1998, which is on file in 
the CRU.
    (3) On May 24, 1999, the Department issued a final scope ruling 
finding that, effective October 26, 1998, pasta in packages weighing or 
labeled up to (and including) five pounds four ounces is within the 
scope of the antidumping and countervailing duty orders. See Memorandum 
from John Brinkmann to Richard Moreland, dated May 24, 1999, which is 
on file in the CRU.
    (4) On April 27, 2000, the Department self-initiated an anti-
circumvention inquiry to determine whether Pastificio Fratelli Pagani 
S.p.A.'s importation of pasta in bulk and subsequent repackaging in the 
United States into packages of five pounds or less constitutes 
circumvention with respect to the antidumping and countervailing duty 
orders on pasta from Italy pursuant to section 781(a) of the Tariff Act 
of 1930, as amended (``the Act''), and 19 CFR 351.225(b). See Certain 
Pasta From Italy: Notice of Initiation of Anti-Circumvention Inquiry on 
the Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Orders, 65 FR 26179 (May 5, 
2000). On September 19, 2003, we published an affirmative finding of 
the anti-circumvention inquiry. See Anti-Circumvention Inquiry of the 
Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Orders on Certain Pasta from Italy: 
Affirmative Final Determinations of Circumvention of Antidumping and 
Countervailing Duty Orders, 68 FR 54888 (September 19, 2003).

Use of Facts Otherwise Available and Adverse Inferences

    Sections 776(a)(1) and (2) of the Act, provide that the Department 
shall apply ``facts otherwise available'' if necessary information is 
not on the record or an interested party or any other person: (A) 
Withholds information that has been requested; (B) fails to provide 
information within the deadlines established, or in the form and manner 
requested by the Department, subject to subsections (c)(1) and (e) of 
section 782 of the Act; (C) significantly impedes a

[[Page 48132]]

proceeding; or (D) provides information that cannot be verified as 
provided by section 782(i) of the Act. Section 776(b) of the Act 
further provides that the Department may use an adverse inference in 
applying the facts otherwise available when a party has failed to 
cooperate by not acting to the best of its ability to comply with a 
request for information. The Department's practice when selecting an 
adverse rate from among the possible sources of information is to 
ensure that the result is sufficiently adverse ``as to effectuate the 
statutory purposes of the adverse facts available rule to induce 
respondents to provide the Department with complete and accurate 
information in a timely manner.'' See Notice of Final Determination of 
Sales at Less than Fair Value: Static Random Access Memory 
Semiconductors From Taiwan, 63 FR 8909, 8932 (February 23, 1998). The 
Department's practice also ensures ``that the party does not obtain a 
more favorable result by failing to cooperate than if it had cooperated 
fully.'' See Statement of Administrative Action accompanying the 
Uruguay Round Agreements Act, H.R. Doc. No. 103-316, vol. 1, at 870 
(1994).

GOI--Previously Uninvestigated Programs

    On April 13, 2011, Tomasello informed the Department that it 
received subsidies from the GOI under seven programs that were not 
reported in Tomasello's November 3, 2010 questionnaire response. Except 
for Law 46/1982,\1\ it appeared that the Department had not previously 
investigated the countervailability of these programs in the Pasta 
Investigation or in subsequent reviews; therefore, on May 12, 2011, we 
asked the GOI to respond to the full questionnaire for all seven 
programs. We received its response on June 13, 2011, and discovered 
that it contained numerous deficiencies. The GOI failed to respond to 
most of our questions for all but one program. It also failed to 
provide the related law for four of the programs and did not translate 
one of the laws it did provide, despite our request to provide 
translated laws for each program. See 19 CFR 351.303(e). In addition, 
the GOI failed to identify the industries or enterprises that received 
benefits under these programs and the corresponding amounts given to 
them (``usage data''). Because the GOI's response did not provide us 
with enough information to determine whether any of these seven 
programs are countervailable, we requested this information a second 
time. This second attempt consisted of two questionnaires issued on 
June 17, and June 28, 2011, respectively. The GOI filed a timely 
response to the June 17, questionnaire, but failed to respond to many 
of the questions in the questionnaire, including questions concerning 
usage for three programs. The GOI then failed to provide usage data for 
the remaining four programs in its July 25, 2011 questionnaire 
response, although it did confirm that two programs (Measure 3.14 and 
Regional Law 15/1993) are regionally specific.
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    \1\ The Department determined not to investigate this program in 
the countervailing duty investigation of certain pasta from Italy 
because it was previously found not countervailable. See Notice of 
Initiation of Countervailing Duty Investigations: Certain Pasta 
(``Pasta'') From Italy and Turkey, 60 FR 30280, 30281-82 (June 8, 
1995) (``Pasta Investigation Initiation''). See also Final 
Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination: Certain Pasta 
(``Pasta'') From Italy, 61 FR 30288 (June 14, 1996) (``Pasta 
Investigation'') and accompanying Issues and Decision Memorandum at 
Comment 28 (summarizing the Department's determination not to 
investigate this program). Our rationale for revisiting this 
determination can be found in the Law 46/1982 program description, 
below.
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    The statute identifies specificity as one of three necessary 
elements of a countervailable subsidy. See sections 771(5)(A) and 
771(5A) of the Act. We normally rely on information from the government 
to determine whether a program is specific. See, e.g., Certain Magnesia 
Carbon Bricks From the People's Republic of China: Final Affirmative 
Countervailing Duty Determination, 75 FR 45472 (August 2, 2010) and 
accompanying Issues and Decision Memorandum at Comment 6. Although it 
was given multiple opportunities, the GOI's responses left us without 
the necessary information to determine whether many of the programs 
reported by Tomasello on April 13, 2011, are countervailable.
    We preliminarily determine that the GOI has withheld necessary 
information that was requested of it for five of the seven programs. 
The GOI also failed to provide information requested by the Department 
by the deadline for the submission of the information. Because the 
record is incomplete for these programs, the Department must rely on 
``facts available.'' See sections 776(a)(1), 776(a)(2)(A) and 
776(a)(2)(B) of the Act. Moreover, the GOI has failed to cooperate by 
not acting to the best of its ability to comply with our request for 
information, so we are applying an adverse inference in our use of 
facts available. See section 776(b) of the Act. Due to the GOI's 
failure either to provide information necessary for our determination 
about these programs, or to provide this information in a timely 
manner, we are finding as adverse facts available that benefits from 
five of these seven programs are specific.\2\ See section 771(5A) of 
the Act. An analysis of these programs is found in the ``Analysis of 
Programs'' section below.
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    \2\ For two of the programs, i.e. Measure 3.14 and Regional Law 
15/1993, the GOI provided information indicating that the programs 
are regionally specific. See discussion, supra. Accordingly, the 
Department has made specificity determinations for these two 
programs without resorting to facts available.
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    Section 776(c) of the Act provides that, when the Department relies 
on secondary information rather than on information obtained in the 
course of an investigation or review, it shall, to the extent 
practicable, corroborate that information from independent sources that 
are reasonably at its disposal. Secondary information is defined as 
``information derived from the petition that gave rise to the 
investigation or review, the final determination concerning the subject 
merchandise, or any previous review under section 751 of the Act 
concerning the subject merchandise.''
    The facts available decisions described above do not rely on 
secondary information. Our determinations regarding the specificity of 
these programs are based on the unwillingness of the GOI to provide 
necessary information pertaining to the access to, or the distribution 
of, the subsidies. The corroboration requirement of section 776(c) of 
the Act is, therefore, not applicable to the use of facts available in 
this review.

Subsidies Valuation Information

Allocation Period

    Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.524(b), benefits from non-recurring 
subsidies are allocated over a period corresponding to the average 
useful life (``AUL'') of the renewable physical assets used to produce 
the subject merchandise. The Department's regulations create a 
rebuttable presumption that the AUL will be taken from the U.S. 
Internal Revenue Service's Class Life Asset Depreciation Range System 
(``IRS Tables''). See 19 CFR 351.524(d)(2). For pasta, the most recent 
IRS Tables prescribe an AUL of 12 years. None of the responding 
companies or other interested parties objected to this allocation 
period. Therefore, we have used a 12-year allocation period.

Attribution of Subsidies

    Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.525(b)(6), the Department will attribute 
subsidies received by companies with cross-ownership to the combined 
sales of those companies.

[[Page 48133]]

    De Cecco: In the instant review, De Cecco has responded on behalf 
of itself and three other members of the De Cecco group of companies: 
Molino e Pastificio De Decco S.p.A. (``De Cecco Pescara''), Centrale 
Elettrica F.lli De Cecco S.r.L. (``Centrale''), and Consorzio Elettrico 
Imprese De Cecco (``C.E.I.D.''). See De Cecco questionnaire response 
dated November 3, 2010 at 5.
    De Cecco manufactures pasta for sale in Italy, to third-country 
markets, and to the United States. Id. at 7. De Cecco Pescara 
manufactures pasta for sale to De Cecco and to unaffiliated third 
parties in Italy. Id. For the reasons explained in the Business 
Proprietary Memorandum from Mahnaz Khan to Susan Kuhbach, ``Information 
Concerning Respondents' Attribution,'' dated August 1, 2011 
(``Respondents' Attribution Memo''), we find that cross ownership 
exists between De Cecco Pescara and De Cecco within the meaning of 19 
CFR 351.525(b)(6)(vi). Id. at 2. Therefore, in accordance with 19 CFR 
351.525(b)(6)(ii), we are attributing subsidies received by De Cecco 
and De Cecco Pescara to the combined sales of both, excluding inter-
company sales.
    Effective January 1, 1999, Molino F.lli De Cecco di Filippo S.p.A. 
(``De Cecco Molino''), another member of the De Cecco group on whose 
behalf De Cecco responded in the fourth administrative review, was 
merged with De Cecco and ceased to be a separate entity. See Certain 
Pasta From Italy: Final Results of the Fourth Countervailing Duty 
Administrative Review, 66 FR 64214 (December 12, 2001) (``Fourth 
Administrative Review Final'') and accompanying Issues and Decision 
Memorandum. The Department will continue to consider countervailable 
any benefits received by De Cecco Molino in past administrative review 
periods and allocated over a period that extends into or beyond the 
current POR as benefits attributable to De Cecco. See Memorandum to the 
File, ``2009 Preliminary Results Calculation Memorandum for F.lli De 
Cecco di Filippo Fara San Martino S.p.A..,'' dated August 1, 2011 (``De 
Cecco Preliminary Calc Memo'').
    Finally, De Cecco has reported it purchased electricity from 
C.E.I.D. that was produced by Centrale. Centrale is majority owned by 
members of the De Cecco family. See De Cecco questionnaire response 
dated November 3, 2010 at 6. C.E.I.D. is a consortium consisting of 
Centrale and De Cecco. Neither Centrale nor C.E.I.D. received any 
subsidies during the POR or AUL period. Id. Therefore, we do not reach 
the issue of whether cross-ownership exists or whether subsidies to 
Centrale or C.E.I.D. would be attributable to the pasta sold by De 
Cecco under 19 CFR 351.525(b)(6).
    Fabianelli: FABFIN S.p.A. (``FABFIN'') is a company that actively 
produced and sold subject pasta between 2001 and 2006. Although it 
stopped all production in 2006, it still exists as a legal entity. 
Fabianelli stated in its response that it owned 95 percent of the 
shares of FABFIN at the beginning of 2009. On June 19, 2009, Fabianelli 
purchased the remaining five percent of FABFIN's shares, making FABFIN 
a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fabianelli. See Fabianelli questionnaire 
response dated November 3, 2010 at 3. Therefore, we determine that 
cross ownership exists between FABFIN and Fabianelli as defined by 19 
CFR 351.525(b)(6)(vi).
    Based on their questionnaire responses, we preliminarily determine 
that Pallante and Tomasello have no affiliates for which cross-
ownership exists. See Pallante questionnaire response dated November 3, 
2010 at 3 and Tomasello questionnaire response dated November 3, 2010 
at 3; see also Respondents' Attribution Memo. Thus, we are attributing 
any subsidies received by Pallante and Tomasello to their respective 
sales only.

Changes in Ownership

    Fabianelli reported that on March 1, 2001, its subsidiary FABFIN 
acquired the assets of Pastificio Maltagliati (``Maltagliati'') in a 
bankruptcy trustee sale. See Fabianelli questionnaire response dated 
March 30, 2011 at 1. We find that prior to entering bankruptcy, 
Maltagliati was granted reductions to its social security payments 
under Law 863/84 and received export restitution payments within the 
AUL period. We consider both of these programs to confer recurring 
benefits, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.524(c) and consistent with our 
treatment of these programs in the investigation and previous reviews. 
See, e.g., Pasta Investigation, 61 FR at 30294-95. Therefore, subsidies 
given to Maltagliati did not confer countervailable benefits upon 
Fabianelli because the subsidies received by Maltagliati were expensed 
in the years that they were received.

Benchmarks for Long-Term Loans and Discount Rates

    Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.505(a), the Department will use the actual 
cost of comparable borrowing by a company as a loan benchmark, when 
available. According to 19 CFR 351.505(a)(2), a comparable commercial 
loan is defined as one that, when compared to the government-provided 
loan in question, has similarities in the structure of the loan (e.g., 
fixed interest rate versus variable interest rate), the maturity of the 
loan (e.g., short-term versus long-term), and the currency in which the 
loan is denominated.
    On June 24, 2011, Tomasello informed us that it received several 
commercial loans within the AUL period. We issued questionnaires to 
both Tomasello and the GOI to determine, based on the criteria found at 
19 CFR 351.505(a)(2), whether these loans could be compared to the 
loans Tomasello received under programs covered in this review. We 
received responses from Tomasello on July 20, 2011, and from the GOI on 
July 25, 2011.
    One of the loans Tomasello submitted to us was provided by the 
Regional Institute for the Financing of Industries in Sicily 
(``IRFIS''). Based on information on the record, we preliminarily 
determine that IRFIS is a government-owned special purpose bank within 
the meaning of 19 CFR 351.505(a)(2)(ii). See Business Proprietary 
Memorandum to the File from Christopher Siepmann, ``2009 Preliminary 
Results Calculation Memorandum for Molino e Pastificio Tomasello, 
S.p.A.,'' (August 1, 2011) (``Tomasello Preliminary Calc Memo''). See 
also Memorandum to File from Christopher Siepmann, ``Placement of 
Certain Information Related to IRFIS On the Record'' (July 22, 2011), 
and GOI fifth supplemental questionnaire response dated July 25, 2011 
at 1. Therefore, we have not used this loan to calculate a benchmark.
    The remainder of the information we have used in our evaluation of 
these loans is business proprietary. See Tomasello Preliminary Calc 
Memo. Based on this information, we preliminarily determine that none 
of the loans submitted by Tomasello can serve as a loan benchmark 
pursuant to 19 CFR 351.505(a)(2) for the loans Tomasello received under 
programs covered by this review.
    Because Fabianelli, De Cecco, and Pallante did not report the 
receipt of any comparable commercial loans in the years in which the 
GOI agreed to provide loans under the programs covered in this review, 
and because we have not found comparable loans among those submitted by 
Tomasello, we used as our benchmark a national average interest rate 
for comparable commercial loans, pursuant to 19 CFR 351.505(a)(3)(ii). 
Consistent with our past practice in this proceeding, for years prior 
to 1995, we used the Bank of Italy reference rate adjusted upward to 
reflect the mark-up an Italian commercial bank would charge a

[[Page 48134]]

corporate customer. See, e.g., Certain Pasta From Italy: Preliminary 
Results and Partial Rescission of the Eighth Countervailing Duty 
Administrative Review, 70 FR 17971 (April 8, 2005), unchanged in 
Certain Pasta from Italy: Final Results of the Eighth Countervailing 
Duty Administrative Review, 70 FR 37084 (June 28, 2005). For benefits 
received in 1995-2004, we used the Italian Bankers' Association 
(``ABI'') prime interest rate (as reported by the Bank of Italy), 
increased by the average spread charged by banks on loans to commercial 
customers plus an amount for bank charges. See Certain Pasta from 
Italy: Preliminary Results of the 12th (2007) Countervailing Duty 
Administrative Review, 74 FR 25489, 25491 (May 28, 2009) (``12th (2007) 
Administrative Review Preliminary Results''), unchanged in Certain 
Pasta from Italy: Final Results of the 12th (2007) Countervailing Duty 
Administrative Review, 74 FR 47204 (September 15, 2009). The Bank of 
Italy ceased reporting this rate in 2004. See 12th (2007) 
Administrative Review Preliminary Results, 74 FR at 25491. Because the 
ABI prime rate was no longer reported after 2004, for 2005-2009, we 
have used the ``Bank Interest Rates on Euro Loans: Outstanding Amounts, 
Non-Financial Corporations, Loans With Original Maturity More Than Five 
Years'' published by the Bank of Italy and provided by the GOI in its 
November 1, 2010, questionnaire response at Exhibits 3, 4, 5 and 6. Id. 
We increased this rate by the mark-up and bank charges described above.
    Also, none of the companies reported loan interest rates that could 
be used as discount rates (see 19 CFR 351.524(d)(3)(A)). Therefore, in 
order to allocate non-recurring benefits over time, we calculated 
discount rates for these companies by using the national average cost 
of long-term, fixed-rate loans pursuant to 19 CFR 351.524(d)(3)(B).

Analysis of Programs

I. Programs Preliminarily Determined To Be Countervailable

A. Industrial Development Grants Under Law 64/86
    Law 64/86 provided assistance to promote development in the 
Mezzogiorno (the south of Italy). Grants were awarded to companies 
constructing new plants or expanding or modernizing existing plants. 
Pasta companies were eligible for grants to expand existing plants but 
not to establish new plants because the market for pasta was deemed to 
be close to saturated. Grants were made only after a private credit 
institution chosen by the applicant made a positive assessment of the 
project.
    In 1992, the Italian Parliament abrogated Law 64/86 and replaced it 
with Law 488/92 (see section I.B., below). This decision became 
effective in 1993. However, companies whose projects had been approved 
prior to 1993 were authorized to continue receiving grants under Law 
64/86 after 1993. De Cecco and Pallante received grants under Law 64/86 
that conferred a benefit during the POR. See De Cecco's questionnaire 
response dated November 3, 2010 at Exhibit 9, and Pallante's 
questionnaire response dated November 3, 2010 at Exhibit 5.
    In the Pasta Investigation, the Department determined that these 
grants confer a countervailable subsidy within the meaning of section 
771(5) of the Act. They are a direct transfer of funds from the GOI 
bestowing a benefit in the amount of the grant. See section 
771(5)(D)(i) of the Act; see also 19 CFR 351.504(a). Also, these grants 
were found to be regionally specific within the meaning of section 
771(5A)(D)(iv) of the Act.
    As stated in Live Swine from Canada,\3\ ``it is well-established 
that where the Department has determined that a program is (or is not) 
countervailable, it is the Department's policy not to re-examine the 
issue of that program's countervailability in subsequent reviews unless 
new information or evidence of changed circumstances is submitted which 
warrants reconsideration.'' Also, this policy is reflected in the 
Department's standard questionnaire used in countervailing duty 
administrative reviews which states that ``absent new information or 
evidence of changed circumstances, we do not intend to reexamine the 
countervailability of programs previously found to be 
countervailable.'' \4\
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    \3\ See Live Swine from Canada; Final Results of Countervailing 
Duty Administrative Reviews, 61 FR 52408, 52420 (October 7, 1996) 
(``Live Swine from Canada'').
    \4\ See Department's November 10, 2009 letter to the Embassy of 
Italy, at enclosure.
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    In this review, neither the GOI nor the respondent companies have 
provided new information that would warrant reconsideration of our 
determination that these grants are countervailable subsidies.
    In the Pasta Investigation, the Department treated the industrial 
development grants as non-recurring. No new information has been placed 
on the record of this review that would cause us to depart from this 
treatment. Therefore, we have followed the methodology described in 19 
CFR 351.524(b), which directs us to allocate over time those non-
recurring grants whose total authorized amount exceeds 0.5 percent of 
the recipient's sales in the year of authorization. Where the total 
amount authorized is less than 0.5 percent of the recipient's sales in 
the year of authorization, the benefit is countervailed in full 
(``expensed'') in the year of receipt. We determined that the grants 
received by De Cecco and Pallante under Law 64/86 exceeded 0.5 percent 
of their sales in the years in which the grants were approved.
    Consequently, we used the grant methodology described in 19 CFR 
351.524(d) to allocate the benefit from those grants. We divided the 
amounts allocated to the POR by the respective total sales of De Cecco 
and Pallante.
    On this basis, we preliminarily determine the countervailable 
subsidy from the Law 64/86 industrial development grants to be 0.19 
percent ad valorem for De Cecco and 0.01 percent ad valorem for 
Pallante. See De Cecco Preliminary Calc Memo, and Memorandum to the 
File, ``2009 Preliminary Results Calculation Memorandum for Pastificio 
Antonio Pallante S.r.L.,'' dated August 1, 2011 (``Pallante Preliminary 
Calc Memo'').
B. Industrial Development Grants Under Law 488/92
    In 1986, the EU initiated an investigation of the GOI's regional 
subsidy practices. As a result of this investigation, the GOI changed 
the regions eligible for regional subsidies to include depressed areas 
in central and northern Italy in addition to the Mezzogiorno. After 
this change, the areas eligible for regional subsidies are the same as 
those classified as Objective 1 (underdeveloped regions), Objective 2 
(declining industrial regions), or Objective 5(b) (declining 
agricultural regions) areas by the EU. The new policy was given 
legislative form in Law 488/92 under which Italian companies in the 
eligible regions and sectors (manufacturing, mining, and certain 
business services) could apply for industrial development grants.
    Law 488/92 grants are made only after a preliminary examination by 
a bank authorized by the Ministry of Industry. On the basis of the 
findings of this preliminary examination, the Ministry of Industry 
ranks the companies applying for grants. The ranking is based on 
indicators such as the amount of capital the company will contribute 
from its own funds, the number of jobs created, regional priorities, 
etc. Grants are then made based on this ranking. De Cecco, Tomasello 
and Pallante received

[[Page 48135]]

grants under Law 488/92 that conferred a benefit during the POR.
    In the Second Administrative Review,\5\ the Department determined 
that Law 488/92 grants confer a countervailable subsidy within the 
meaning of section 771(5) of the Act. They are a direct transfer of 
funds from the GOI bestowing a benefit in the amount of the grant. See 
section 771(5)(D)(i) of the Act; see also 19 CFR 351.504(a). Also, 
these grants were found to be regionally specific within the meaning of 
section 771(5A)(D)(iv) of the Act. In the instant review, neither the 
GOI nor the respondent companies have provided new information which 
would warrant reconsideration of our determination that these grants 
are countervailable subsidies. See Live Swine from Canada, 61 FR at 
52420.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \5\ See Certain Pasta from Italy: Preliminary Results of 
Countervailing Duty Administrative Review, 64 FR 17618, 17620 (April 
12, 1999) (``Second Administrative Review''), unchanged in Certain 
Pasta From Italy: Final Results of the Second Countervailing Duty 
Administrative Review, 64 FR 44489 (August 16, 1999).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In the Second Administrative Review, the Department treated the 
industrial development grants as non-recurring. No new information has 
been placed on the record of this review that would cause us to depart 
from this treatment. Therefore, we have followed the methodology 
described in 19 CFR 351.524(b) and because the grants received by De 
Cecco, Tomasello and Pallante under Law 488/92 exceeded 0.5 percent of 
their sales in the year in which the grants were approved, we allocated 
the benefits over time using the grant methodology described in 19 CFR 
351.524(d). We divided the amounts allocated to the POR by the 
respective total sales of De Cecco, Pallante and Tomasello in the POR.
    On this basis, we preliminarily determine the countervailable 
subsidy from the Law 488/92 industrial development grants to be 0.15 
percent ad valorem for De Cecco, 0.31 percent ad valorem for Pallante, 
and 3.34 percent ad valorem for Tomasello. See De Cecco Preliminary 
Calc Memo, Pallante Preliminary Calc Memo, and Tomasello Preliminary 
Calc Memo.
C. Interest Contributions Under Law 488/92
    In the second administrative review of this order, the Department 
found that ``loans are not provided under Law 488/92.'' Second 
Administrative Review, 64 FR at 17620. However, the GOI later provided 
documentation that a May 14, 2005 Law at Article 80 and implementing 
decree changed this practice to permit companies to obtain loans, in 
addition to grants, for initiatives in the areas eligible for such 
assistance under Law 488/92. See Certain Pasta From Italy: Preliminary 
Results of the 13th (2008) Countervailing Duty Administrative Review, 
75 FR 18806 (April 13, 2010), unchanged in Certain Pasta from Italy: 
Final Results of the 13th (2008) Countervailing Duty Administrative 
Review, 75 FR 37386 (June 29, 2010). The preliminary examination of 
companies' loan applications by an authorized bank, the ranking by the 
Ministry of Economic Development, and the award of loans based on the 
ranking are similar to the process described for Law 488/92 grants (see 
section I.B., above). Id. In addition, the bank is responsible for 
assessing the company's credit. Id.
    Under this modification to Law 488/92, the loans must have a 
duration not exceeding 15 years and not less than six years. Id. The 
fixed-interest rates on these long-term loans are set at a rate of 0.50 
percent with the GOI covering the difference in interest amount between 
that rate and the market rate. Id. De Cecco received interest 
contributions under Law 488/92 during the POR. See De Cecco's November 
3, 2010 questionnaire response at 14, 23-37.
    We preliminarily determine that these interest contributions are 
countervailable subsidies within the meaning of section 771(5) of the 
Act. They are a direct transfer of funds from the GOI providing a 
benefit in the amount of the difference between the benchmark interest 
rate and the interest rate paid by the companies. See section 
751(5)(E)(ii) of the Act. Also, these interest contributions are 
regionally specific within the meaning of section 771(5A)(D)(iv) of the 
Act because they are limited to companies located within regions which 
meet the criteria of Objective 1, Objective 2, and Objective 5(b) areas 
determined by the EU.
    In accordance with 19 CFR 351.505(c)(2) and 351.508(c)(2), we 
calculated the benefit for the POR by computing the difference between 
the amount of interest paid during the POR by De Cecco on its Law 488/
92 loan and the amount of interest De Cecco would have paid at the 
benchmark interest rate. We divided the benefit received by De Cecco in 
the POR by its sales in the POR.
    On this basis, we preliminarily determine the countervailable 
subsidy from the Law 488/92 interest contributions to be 0.05 percent 
ad valorem for De Cecco. See De Cecco Preliminary Calc Memo.
D. Measure 3.14 of the POR Sicilia 2000/2006
    The POR Sicilia 2000/2006 is a regional development program 
designed to encourage stable economic growth in southern Italy. See GOI 
fifth questionnaire response dated July 25, 2011 at 1. Measure 3.14 of 
the POR Sicilia 2000/2006 provides assistance in the form of grants to 
companies that undertake approved industrial research projects. 
Companies may apply for funding under two provisions. The first 
provides support to companies for developing best practices in a number 
of fields. Most grants are given under the second provision, which 
funds industrial research projects, particularly those that are 
undertaken in partnership with other companies or with research 
institutions such as universities. See Tomasello questionnaire response 
dated April 13, 2011 at Exhibit 3. Tomasello stated that it received 
grants under Measure 3.14 in 2008 and 2009. See Tomasello questionnaire 
response dated April 13, 2011 at 3; see also Tomasello questionnaire 
response dated June 24, 2011 at 4. The GOI also reported that Tomasello 
received grants under this program, but the amounts reported by the two 
parties differ. See GOI questionnaire response dated July 25, 2011 at 
4. We intend to seek clarification of this discrepancy for the final 
results. For purposes of these preliminary results, we have used the 
amount reported by Tomasello.
    Tomasello has argued that subsidies received under Measure 3.14 
should not be considered countervailable because the grants are for 
precompetitive research and development activities. Section 771(5B) of 
the Act describes research and development subsidies as being non-
countervailable; however, in accordance with section 771(5B)(G)(i), 
this provision regarding noncountervailability expired in 2000. 
Therefore, we do not consider benefits received under Measure 3.14 to 
be entitled to treatment as so-called ``green-light,'' or 
noncountervailable, subsidies.
    We preliminarily determine that grants under Measure 3.14 confer a 
countervailable subsidy within the meaning of section 771(5) of the 
Act. They provide a direct transfer of funds from the GOI bestowing a 
benefit in the amount of the grant. They are also specific within the 
meaning of section 771(5A)(D)(iv) of the Act because the GOI limits 
benefits under this program to companies in certain regions. See GOI 
fourth questionnaire response dated July 25, 2011 at 3.
    We also preliminarily determine that Measure 3.14 grants are non-
recurring

[[Page 48136]]

because they are exceptional events. Recipients must file a separate 
application for each project they seek funding for and cannot expect 
funding on an ongoing basis. See Tomasello questionnaire response dated 
April 13, 2011 at 4. Therefore, we have followed the methodology 
described in 19 CFR 351.524(b) and because the grants received by 
Tomasello under Measure 3.14 exceeded 0.5 percent of its sales in the 
year in which the grants were approved, we used the grant methodology 
described in 19 CFR 351.524(d) to allocate the benefit from these 
grants. We divided the amount allocated to the POR by Tomasello's total 
sales in the POR.
    On this basis, we preliminarily determine the countervailable 
subsidy from the Measure 3.14 research grants to be 0.12 percent ad 
valorem for Tomasello. See Tomasello Preliminary Calc Memo.
E. European Social Fund
    The European Social Fund (``ESF''), one of the Structural Funds 
operated by the EU, was established to improve workers' opportunities 
through training and to raise workers' standards of living throughout 
the European Community by increasing their employability. There are six 
different objectives identified by the Structural Funds: Objective 1 
covers projects located in underdeveloped regions, Objective 2 
addresses areas in industrial decline, Objective 3 relates to the 
employment of persons under 25 years of age, Objective 4 funds training 
for employees in companies undergoing restructuring, Objective 5 
pertains to agricultural areas, and Objective 6 pertains to regions 
with very low population (i.e., the far north). Tomasello received ESF 
grants in 2008 and 2009 under Objective 1 (through Measure 3.09 of the 
POR Sicilia 2000/2006) for the purpose of training its workers in 
improved quality control techniques. See Tomasello questionnaire 
response dated April 13, 2011 at 5 and Exhibit 4; see also GOI fifth 
questionnaire response dated July 25, 2011 at Exhibit 2.
    In the Pasta Investigation, the Department determined that ESF 
grants confer a countervailable subsidy within the meaning of section 
771(5) of the Act. See Pasta Investigation, 61 FR at 30294. We consider 
worker training programs to provide a countervailable benefit to a 
company when the company is relieved of an obligation it would have 
otherwise incurred. Id. Since companies normally incur the costs of 
training to enhance the job related skills of their own employees, we 
determine that this ESF grant relieves Tomasello of obligations it 
would have otherwise incurred. Consequently, the ESF grant is a 
financial contribution as described in section 771(5)(D)(i) of the Act 
which provides a benefit to the recipient in the amount of the grant.
    The ESF grant received by Tomasello provided funding from three 
sources: the EU, the GOI, and the Region of Sicily. Consistent with 
prior cases, we have examined the specificity of the ESF funding under 
Objective 1 separately from any funding under other objectives. See 
Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination: Certain Stainless 
Steel Wire Rod From Italy, 63 FR 40474, 40487 (July 29, 1998) (``Wire 
Rod from Italy''). Moreover, since funding for this Objective 1 grant 
was provided through the regional operational program from three 
sources, we have examined the specificity of the funding for each 
source of funds, consistent with our treatment of the ESF in the Second 
Administrative Review. See Second Administrative Review, 64 FR at 
44492.
    In the Pasta Investigation, the Department determined that the ESF 
funds for Objective 1 provided by the EU and the GOI are limited to 
underdeveloped regions and, hence, regionally specific within the 
meaning of section 771(5A)(D)(iv) of the Act. Regarding funding from 
the regional government, we requested usage information from the GOI on 
two occasions: first, on May 12, 2011; and second, on June 17, 2011. 
The GOI did not provide this information either time.
    As explained above under ``Use of Facts Otherwise Available and 
Adverse Inferences,'' in cases where there is not enough information on 
the record for us to determine whether a program is specific (see 
section 776(a)(1) of the Act), and in cases where an interested party 
fails to provide information that has been requested by the Department 
by the deadline for the submission of that information (see section 
776(a)(2)(B) of the Act), we use facts otherwise available. We further 
explained that an adverse inference is warranted where a party fails to 
cooperate by not acting to the best of its ability to comply with a 
request for information from the Department. Therefore, we 
preliminarily determine as adverse facts available that the regional 
component of Tomasello's ESF grant is also specific.
    The Department normally considers the benefits from worker training 
programs to be recurring. See CFR 351.524(c)(1). However, consistent 
with the Department's determination in Wire Rod From Italy that these 
grants relate to specific, individual projects, and based on 
information on the record of this review, we have treated these grants 
as non-recurring because each required separate government approval. 
See Wire Rod From Italy, 63 FR at 40487.
    Accordingly, we have followed the methodology described in 19 CFR 
351.524(b) and because the grants received by Tomasello under this 
program exceeded 0.5 percent of its sales in the year in which the 
grants were approved, we used the grant methodology described in 19 CFR 
351.524(d) to allocate the benefit from these grants. We divided the 
amount allocated to the POR by Tomasello's total sales in the POR.
    On this basis, we preliminarily determine the countervailable 
subsidy from the ESF grants to be 0.10 percent ad valorem for 
Tomasello. See Tomasello Preliminary Calc Memo.

F. Tax Credits Under Article 280 of Law 296/2006

    Article 280 of Law 296/2006 authorizes a tax credit to companies of 
up to ten percent of the costs associated with eligible research 
activities, or a tax credit of up to fifteen percent for research 
expenses associated with contracts between companies and research 
institutions. See Tomasello questionnaire response dated April 13, 2011 
at Exhibit 6; see also GOI questionnaire response dated June 13, 2011 
at Exhibit 4, and GOI fourth questionnaire response dated July 25, 2011 
at 6. Tomasello reported receiving a tax credit under this provision in 
2009. It identified the benefits as having been received under 
Legislative Decree 76/2008, which contains regulations for the 
implementation of the credit. See Tomasello questionnaire response 
dated April 13, 2011 at 11; see also GOI fourth questionnaire response 
dated July 25, 2011 at 6.
    We preliminarily determine that tax credits under Article 280 of 
Law 296/2006 confer a countervailable subsidy within the meaning of 
section 771(5) of the Act. The credits are a financial contribution in 
the form of revenue forgone (see section 771(D)(ii) of the Act) and 
they confer a financial contribution within the meaning of section 
771(5)(D)(ii) of the Act in the amount of the difference between the 
taxes that Tomasello paid in 2009, and the taxes that Tomasello would 
have been required to pay if it had not taken advantage of the credit.
    In its July 1, and July 25, 2011 submissions, the GOI stated that 
this tax credit is available throughout Italy and is not limited by 
region or industrial sector. However, the GOI did not respond to either 
of our requests for

[[Page 48137]]

program usage information, which we issued on May 12, and June 28, 
2011.
    As explained above under ``Use of Facts Otherwise Available and 
Adverse Inferences,'' in cases where there is not enough information on 
the record for us to determine whether a program is specific (see 
section 776(a)(1) of the Act), and in cases where an interested party 
fails to provide information that has been requested by the Department 
by the deadline for the submission of that information (see section 
776(a)(2)(B) of the Act), we use facts otherwise available. We further 
explained that an adverse inference is warranted where a party fails to 
cooperate by not acting to the best of its ability to comply with a 
request for information from the Department. Therefore, we 
preliminarily determine as adverse facts available that the tax credits 
granted under Article 280 of Law 296/2006 are specific.
    In accordance with 19 CFR 351.524(c), we generally consider tax 
credits to confer recurring benefits. In order to calculate the 
countervailable subsidy that Tomasello received, we divided the amount 
of the tax credit applied by Tomasello on its 2009 tax return by 
Tomasello's total sales in the POR.
    On this basis, we preliminarily determine the countervailable 
subsidy from Article 280 of Law 296/2006 to be 0.68 percent ad valorem 
for Tomasello. See Tomasello Preliminary Calc Memo.
G. Article 14 of Law 46/1982 (Fondo Innovazione Tecnologica)
    Article 14 of Law 46/1982 authorized the creation of a revolving 
fund for technology innovation, also known as the ``FIT Program.'' 
Through the fund, the Ministry for Economic Development provides aid 
for experimental and industrial research projects in the form of soft 
loans, grants against interest, and capital grants. After an 
application is submitted to one of the banks approved by the Ministry 
to administer the program, the application is evaluated on a number of 
scientific, technological and economic criteria. Subject matter experts 
in relevant fields may be asked to help evaluate the technical merits 
of the proposal. Within 90 days from the submission of an application, 
the bank is required to report to the Ministry of Economic Development 
whether it believes the project is feasible. Projects that pass this 
examination are funded in order of highest to lowest score, until the 
all the resources appropriated for the program have been exhausted. See 
GOI questionnaire response dated June 13, 2011 at 3; see also GOI 
fourth questionnaire response dated July 25, 2011 at 5. Tomasello 
reported receiving both a grant and a loan under Article 14 of Law 46/
1982. See Tomasello questionnaire response dated April 13, 2011 at 7. 
The GOI also reported that Tomasello received a grant and a loan under 
this program, but the grant amounts reported by the two parties differ. 
See GOI fourth questionnaire response dated July 25, 2011 at Exhibit 7. 
We intend to seek clarification of this discrepancy for the final 
results. Because the amounts reported by the GOI are more consistent 
with the underlying decree, we have used them for these preliminary 
results.
    In the Pasta Investigation, the petitioners asked us to investigate 
this program as a possible countervailable subsidy. We declined because 
we had found Law 46/1982 to be noncountervailable in a previous 
investigation. See Pasta Investigation Initiation, 60 FR at 30281-82. 
As previously explained, we generally will not re-examine the 
countervailability of a program that has been found to be non-
countervailable. See, e.g., Live Swine from Canada, 61 FR at 52420. 
However, information Tomasello submitted in its questionnaire response 
suggested that although funds are available across Italy, additional 
funds are available to companies in specific regions. See Tomasello 
questionnaire response dated April 13, 2011, at Exhibit 5. Therefore, 
we included Law 46/1982 among the programs for which we asked the GOI 
to provide information on May 12, and June 17, 2011.
    The GOI failed to provide a timely response to our request for 
information. In its July 25, 2011 supplemental questionnaire response, 
the GOI provided limited information about this program, but because 
the deadline for submission of this information was July 1, 2011, we 
are rejecting this information as untimely in accordance with 19 CFR 
351.302(d) and 19 CFR 351.104(a)(2)(ii)(A).
    As explained above under ``Use of Facts Otherwise Available and 
Adverse Inferences,'' in cases where there is not enough information on 
the record for us to determine whether a program is specific (see 
section 776(a)(1) of the Act), and in cases where an interested party 
fails to provide information that has been requested by the Department 
by the deadline for the submission of that information (see section 
776(a)(2)(B) of the Act), we use facts otherwise available. We further 
explained that an adverse inference is warranted where a party fails to 
cooperate by not acting to the best of its ability to comply with a 
request for information from the Department. Therefore, we 
preliminarily determine as adverse facts available that the assistance 
received by Tomasello under Article 14 of Law 46/1982 is specific.
    We further determine preliminarily that the grants and loans 
provided under Article 14 of Law 46/1982 are financial contributions 
because they are a direct transfer of funds from the GOI. See section 
771(5)(D)(i) of the Act.
    In accordance with 19 CFR 351.504(a), the benefit provided by the 
grant is the amount of the grant. Moreover, because companies must file 
a separate application and receive the government's express 
authorization for each grant, we preliminarily determine that these 
subsidies are non-recurring. Accordingly, we have followed the 
methodology described in 19 CFR 351.524(b) and because the grants 
received by Tomasello under this program exceeded 0.5 percent of its 
sales in the year in which the grants were approved, we used the grant 
methodology described in 19 CFR 351.524(d) to allocate the benefit from 
these grants. We divided the amount allocated to the POR by Tomasello's 
total sales in the POR.
    On this basis, we preliminarily determine the countervailable 
subsidy from the Law 46/1982 research grant to be 0.17 percent ad 
valorem for Tomasello. See Tomasello Preliminary Calc Memo.
    We also preliminarily determine that loans under Article 14 of Law 
46/1982 convey a countervailable subsidy within the meaning of section 
771(5) of the Act because they provide a benefit from the GOI in the 
amount of the difference between the interest a company paid on the 
loan and the interest the company would have paid on a comparable 
commercial loan. In accordance with 19 CFR 351.505(c)(2), we calculated 
the countervailable benefit Tomasello received from this loan in the 
POR by computing the difference between the payments Tomasello made on 
the loan during the POR and the payments Tomasello would have made on a 
benchmark loan. See the ``Benchmarks for Long-Term Loans and Discount 
Rates'' section of this notice above. We divided the benefit received 
by Tomasello by its total sales in the POR.
    On this basis, we preliminarily determine the countervailable 
subsidy from Law 46/1982 research loans to be 0.12 percent ad valorem 
for Tomasello. See Tomasello Preliminary Calc Memo.
H. Regional Law 15/1993, as Amended by Regional Law 66/1995
    Regional Law 15/1993 authorizes interest contributions for 
companies

[[Page 48138]]

that agree to consolidate their short-term debt. These contributions 
are equal to 40 percent of the reference interest rate in effect on the 
date that the consolidated loan is opened. Participating companies may 
receive interest contributions for up to ten years, following a grace 
period of one year. See Tomasello questionnaire response dated April 
13, 2011 at Exhibit 9. According to the GOI, benefits under this 
program are limited to enterprises or industries within certain 
regions. See GOI fourth questionnaire response dated July 25, 2011 at 
13.
    Tomasello has reported conflicting information about the interest 
contributions it received under Regional Law 15/1993. See Tomasello 
questionnaire response dated April 13, 2011 at 16; see also Tomasello 
questionnaire response dated July 20, 2011 at Exhibit 5. In light of 
this, and because we received this information just before our 
statutory deadline to publish the preliminary results, we have used the 
information in Tomasello's earlier (April 13, 2011) questionnaire 
response to calculate the benefit it received under Regional Law 15/
1993. We will seek clarification of this discrepancy for the final 
results.
    Based on information provided by the GOI, we preliminarily 
determine that interest contributions under Regional Law 15/1993 are 
regionally specific within the meaning of section 771(5A)(D)(iv) of the 
Act. See GOI fourth questionnaire response dated July 25, 2011 at 13. 
Moreover, we preliminarily determine that these interest contributions 
are a financial contribution in the form of a direct transfer of funds 
(see section 771(D)(i) of the Act) and they confer a benefit within the 
meaning of section 771(5)(E) of the Act in the amount of the 
contribution. To calculate the benefit, we divided the amount Tomasello 
received in the POR by its total sales in the POR.
    On this basis, we preliminarily determine the countervailable 
subsidy from interest contributions under Regional Law 15/1993 to be 
0.06 percent ad valorem for Tomasello. See Tomasello Preliminary Calc 
Memo.
I. Regional Law 34/1988
    Under Regional Law 34/1988, the Regional Department of Industry in 
Sicily may provide interest contributions to companies that belong to 
``Consorzi di Garanzia Fidi,'' which are consortia made up of a number 
of companies. The GOI's contributions are made against interest paid by 
consortium members on lines of credit taken out through the consortium. 
See Tomasello questionnaire response dated April 13, 2011 at 18; see 
also GOI questionnaire response dated June 13, 2011 at 2.
    Tomasello has reported conflicting information about the interest 
contributions it received under Regional Law 34/1988. See Tomasello 
questionnaire response dated April 13, 2011 at 18; see also Tomasello 
questionnaire response dated July 20, 2011 at Exhibit 6. In light of 
this, and because we received this information just before our 
statutory deadline to publish the preliminary results, we have used the 
information in Tomasello's earlier (April 13, 2011) questionnaire 
response to calculate the benefit it received under Regional Law 34/
1998. We intend to seek clarification of this discrepancy for the final 
results.
    On May 12, 2011, we asked the GOI to provide a full response to the 
appropriate questionnaire appendices for this program. In particular, 
we asked it to describe whether benefits under this program are limited 
to companies in specific sectors or regions, and to provide us with 
information regarding how benefits under this program are distributed 
across Sicily. Although the GOI provided some information, it did not 
answer our questions or provide enough information for us to determine 
whether the program is specific. We asked the GOI to answer these 
questions a second time on June 28, 2011. Apart from providing a 
translation of part of a related law, the GOI did not respond to the 
questionnaire appendices altogether in its July 25, 2011 response, nor 
did it provide program usage information.
    As explained above under ``Use of Facts Otherwise Available and 
Adverse Inferences,'' in cases where there is not enough information on 
the record for us to determine whether a program is specific (see 
section 776(a)(1) of the Act), and in cases where an interested party 
fails to provide information that has been requested by the Department 
by the deadline for the submission of that information (see section 
776(a)(2)(B) of the Act), we use facts otherwise available. We further 
explained that an adverse inference is warranted where a party fails to 
cooperate by not acting to the best of its ability to comply with a 
request for information from the Department. Therefore, we 
preliminarily determine as adverse facts available that the interest 
contributions received by Tomasello under Law 34/1988 are specific.
    On this basis, we preliminarily determine that interest 
contributions under Regional Law 34/1988 confer a countervailable 
subsidy within the meaning of section 771(5) of the Act. They are a 
financial contribution in the form of a direct transfer of funds (see 
section 771(5)(D)(i) of the Act) and they confer a benefit within the 
meaning of section 771(5)(E) of the Act in the amount of the 
contribution. To calculate the benefit, we divided the amount Tomasello 
received in the POR by its total sales in the POR.
    On this basis, we preliminarily determine the countervailable 
subsidy from interest contributions under Regional Law 34/1988 to be 
0.10 percent ad valorem for Tomasello. See Tomasello Preliminary Calc 
Memo.
J. Article 23 of Legislative Decree 38/2000
    Article 23 of Legislative Decree 38/2000 (``LD 38/2000'') helps 
certain companies comply with the workplace safety regulations 
contained in Legislative Decree 626/94 by providing assistance to those 
companies. The program is administered by the National Institute for 
Insurance Against Injuries in the Workplace, or INAIL, which is an 
agency of the Italian government. In order to be eligible for 
assistance, firms must be operating in the agricultural or artisanal 
sectors and qualify as small- to medium-sized companies (i.e., they 
must have fewer than 250 employees, and their total annual turnover 
must be less than 40 million Euros, or they must have total assets of 
less than 27 million Euros). See GOI questionnaire response dated June 
13, 2011, at 10.
    INAIL is authorized to award funds in the form of grants or loans. 
It pays all interest and fees on the loans directly to the issuing 
bank, effectively making the loans interest-free to the recipient. See 
GOI questionnaire response dated June 13, 2011, at 10 and Exhibit 5; 
see also Tomasello questionnaire response dated April 13, 2011, at 
Exhibit 13, and Tomasello questionnaire response dated June 24, 2011 at 
Exhibit 5. Tomasello and Fabianelli both reported receiving assistance 
during the POR under LD 38/2000. Tomasello received a loan at zero 
percent interest for facility improvements, and Fabianelli received 
grants for expenses related to worker training. See Tomasello 
questionnaire response dated April 13, 2011 at 21; and Tomasello 
questionnaire response dated June 24, 2011 at Exhibit 5; see also 
Fabianelli questionnaire response dated November 3, 2010 at 19.
    The GOI reported that benefits under LD 38/2000 are limited to 
companies in the agricultural and artisanal industries, but did not 
provide us with enough information to determine how the companies in 
this review can be classified. See GOI questionnaire

[[Page 48139]]

response dated June 13, 2011 at 10. It also did not address our 
questions regarding whether benefits are limited by region, nor did it 
submit information pertaining to how benefits were distributed across 
Italy. We requested this information twice, in supplemental 
questionnaires dated May 12, and June 28, 2011. Pursuant to 19 CFR 
351.502(d), we do not regard a subsidy as being specific under section 
771(5A)(D) of the Act solely because the subsidy is limited to the 
agricultural sector. However, because the GOI failed to provide us with 
enough information to determine how benefits are limited by region, and 
did not provide us with usage information, we are unable to determine 
whether benefits under this program are otherwise specific.
    As explained above under ``Use of Facts Otherwise Available and 
Adverse Inferences,'' in cases where there is not enough information on 
the record for us to determine whether a program is specific (see 
section 776(a)(1) of the Act), and in cases where an interested party 
fails to provide information that has been requested by the Department 
by the deadline for the submission of that information (see section 
776(a)(2)(B) of the Act), we use facts otherwise available. We further 
explained that an adverse inference is warranted where a party fails to 
cooperate by not acting to the best of its ability to comply with a 
request for information from the Department. Therefore, we 
preliminarily determine as adverse facts available that benefits 
received by Tomasello and Fabianelli under LD 38/2000 are specific.
    We further determine preliminarily that the grants and loans 
provided under LD 38/2000 are financial contributions because they are 
a direct transfer of funds from the GOI. See section 771(5)(D)(i) of 
the Act.
    In accordance with 19 CFR 351.504(a), the benefit provided by the 
grant is the amount of the grant. Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.524(b)(2), the 
Department will normally expense nonrecurring benefits provided under a 
particular subsidy program to the year in which benefits are received 
if the total amount approved under the program is less than 0.5 percent 
of relevant sales during the year in which the subsidy was approved. 
Because the GOI approved Fabianelli for amounts equaling less than 0.5 
percent of Fabianelli's sales in the year in which the grant was 
approved, we have treated this grant as having been expensed prior to 
the POR in accordance with 19 CFR 351.524(b)(2). Thus, no 
countervailable benefit was provided to Fabianelli during the POR as a 
result of this program. See Business Proprietary Memorandum to the 
File, ``2009 Preliminary Results Calculation Memorandum for Pastificio 
Fabianelli S.p.A.'' (August 1, 2011).
    We also preliminarily determine that loans under LD 38/2000 provide 
a countervailable subsidy within the meaning of section 771(5) of the 
Act because they provide a benefit from the GOI in the amount of the 
difference between the interest a company paid on the loan and the 
interest the company would have paid on a comparable commercial loan. 
In accordance with 19 CFR 351.505(c)(2), we calculated the 
countervailable benefit Tomasello received in the POR by computing the 
difference between the payments Tomasello made on the loan during the 
POR and the payments Tomasello would have made on a benchmark loan. See 
the ``Benchmarks for Long-Term Loans and Discount Rates'' section of 
this notice above. We divided the benefit received by Tomasello by its 
total sales in the POR.
    On this basis, we preliminarily determine the countervailable 
subsidy from loans under Article 23 of Legislative Decree 38/2000 to be 
0.10 percent ad valorem for Tomasello. See Tomasello Preliminary Calc 
Memo.
K. Law 289/02, Article 62, Investments in Disadvantaged Areas
    Article 62 of Law 289/02 provides a credit towards taxes payable. 
The law was established to promote investment in disadvantaged areas by 
providing assistance to companies making investments such as the 
purchase of new equipment for existing structures or building new 
structures. Pallante reported receiving benefits under this program. 
See Pallante questionnaire response dated November 3, 2010 at 10 and 
Exhibit 5; see also Pallante questionnaire response dated March 31, 
2011 at 3.
    We have previously determined that Article 62 of Law 289/02 confers 
a countervailable subsidy. See Certain Pasta from Italy: Preliminary 
Results of the Tenth Countervailing Duty Administrative Review, 72 FR 
43616 (August 6, 2007), unchanged in Certain Pasta From Italy: Final 
Results of the Tenth Countervailing Duty Administrative Review, 73 FR 
7251 (February 7, 2008). The credit against taxes is a financial 
contribution within the meaning of section 771(5)(D)(ii) of the Act 
because it represents revenue foregone by the GOI and a benefit is 
conferred in the amount of the tax savings received by the companies 
per section 771(5)(E)(iv) of the Act. Also, the program is specific 
within the meaning of 751(5A)(D)(iv) of the Act because it is limited 
to certain geographical regions in Italy, specifically, the regions of 
Calabria, Campania, Basilicata, Pugilia, Sicilia, and Sardegna, and 
certain municipalities in the Abruzzo and Molise region, and certain 
municipalities in central and northern Italy. Id.
    In the instant review, neither the GOI nor the respondent companies 
have provided new information which would warrant reconsideration of 
our determination that this program confers countervailable subsidies. 
See Live Swine from Canada, 61 FR at 52420.
    In accordance with 19 CFR 351.524(c), we generally consider tax 
credits to confer recurring benefits. However, pursuant to 19 CFR 
351.524(c)(2)(iii), when a subsidy is tied to the capital structure or 
capital assets of the firm, the Department treats the subsidy as non-
recurring. Thus, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.524(b)(2), we determined 
that the tax credit received by Pallante exceeded 0.5 percent of its 
sales in the year in which the credit was approved. Therefore, we used 
the methodology described in 19 CFR 351.524(d) to allocate the benefit 
over time, and we divided the amount allocated to the POR by Pallante's 
total sales in the POR.
    On this basis, we preliminarily determine the countervailable 
subsidy from Law 289/02 Article 62 to be 0.68 percent ad valorem for 
Pallante. See Pallante Preliminary Calc Memo.
L. Social Security Reductions and Exemptions--Sgravi
    Italian law allows companies, particularly those located in the 
Mezzogiorno, to use a variety of exemptions from and reductions of 
payroll contributions that employers make to the Italian social 
security system for health care benefits, pensions, etc. These social 
security reductions and exemptions, also known as sgravi benefits, are 
regulated by a complex set of laws and regulations, and are sometimes 
linked to conditions such as creating more jobs. We have found in past 
segments of this proceeding that benefits under some of these laws 
(e.g., Law 1089) are available only to companies located in the 
Mezzogiorno and other disadvantaged regions. See Pasta Investigation, 
61 FR at 30293. Certain other laws (e.g., Law 407/90) provide benefits 
to companies all over Italy, but the level of benefits is higher for 
companies in the Mezzogiorno and other disadvantaged regions than for 
companies in other parts of the country. Id. at 30294. Still

[[Page 48140]]

other laws provide benefits that are not linked to any region.
    In the Pasta Investigation and subsequent reviews, the Department 
determined that certain types of social security reductions and 
exemptions confer countervailable subsidies within the meaning of 
section 771(5) of the Act. They represent revenue foregone by the GOI 
bestowing a benefit in the amount of the savings received by the 
companies. See section 771(5)(D)(ii) of the Act. Also, they were found 
to be regionally specific within the meaning of section 771(5A)(D)(iv) 
of the Act because they were limited to companies in the Mezzogiorno or 
because the higher levels of benefits were limited to companies in the 
Mezzogiorno.
    In the instant review, no party in this proceeding challenged our 
past determinations in the Pasta Investigation and subsequent reviews 
that sgravi benefits, generally, were countervailable for companies 
located within the Mezzogiorno. See Live Swine from Canada, 61 FR at 
52420. Sgravi benefits were provided during the POR under Law 407/90 to 
Tomasello. See Tomasello questionnaire response dated November 3, 2011 
at 16.
(1) Law 407/90
    Law 407/90 grants an exemption from social security taxes for three 
years when a company hires a worker who (1) has received wage 
supplementation for a period of at least two years, or (2) has been 
previously unemployed for a period of two years. A 100-percent 
exemption is allowed for companies in the Mezzogiorno, while companies 
located in the rest of Italy receive a 50-percent reduction.
    In the Pasta Investigation, we determined that Law 407/90 confers a 
countervailable subsidy within the meaning of section 771(5) of the 
Act. See Pasta Investigation, 61 FR at 30294. The reduction or 
exemption of taxes is revenue foregone that is otherwise due and is, 
therefore, a financial contribution within the meaning of section 
771(5)(D)(ii) of the Act. The benefit is the difference in the amount 
of the tax savings between companies located in the Mezzogiorno and 
companies located in the rest of Italy, in accordance with 19 CFR 
351.509(a). Additionally, the program is regionally specific within the 
meaning of section 771(5A)(D)(iv) of the Act because higher levels of 
benefits are limited to companies in the Mezzogiorno.
    In accordance with 19 CFR 351.524(c), and consistent with our 
methodology in the Pasta Investigation and in subsequent administrative 
reviews, we have treated social security reductions and exemptions as 
recurring benefits. See, e.g., Pasta Investigation, 61 FR at 30294. To 
calculate the countervailable subsidy for Tomasello, we divided the 
difference during the POR between the savings for the respondent 
company located in the Mezzogiorno and the savings a company located in 
the rest of Italy would have received. This amount was divided by 
Tomasello's total sales in the POR.
    On this basis, we preliminarily determine the countervailable 
subsidy from Law 407/90 to be 0.01 percent ad valorem for Tomasello. 
See Tomasello Preliminary Calc Memo.

II. Programs Preliminarily Determined To Not Confer any Benefit During 
the POR

A. Law 317/91 Benefits for Innovative Investments
    In the Seventh Administrative Review, the Department found that Law 
317/91 allows for a capital contribution or a tax credit up to a 
maximum amount of Euro 232,405.60 to small- and medium-sized 
industrial, commercial, and service companies for innovative 
investments. However, no respondents in that review received benefits 
during the POR and the program was not analyzed further. See Seventh 
Administrative Review, 69 FR at 45684. Fabianelli reported that its 
subsidiary FABFIN received a grant under Law 317/91 in 2002. See 
Fabianelli questionnaire response dated November 3, 2010 at 19.
    Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.524(b)(2), the Department will normally 
expense nonrecurring benefits provided under a particular subsidy 
program to the year in which benefits are received if the total amount 
approved under the program is less than 0.5 percent of relevant sales 
during the year in which the subsidy was approved. Because the GOI 
approved Fabianelli for an amount equaling less than 0.5 percent of 
Fabianelli's sales in the year in which the grant was approved,\6\ we 
have treated this grant as having been expensed prior to the POR in 
accordance with 19 CFR 351.524(b)(2). Thus, no countervailable benefit 
was provided to Fabianelli during the POR under this program.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \6\ Generally, when two companies are cross-owned, the 
Department uses the combined sales of both companies to calculate 
the countervailable subsidy. In this case, benefits received by both 
Fabianelli and FABFIN were so small that they were de minimis based 
on the total sales of the recipient company alone. Therefore, we 
consider it unnecessary to use the combined sales of both companies 
because doing so would have no impact on Fabianelli's subsidy rate.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In situations where any benefit to the subject merchandise would be 
so small that there would be no impact on the overall subsidy rate, 
regardless of a determination of countervailability, it may not be 
necessary to determine whether benefits conferred under these programs 
to the subject merchandise are countervailable. See, e.g., Final 
Negative Countervailing Duty Determination; Live Cattle From Canada, 64 
FR 57040, 57055 (October 22, 1999) (``Cattle From Canada Final 
Determination''). In this instance, since any benefit conferred upon 
Fabianelli was expensed prior to the POR, a determination of 
countervailability would have no impact on the overall subsidy rate. 
Thus, consistent with our past practice, we do not consider it 
necessary to determine whether benefits conferred under this provision 
of Law 341/95 to the subject merchandise are countervailable.
B. Industrial Development Grants Under Law 341/95
    Fabianelli informed the Department that it received a grant in 2004 
under Law 341/95 for the purchase of a computerized management system. 
See Fabianelli questionnaire response dated November 3, 2011 at 20. It 
noted that these funds were received under a different provision than 
the one examined by the Department in the fourth administrative review. 
See Certain Pasta From Italy: Preliminary Results and Partial 
Rescission of Countervailing Duty Administrative Review, 66 FR 40987, 
40991 (August 6, 2001), unchanged in Fourth Administrative Review 
Final.
    Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.524(b)(2), the Department will normally 
expense nonrecurring benefits provided under a particular subsidy 
program to the year in which benefits are received if the total amount 
approved under the program is less than 0.5 percent of relevant sales 
during the year in which the subsidy was approved. Because the GOI 
approved Fabianelli for an amount equaling less than 0.5 percent of 
Fabianelli's sales in the year in which the grant was approved, we have 
treated this grant as having been expensed prior to the POR in 
accordance with 19 CFR 351.524(b)(2).
    In situations where any benefit to the subject merchandise would be 
so small that there would be no impact on the overall subsidy rate, 
regardless of a determination of countervailability, it may not be 
necessary to determine whether benefits conferred under these programs 
to the subject merchandise are countervailable. See, e.g., Cattle From 
Canada Final Determination, 64 FR at 57055. In this instance, since any 
benefit conferred upon Fabianelli was

[[Page 48141]]

expensed prior to the POR, a determination of countervailability would 
have no impact on the overall subsidy rate. Thus, consistent with our 
past practice, we do not consider it necessary to determine whether 
benefits conferred under this provision of Law 341/95 to the subject 
merchandise are countervailable.

III. Programs Preliminarily Determined To Not Be Used

    We examined the following programs and preliminarily determined 
that the producers and/or exporters of the subject merchandise under 
review did not apply for or receive benefits under these programs 
during the POR:

A. Industrial Development Loans Under Law 64/86
B. Grant Received Pursuant to the Community Initiative Concerning the 
Preparation of Enterprises for the Single Market (``PRISMA'')
C. European Regional Development Fund (``ERDF'') Programma Operativo 
Plurifondo (``P.O.P.'') Grant
D. European Regional Development Fund (``ERDF'') Programma Operativo 
Multiregionale (``P.O.M.'') Grant
E. Certain Social Security Reductions and Exemptions--Sgravi (including 
Law 223/91, Article 8, Paragraph 4 and Article 25, Paragraph 9; and Law 
196/97)
F. Law 236/93 Training Grants
G. Law 1329/65 Interest Contributions (``Sabatini Law'') (Formerly 
Lump-Sum Interest Payment Under the Sabatini Law for Companies in 
Southern Italy)
H. Development Grants Under Law 30 of 1984
I. Law 908/55 Fondo di Rotazione Iniziative Economiche (Revolving Fund 
for Economic Initiatives) Loans
J. Brescia Chamber of Commerce Training Grants
K. Ministerial Decree 87/02
L. Law 10/91 Grants to Fund Energy Conservation
M. Export Restitution Payments
N. Export Credits Under Law 227/77
O. Capital Grants Under Law 675/77
P. Retraining Grants Under Law 675/77
Q. Interest Contributions on Bank Loans Under Law 675/77
R. Preferential Financing for Export Promotion Under Law 394/81
S. Urban Redevelopment Under Law 181
T. Industrial Development Grants Under Law 183/76
U. Interest Subsidies Under Law 598/94
V. Duty-Free Import Rights
W. Law 113/86 Training Grants
X. European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund
Y. Law 341/95 Interest Contributions on Debt Consolidation Loans 
(Formerly Debt Consolidation Law 341/95)
Z. Interest Grants Financed by IRI Bonds
AA. Article 44 of Law 448/01
BB. Law 289/02
    (1) Article 63--Increase in Employment
CC. Law 662/96--Patti Territoriali
DD. Law 662/96--Contratto di Programma

IV. Previously Terminated Programs

A. Regional Tax Exemptions Under IRAP
B. VAT Reductions Under Laws 64/86 and 675/55
C. Corporate Income Tax (``IRPEG'') Exemptions
D. Remission of Taxes on Export Credit Insurance Under Article 33 of 
Law 227/77
E. Export Marketing Grants Under Law 304/90
F. Tremonti Law 383/01
G. Social Security Reductions and Exemptions--Sgravi
    (1) Article 44 of Law 448/01
    (2) Law 337/90
    (3) Law 863/84
    (4) Law 196/97

Preliminary Results of Review

    In accordance with 19 CFR 351.221(b)(4)(i), we calculated 
individual subsidy rates for the respondents, De Cecco, Fabianelli, 
Pallante and Tomasello.
    For the period January 1, 2009, through December 31, 2009, we 
preliminarily find the net subsidy rates for the producers/exporters 
under review to be as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                            Net subsidy
                    Producer/exporter                          rate
                                                             (percent)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
F.lli De Cecco di Filippo Fara San Martino S.p.A........        \1\ 0.39
Pastificio Fabianelli S.p.A.............................            0.00
Molino e Pastificio Tomasello S.p.A.....................            4.79
Pastificio Antonio Pallante, S.r.L......................            1.00
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ (de minimis)

Assessment Rates

    If these preliminary results are adopted in our final results of 
this review, because the countervailing duty rates for De Cecco and 
Fabianelli are less than 0.5 percent and are, thus, de minimis, the 
Department will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (``CBP'') 
to liquidate shipments of certain pasta by De Cecco and Fabianelli from 
January 1, 2009, through December 31, 2009, without regard to 
countervailing duties. For all entries by Tomasello and Pallante, we 
will instruct CBP to assess countervailing duties on all shipments at 
the net subsidy rates listed above.
    For all other companies that were not reviewed (except Barilla G. e 
R. F.lli S.p.A. and Gruppo Agricoltura Sana S.r.l., which are excluded 
from the order, and Pasta Lensi S.r.l., which was revoked from the 
order), the Department has directed CBP to assess countervailing duties 
on all entries between January 1, 2009, and December 31, 2009, at the 
rates in effect at the time of entry.
    The Department intends to issue appropriate assessment instructions 
directly to CBP 15 days after publication of the final results of this 
review.

Cash Deposit Instructions

    The Department also intends to instruct CBP to collect cash 
deposits of estimated countervailing duties in the amounts shown above 
with the exception of De Cecco and Fabianelli. For De Cecco and 
Fabianelli, no cash deposits of estimated duties will be required 
because their rate is de minimis. For all non-reviewed firms (except 
Barilla G. e R. F.lli S.p.A. and Gruppo Agricoltura Sana S.r.l., which 
are excluded from the order, and Pasta Lensi S.r.l., which was revoked 
from the order), we will instruct CBP to collect cash deposits of 
estimated countervailing duties at the most recent company-specific or 
all-others rate applicable to the company. These rates shall apply to 
all non-reviewed companies until a review of a company assigned these 
rates is requested. These cash deposit requirements, when imposed, 
shall remain in effect until further notice.

Disclosure and Public Comment

    Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.224(b), the Department will disclose to 
parties to the proceeding any calculations performed in connection with 
these preliminary results within five days after the date of the public 
announcement of this notice.
    Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.309(c)(ii), interested parties may submit 
written arguments in case briefs within 30 days of the date of 
publication of this notice. Rebuttal briefs, limited to issues raised 
in case briefs, may be filed no later than five days after the date of 
filing the case briefs, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.309(d). Parties 
who submit case briefs or rebuttal briefs in this proceeding are 
requested to submit with each argument: (1) A statement of the issue, 
and (2) a brief summary of the

[[Page 48142]]

argument with an electronic version included. Copies of case briefs and 
rebuttal briefs must be served on interested parties in accordance with 
19 CFR 351.303(f).
    Interested parties may request a hearing within 30 days after the 
date of publication of this notice, pursuant to 19 CFR 351.310(c).
    The Department will publish a notice of the final results of this 
administrative review within 120 days from the publication of these 
preliminary results, in accordance with section 751(a)(3) of the Act.
    We are issuing and publishing these results in accordance with 
sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.221(b)(4).

    Dated: August 1, 2011.
Ronald K. Lorentzen,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.
[FR Doc. 2011-20070 Filed 8-5-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P