[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 217 (Monday, November 10, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60470-60471]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-29631]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration
[A-588-824]


Certain Corrosion-Resistant Carbon Steel Flat Products From 
Japan: Notice of Initiation of Changed Circumstances Administrative 
Review of the Antidumping Duty Order, Preliminary Results of Changed 
Circumstances Review, and Intent To Revoke Order in Part

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

ACTION: Notice of initiation and preliminary results of changed 
circumstances antidumping duty administrative review, and intent to 
revoke order in part.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In response to a request, in accordance with section 
351.216(b) of our regulations, from Sudo Corporation (Sudo), an 
interested party in these proceedings, the Department of Commerce (the 
Department) is initiating a changed circumstances administrative review 
and issuing a notice of intent to revoke in part the antidumping duty 
order on certain corrosion-resistant carbon steel flat products from 
Japan. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary 
results.

EFFECTIVE DATE: November 10, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gideon Katz or Maureen Flannery, 
Import Administration, International Trade Administration, U.S. 
Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., 
Washington, D.C. 20230; telephone: (202) 482-5255, (202) 482-3020, 
respectively.

The Applicable Statute and Regulations

    Unless otherwise indicated, all citations to the statute are 
references to the provisions effective January 1, 1995, the effective 
date of the amendments made to the Tariff Act of 1930 (the Act) by the 
Uruguay Rounds Agreements Act. In addition, unless otherwise indicated, 
all citations to the Department's regulations are to the regulations as 
codified at 19 CFR part 351, 62 FR 27295 (May 19, 1997).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On September 19, 1997, Sudo requested that the Department revoke in 
part the antidumping duty order on certain corrosion-resistant carbon 
steel flat products from Japan. Specifically, Sudo requested that the 
Department revoke the order with respect to imports of this product 
with widths ranging from 10 millimeters (0.394 inches) through 100 
millimeters (3.94 inches) and thicknesses ranging from 0.11 millimeters 
(0.004 inches) through 0.60 millimeters (0.024 inches). Sudo, a 
domestic manufacturer of a small, thin, circular shield that is used as 
a seal on the casings of wheels containing ball bearings, is an 
importer of this product. On October 28, 1997, AK Steel Corporation 
(AK), Bethlehem Steel Corporation (Bethlehem), Inland Steel Industries, 
Inc. (Inland), LTV Steel Company (LTV), National Steel Corporation 
(National), and U.S. Steel Group, A Unit of USX Corporation (U.S. 
Steel), domestic interested parties in this case, submitted a letter 
indicating they have no objection to the initiation of this changed 
circumstances review and no interest in maintaining the antidumping 
duty order on corrosion-resistant carbon steel flat products from Japan 
with respect to the product with the dimensions indicated above. Based 
on the fact that this portion of this order is no longer of interest to 
domestic parties, we intend to partially revoke this order.

Initiation of Changed Circumstances Antidumping Duty Administrative 
Review, and Intent To Revoke Order in Part

    Pursuant to section 751(d)(1) and 782(h)(2) of the Act, the 
Department may partially revoke an antidumping or countervailing duty 
order based on a review under section 751(b) of the Act (i.e., a 
changed circumstances review). Section 751(b)(1) of the Act requires a 
changed circumstances administrative review to be conducted upon 
receipt of a request which shows changed circumstances sufficient to 
warrant a review. Section 351.222(g) of the Department's regulations 
provides that the Department will conduct a changed circumstances 
administrative review under 19 CFR 351.216, and may revoke an order in 
whole or in part if it determines that producers accounting for 
substantially all of the production of the domestic like product to 
which the order (or the part of the order to be revoked) pertains have 
expressed a lack of interest in the order, in whole or in part. In 
addition, in the event that the Department concludes that expedited 
action is warranted, 19 CFR 351.221(c)(3)(ii) permits the Department to 
combine the notices of initiation and preliminary results.
    Therefore, in accordance with sections 751(d)(1) and 782(h)(2) of 
the Act, and 19 CFR 351.216 and 351.222(g), based on affirmative 
statements of no interest by AK, Bethlehem, Inland, LTV, National, and 
U.S. Steel in continuing the order with respect to corrosion-resistant 
carbon steel flat products with widths ranging from 10 millimeters 
(0.394 inches) through 100 millimeters (3.94 inches) and thicknesses 
ranging from 0.11 millimeters (0.004 inches) through 0.60 millimeters 
(0.024 inches), we are initiating this changed circumstances 
administrative review. Furthermore, we determine that expedited action 
is warranted, and we preliminarily determine that continued coverage of 
corrosion-resistant carbon steel flat products within the width and 
thickness range mentioned above is no longer of interest to domestic 
interested parties. Because we have concluded that expedited action is 
warranted, we are combining these notices of initiation and preliminary 
results. Therefore, we are hereby notifying the public of our intent to 
revoke in part the antidumping duty order with respect to imports of 
corrosion-resistant carbon steel flat products of the above-mentioned 
width and thickness range from Japan.
    If final revocation in part occurs, we intend to instruct the U.S. 
Customs Service (Customs) to liquidate without regard to antidumping 
duties, and to refund any estimated antidumping duties collected for 
all entries of corrosion-resistant carbon steel flat products, with the 
dimensions indicated above, made on or after the date of publication in 
the Federal Register of the final results of these reviews in

[[Page 60471]]

accordance with 19 CFR 351.222. We will also instruct Customs to pay 
interest on such refunds in accordance with section 778 of the Act. The 
current requirement for a cash deposit of estimated antidumping duties 
on corrosion-resistant carbon steel flat products, with the dimensions 
indicated above, will continue unless and until we publish a final 
determination to revoke in part.

Public Comment

    Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary 
results. Parties who submit argument in this proceeding are requested 
to submit with the argument (1) a statement of the issue, and (2) a 
brief summary of the argument. Parties to the proceedings may request 
disclosure within 5 days of the date of publication of this notice and 
any interested party may request a hearing within 10 days of 
publication. Any hearing, if requested, will be held no later than 28 
days after the date of publication of this notice, or the first workday 
thereafter. Case briefs may be submitted by interested parties not 
later than 14 days after the date of publication of this notice. 
Rebuttal briefs and rebuttals to written comments, limited to the 
issues raised in those comments, may be filed not later than 21 days 
after the date of publication of this notice. All written comments 
shall be submitted in accordance with 19 CFR 351.303 and shall be 
served on all interested parties on the Department's service list in 
accordance with 19 CFR 351.303. Persons interested in attending the 
hearing should contact the Department for the date and time of the 
hearing. The Department will publish the final results of this changed 
circumstances review, including the results of its analysis of issues 
raised in any written comments. This notice is in accordance with 
sections 751(b)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.216 and 351.222.

    Dated: November 3, 1997.
Robert S. LaRussa,
Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.
[FR Doc. 97-29631 Filed 11-7-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P