[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 111 (Friday, June 8, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26654-26655]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-12481]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-570-010]


Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Products From the People's 
Republic of China: Notice of Court Decision Not in Harmony With Final 
Determination of the Less Than Fair Value Investigation

AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, 
Department of Commerce.

SUMMARY: On May 25, 2018, the United States Court of International 
Trade (the Court) entered final judgment sustaining the final results 
of the second remand redetermination by the Department of Commerce 
(Commerce) pertaining to the antidumping duty (AD) investigation of 
certain crystalline silicon photovoltaic products from the People's 
Republic of China (China). Commerce is notifying the public that the 
final judgment in this case is not in harmony with Commerce's final 
determination in the AD investigation of certain crystalline silicon 
photovoltaic products from China.

DATES: Applicable June 4, 2018.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eli Lovely, AD/CVD Operations, Office 
IV, Enforcement and Compliance--International Trade Administration, 
U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, 
DC 20230; telephone (202) 482-1593.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    Subsequent to the December 23, 2014, publication of the Final 
Determination in the AD investigation of certain crystalline silicon 
photovoltaic products from China,\1\ and the February 18, 2015 
publication of the AD order,\2\ SolarWorld Americas, Inc. (SolarWorld), 
the petitioner, filed a complaint with the Court challenging, among 
other things, Commerce's determination that South African import data 
under subheading 8548.10, of the United States Harmonized Tariff 
Schedule (HTS), constituted the best available information for valuing 
Changzhou Trina Solar Energy Co., Ltd.'s (Trina) byproduct offset for 
scrapped solar modules.\3\
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    \1\ See Certain Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Products from 
the People's Republic of China: Final Determination of Sales at Less 
than Fair Value, 79 FR 76970 (December 23, 2014) (Final 
Determination).
    \2\ See Certain Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Products from 
the People's Republic of China: Antidumping Duty Order; and Amended 
Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination and 
Countervailing Duty Order, 80 FR 8592 (February 18, 2015).
    \3\ See SolarWorld's Complaint, No. 15-00086, ECF No. 10 (CIT 
April 17, 2015).
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    In Jinko Solar I, the Court remanded Commerce's use of South 
African import data under HTS subheading 8548.10, to value Trina's 
byproduct offset for scrapped solar modules when calculating normal 
value. The Court found that Commerce did not adequately explain how its 
decision was reasonable in light of the record as a whole.\4\ Further, 
the Court found that two arguments made before the Court constituted 
post hoc rationalizations and directed Commerce to make those 
rationalizations explicit and identify supporting evidence for them, if 
either of the rationalizations informed Commerce's decision to rely on 
HTS subheading 8548.10 to value Trina's byproduct offset for scrapped 
solar modules.\5\
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    \4\ See Jinko Solar Co., Ltd. v. United States, 229 F. Supp. 3d 
1333, 1353-1355 (CIT 2017) (Jinko Solar I).
    \5\ Id. at 1355.
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    On August 2, 2017, Commerce issued its First Remand Results, in 
which it determined that it would continue to value Trina's byproduct 
offset for scrapped solar modules with South African import data under 
HTS 8548.10 and explained its decision to do so.\6\ The Court, in Jinko 
Solar II, held that Commerce's determination remained unsupported by 
substantial evidence and that Commerce did not explain how its selected 
surrogate value was a representative surrogate value for the scrapped 
modules.\7\ The Court directed Commerce to reconsider or further 
explain its decision to use South African import data under HTS 
subheading 8548.10 to value the byproduct offset for scrapped solar

[[Page 26655]]

modules when calculating normal value.\8\
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    \6\ See Final Results of Redetermination Pursuant to Court 
Remand, Jinko Solar Co., Ltd. v. United States, Court No. 15-00080, 
Slip Op. 17-62 (Court of International Trade May 18, 2017) (August 
2, 2017) (First Remand Results).
    \7\ See Jinko Solar Co., Ltd. v. United States, 279 F. Supp. 3d 
1253, 1261-1264 (CIT 2017) (Jinko Solar II).
    \8\ Id. at 1264.
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    On March 12, 2018, Commerce issued its Second Remand Results, 
wherein, considering the Court's order, and under respectful protest, 
Commerce selected Thai import data under HTS category 2804.69 to value 
Trina's byproduct offset for scrapped solar modules for purposes of its 
normal value calculations.\9\
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    \9\ See Final Results of Second Redetermination Pursuant to 
Court Order, Jinko Solar Co., Ltd., et al. v. United States, Court 
No. 15-00080, Slip Op. 17-165 (Court of International Trade December 
13, 2017) (March 12, 2018) (Second Remand Results).
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    On May 25, 2018, the Court issued its decision in Jinko Solar III 
sustaining Commerce's Second Remand Results.\10\
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    \10\ See Jinko Solar Co., Ltd. v. United States, No. 15-00080, 
Slip Op. 18-61 (CIT May 25, 2018) (Jinko Solar III).
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Timken Notice

    In its decision in Timken,\11\ as clarified by Diamond 
Sawblades,\12\ the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal 
Circuit held that, pursuant to section 516A(e) of the Tariff Act of 
1930, as amended (the Act), Commerce must publish a notice of a court 
decision that is not ``in harmony'' with a Commerce determination and 
must suspend liquidation of entries pending a ``conclusive'' court 
decision. The Court's May 25, 2018, final judgment sustaining 
Commerce's Second Remand Redetermination constitutes a final decision 
of the Court that is not in harmony with Commerce's Final 
Determination. This notice is published in fulfillment of the 
publication requirements of Timken. Accordingly, Commerce will continue 
the suspension of liquidation of the subject merchandise pending the 
expiration of the period of appeal, or if appealed, pending a final and 
conclusive court decision. We have not amended the Final Determination 
because valuing Trina's scrapped solar modules using Thai import data 
under HTS category 2804.69 rather than South African import data under 
HTS subheading 8548.10 did not result in a change to the weighted 
average dumping margin calculated for Trina in the Final Determination.
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    \11\ See Timken Co. v. United States, 893 F.2d 337, 341 (Fed. 
Cir. 1990).
    \12\ See Diamond Sawblades Mfrs. Coalition v. United States, 626 
F.3d 1374 (Fed. Cir. 2010).
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Notification to Interested Parties

    This notice is issued and published in accordance with section 
516A(e)(1) of the Act.

    Dated: June 4, 2018.
Gary Taverman,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty 
Operations, performing the non-exclusive functions and duties of the 
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2018-12481 Filed 6-7-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P