[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 126 (Friday, June 29, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30699-30700]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-13694]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[C-570-085]


Certain Quartz Surface Products From the People's Republic of 
China: Postponement of Preliminary Determination in the Countervailing 
Duty Investigation

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

DATES: Applicable June 29, 2018.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Darla Brown or Terre Keaton Stefanova, 
AD/CVD Operations, Office II, Enforcement and Compliance, International 
Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution 
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-1791, or (202) 
482-1280, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    On May 7, 2018, the Department of Commerce (Commerce) initiated a 
countervailing duty (CVD) investigation on certain quartz surface 
products from the People's Republic of China.\1\ Currently, the 
preliminary determination is due no later than July 11, 2018.
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    \1\ See Certain Quartz Surface Products from the People's 
Republic of China: Initiation of Countervailing Duty Investigation, 
83 FR 22618 (May 16, 2018).
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Postponement of the Preliminary Determination

    Section 703(b)(1) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), 
requires Commerce to issue the preliminary

[[Page 30700]]

determination in a countervailing duty investigation within 65 days 
after the date on which Commerce initiated the investigation. However, 
section 703(c)(1) of the Act permits Commerce to postpone the 
preliminary determination until no later than 130 days after the date 
on which Commerce initiated the investigation if: (A) The petitioner 
makes a timely request for a postponement; or (B) Commerce concludes 
that the parties concerned are cooperating, that the investigation is 
extraordinarily complicated, and that additional time is necessary to 
make a preliminary determination. Under 19 CFR 351.205(e), the 
petitioner must submit a request for postponement 25 days or more 
before the scheduled date of the preliminary determination and must 
state the reasons for the request. Commerce will grant the request 
unless it finds compelling reasons to deny the request.
    On June 11, 2018, the petitioner, Cambria Company LLC, submitted a 
timely request that we postpone the preliminary CVD determination 
because: (1) Commerce was not able to issue its respondent selection 
memorandum until June 8, 2018; and (2) as a result, responses to the 
CVD questionnaire are not due until July 16, 2018 (i.e., after the 
statutory deadline for the preliminary determination). Moreover, the 
petitioner noted that, because Commerce just identified the mandatory 
respondents, it has only now begun its research to identify any 
additional subsidy benefits not addressed in the Petition. Accordingly, 
the petitioner maintains that, because this investigation is likely to 
be more complicated than usual, additional time is necessary to ensure 
that Commerce can conduct a full investigation regarding the subsidy 
benefits received by Chinese producers and exporters of quartz surface 
products.\2\
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    \2\ See Letter from the petitioner, ``Certain Quartz Surface 
Products from the People's Republic of China: Request to Postpone 
Preliminary Determination,'' dated June 11, 2018.
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    In accordance with 19 CFR 351.205(e), the petitioner has stated the 
reasons for requesting a postponement of the preliminary determination, 
and Commerce finds no compelling reason to deny the request. Therefore, 
pursuant to section 703(c)(1)(A) of the Act, we are extending the due 
date for the preliminary determination to no later than 130 days after 
the date on which this investigation was initiated, i.e., to September 
14, 2018. Pursuant to section 705(a)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 
351.210(b)(1), the deadline for the final determination will continue 
to be 75 days after the date of the preliminary determination.
    This notice is issued and published pursuant to section 703(c)(2) 
of the Act and 19 CFR 351.205(f)(l).

    Dated: June 20, 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. 2018-13694 Filed 6-28-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P