[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 123 (Tuesday, June 26, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29748-29749]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-13672]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-570-069, A-549-835]


Rubber Bands From the People's Republic of China and Thailand: 
Postponement of Preliminary Determinations in the Less-Than-Fair-Value 
Investigations

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


DATES: Applicable June 26, 2018.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephanie Berger at (202) 482-2483 
(People's Republic of China (China)) and Laurel LaCivita at (202) 482-
4243 (Thailand), AD/CVD Operations, Enforcement and Compliance, 
International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 
Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On February 20, 2018, the Department of Commerce (Commerce) 
initiated less-than-fair-value (LTFV) investigations of imports of 
rubber bands from China, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.\1\ On March 19, 2018, 
the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) notified Commerce of its 
affirmative preliminary determination with respect to China and 
Thailand, its negligibility determination concerning imports of rubber 
bands from Sri Lanka, and its termination of its investigation of 
imports from Sri Lanka.\2\ On March 22, the ITC published in the 
Federal Register a notice of its preliminary determination with respect 
to China and Thailand, and its determination that imports of rubber 
bands from Sri Lanka are negligible.\3\ Because the ITC has terminated 
its investigation of rubber bands from Sri Lanka, Commerce's 
investigation is also terminated.\4\ The preliminary determinations for 
China and Thailand

[[Page 29749]]

are currently due no later than July 10, 2017.
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    \1\ See Rubber Bands from the People's Republic of China, Sri 
Lanka, and Thailand: Initiation of Less-Than-Fair-Value 
Investigations, 83 FR 8424 (February 27, 2018).
    \2\ See the ITC's letter dated March 19, 2018 (Notification of 
ITC Preliminary Determinations); see also Rubber Bands from China, 
Sri Lanka, and Thailand; Determinations, 83 FR 12594 (March 22, 
2018); see also ITC publication 4770 (March 2018), Rubber Bands from 
China, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, Investigation Nos. 701-TA-598-600 
and 731-TA-1408-1410 (Preliminary) at page 1.
    \3\ See Rubber Bands from China, Sri Lanka, and Thailand; 
Determinations, 83 FR 12594 (March 22, 2018).
    \4\ See 19 CFR 351.207(d) (stating that Commerce's investigation 
terminates automatically upon the publication in the Federal 
Register of the ITC's negative preliminary determination).
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    Section 733(b)(1)(A) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the 
Act), requires Commerce to issue the preliminary determination in an 
LTFV investigation within 140 days after the date on which Commerce 
initiated the investigation. However, section 733(c)(1) of the Act 
permits Commerce to postpone the preliminary determination until no 
later than 190 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.\5\
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    \5\ See 19 CFR 351.205(e).
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    On June 11, 2018, Alliance Rubber Co. (the petitioner) submitted 
timely requests pursuant to section 703(c)(1)(A) of the Act and 19 CFR 
351.205(e) to postpone the preliminary determinations in these LTFV 
investigations.\6\ The petitioner stated that it requested postponement 
because Commerce is still conducting its antidumping investigations, 
and additional time is necessary for interested parties to respond to 
additional requests from Commerce.
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    \6\ See letter from the petitioner, ``Petition for the 
Imposition of Antidumping and Countervailing Duties on Rubber Bands 
from Thailand and China--Petitioner's Request for Postponement of 
the Preliminary Determinations in the Antidumping Duty Cases,'' 
dated June 11, 2018.
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    For the reasons stated above and because there are no compelling 
reasons to deny the petitioner's request, Commerce, in accordance with 
section 733(c)(1)(A) of the Act, is postponing the deadline for the 
preliminary determinations by 50 days (i.e., 190 days after the date on 
which these investigations were initiated). As a result, Commerce will 
issue its preliminary determinations no later than August 29, 2018. In 
accordance with section 735(a)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.210(b)(1), 
the deadline for the final determinations of these investigations will 
continue to be 75 days after the date of publication of the preliminary 
determinations, unless postponed at a later date.
    This notice is issued and published pursuant to section 733(c)(2) 
of the Act and 19 CFR 351.205(f)(1).

    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. 2018-13672 Filed 6-25-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P