[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 234 (Thursday, December 7, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 85225-85226]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-26857]


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

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[C-122-858]


Certain Softwood Lumber Products From Canada: Notice of 
Reinstatement of Exclusion From the Countervailing Duty Order

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

SUMMARY: On November 20, 2023, the U.S. Court of International Trade 
(CIT) issued an order in Committee Overseeing Action for Lumber 
International Trade Investigations or Negotiations v. United States, 
et. al., Consol. Ct. No. 19-00122 (Slip Op. 23-163), reinstating the 
exclusion of Les Produits Forestiers D&G Lt[eacute]e (D&G), Marcel 
Lauzon Inc. (MLI), North American Forest Products Ltd. (NAFP) (located 
in New Brunswick), and Scierie Alexandre Lemay & Fils Inc. (Lemay), and 
their cross-owned companies, from the countervailing duty (CVD) order 
on certain softwood lumber products (softwood lumber) from Canada. In 
accordance with the CIT's order, Commerce is issuing this notice 
excluding from the CVD order D&G, MLI, NAFP, and Lemay, and their 
cross-owned companies. Commerce will also direct U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection (CBP) to discontinue suspension of liquidation and 
the collection of cash deposits for all shipments of softwood lumber 
produced and exported by D&G, Lemay, MLI, and NAFP, entered, or 
withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after August 28, 2021, 
to liquidate all suspended entries of shipments of softwood lumber 
produced and exported by D&G, Lemay, MLI, and NAFP without regard to 
countervailing duties; and to refund all cash deposits

[[Page 85226]]

of estimated countervailing duties collected on all such shipments.

DATES: Applicable August 28, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristen Johnson, AD/CVD Operations, 
Office III, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue 
NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482- 4793.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    On January 3, 2018, Commerce published the CVD order on softwood 
lumber from Canada.\1\ On July 5, 2019, Commerce published its Final 
Results of Expedited Review for the Order.\2\ In the Final Results of 
Expedited Review, Commerce found that five companies subject to the 
review had de minimis subsidy rates, and therefore, were excluded from 
the Order.\3\ The five companies are D&G, Lemay, MLI, NAFP, and Roland 
Boulanger & Cie Lt[eacute]e (Roland).\4\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ See Certain Softwood Lumber Products from Canada: Amended 
Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination and 
Countervailing Duty Order, 83 FR 347 (January 3, 2018) (Order).
    \2\ See Certain Softwood Lumber Products from Canada: Final 
Results of Countervailing Duty Expedited Review, 84 FR 32121 (July 
5, 2019) (Final Results of Expedited Review), and accompanying 
Issues and Decision Memorandum.
    \3\ Id., 84 FR at 32122.
    \4\ Id. While Commerce calculated a de minimis rate for Roland 
and its cross-owned affiliates, those companies are not a party to 
the litigation nor to the Court's order ordering this notice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Committee Overseeing Action for Lumber International Trade 
Investigations or Negotiations appealed Commerce's Final Results of 
Expedited Review. On November 19, 2020, the CIT remanded the Final 
Results of Expedited Review to Commerce for reconsideration of the 
statutory basis upon which Commerce promulgated its CVD expedited 
review regulations at 19 CFR 351.214(k) to determine individual subsidy 
rates for companies not individually examined in an investigation.\5\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \5\ See Committee Overseeing Action for Lumber International 
Trade Investigations or Negotiations, et al. v. United States, et 
al., Court No. 19-00122, Slip Op. 20-167 (CIT 2020).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In its Final Remand, issued in February 2021, Commerce determined 
that section 103(a) of the Uruguay Round of Agreements Act, as well as 
the other legal authorities presented to the CIT, cannot be the basis 
for the promulgation of the CVD expedited review regulations under 19 
CFR 351.214(k) and, thus, Commerce lacks the statutory authority to 
conduct CVD expedited reviews.\6\ The CIT sustained Commerce's Final 
Remand.\7\ Consequently, Commerce reinstated the excluded companies in 
the Order prospectively, effective August 28, 2021, and imposed a 14.19 
percent ad valorem cash deposit requirement based on the all-others 
rate from the investigation.\8\ The Canadian parties appealed the CIT's 
decision.\9\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \6\ See Final Results of Redetermination Pursuant to Court 
Remand, Committee Overseeing Action for Lumber International Trade 
Investigations or Negotiations, et al. v. United States, et al., 
Court No. 19-00122, Slip Op. 20-167 (CIT 2020), dated February 17, 
2021 (Final Remand), available at https://access.trade.gov/resources/remands/20-167.pdf.
    \7\ See Committee Overseeing Action for Lumber International 
Trade Investigations or Negotiations, et al. v. United States, et 
al., Court No. 19-00122, Slip Op. 21-104 (CIT 2021).
    \8\ See Certain Softwood Lumber Products from Canada: Notice of 
Court Decision Not in Harmony with the Results of Countervailing 
Duty Expedited Review; Notice of Amended Final Results, 86 FR 48396 
(August 30, 2021) (Amended Final Results of Expedited Review).
    \9\ The Canadian parties are D&G, Lemay, MLI, NAFP, Fontaine 
Inc., Mobilier Rustique (Beauce) Inc., Government of Canada, 
Government of New Brunswick, and Government of Qu[eacute]bec.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    On April 25, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal 
Circuit (Federal Circuit) reversed the CIT's August 18, 2021 decision 
and held that Commerce has the statutory authority to adopt the CVD 
expedited review process, and remanded for further proceedings 
necessitated by its holding that such statutory authority exists.\10\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \10\ See Committee Overseeing Action for Lumber International 
Trade Investigations or Negotiations v. United States, 66 F.4th 968 
(Fed. Cir. 2023).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    On October 6, 2023, D&G, Lemay, MLI, and NAFP filed a motion with 
the CIT requesting reinstatement of their exclusion from the Order 
during the pendency of this litigation.\11\ On November 20, 2023, the 
CIT granted the motion, finding that there was an equitable basis for 
reversing the actions of its August 18, 2021 decision, and ordered the 
reinstatement of exclusion from the Order, effective August 28, 2021, 
for D&G, Lemay, MLI, and NAFP.\12\ The CIT also ordered Commerce to 
instruct CBP to discontinue the suspension of liquidation and the 
collection of cash deposits of estimated countervailing duties on all 
shipments of softwood lumber produced and exported by D&G, Lemay, MLI, 
and NAFP, entered or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or 
after August 28, 2021, and to instruct CBP to liquidate, without regard 
to countervailing duties, all suspended entries of shipments of 
softwood lumber produced and exported by D&G, Lemay, MLI, and NAFP.\13\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \11\ See Committee Overseeing Action for Lumber International 
Trade Investigations or Negotiations v. United States, Consol. Ct. 
No. 19-00122 (Slip Op. 23-163) (CIT Nov. 20, 2023), citing motion 
filed by D&G, Lemay, MLI, and NAFP.
    \12\ Id.
    \13\ Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reinstatement of Exclusion From the Order

    Because of the CIT's order, Commerce is reinstating the exclusion 
from the Order of D&G, Lemay, MLI, and NAFP, effective August 28, 2021. 
Commerce's practice with respect to the exclusion of companies from a 
CVD order is to exclude the subject merchandise both produced and 
exported by those companies.\14\ As a result, we will instruct CBP to 
discontinue the suspension of liquidation and the collection of cash 
deposits of estimated countervailing duties on all shipments of 
softwood lumber produced and exported by D&G, Lemay, MLI, and NAFP, 
entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after 
August 28, 2021. In addition, we will instruct CBP to liquidate, 
without regard to countervailing duties, all suspended entries of 
shipments of softwood lumber produced and exported by D&G, Lemay, MLI, 
and NAFP, and to refund all cash deposits of estimated countervailing 
duties collected on all such shipments. Subject merchandise that D&G, 
Lemay, MLI, and NAFP export but do not produce, as well as merchandise 
D&G, Lemay, MLI, and NAFP produce but is exported by another company 
remain subject to the Order.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \14\ See, e.g., Certain Corrosion-Resistant Steel Products from 
India, Italy, Republic of Korea and the People's Republic of China: 
Countervailing Duty Order, 81 FR 48387 (July 25, 2016).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notification to Interested Parties

    This notice is issued and published in accordance with section 
516A(c) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended.

    Dated: November 30, 2023.
Abdelali Elouaradia,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2023-26857 Filed 12-6-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P