[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 38 (Monday, February 26, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14055-14056]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-03857]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-570-084, C-570-085]


Certain Quartz Surface Products From the People's Republic of 
China: Expansion of the Period of Review and Supplemental Opportunity 
To Request Administrative Review

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

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) is expanding the 
period of review (POR) for the current antidumping duty (AD) and 
countervailing duty (CVD) administrative reviews of certain quartz 
surface products (quartz surface products) from the People's Republic 
of China (China) to include entries suspended by the final scope ruling 
on Malaysian processed quartz slab prior to the current POR of the 
instant reviews. Additionally, Commerce is providing a supplemental 
opportunity for interested parties to request a review of certain 
companies currently ineligible for the scope certification process with 
suspended entries during the expanded POR solely for the purposes of 
examining their certification status.

DATES: Supplemental requests for review must be submitted no later than 
March 11, 2024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ajay K. Menon, AD/CVD Operations, 
Office IX, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue 
NW, Washington, DC 20230, telephone: (202) 482-0208.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On October 21, 2022, Commerce published in the Federal Register the 
final scope ruling on Malaysian processed quartz slab, finding that 
imports of quartz slab manufactured in China and processed in Malaysia 
are covered by the AD and CVD orders on quartz surface products from 
China.\1\ As part of this determination, Commerce implemented a 
certification requirement for all imports of quartz surface products 
from Malaysia, effective November 4, 2021, and also directed U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to suspend liquidation and require 
cash deposit for entries subject to the scope inquiry retroactive to 
this same date.\2\
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    \1\ See Certain Quartz Surface Products from the People's 
Republic of China: Final Scope Ruling on Malaysian Processed Quartz 
Slab and Recission of the Circumvention Inquiry, 87 FR 64009, 64010 
(October 21, 2022) (Malaysia Processed Final Scope Ruling).
    \2\ Id.
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    On July 3, 2023, Commerce notified interested parties of the 
opportunity to request administrative reviews of the AD and CVD orders 
on quartz surface products from China for the periods: (1) July 1, 
2022, through June 30, 2023 for the AD administrative review; and (2) 
January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022 for the CVD administrative 
review.\3\ On September 11, 2023, Commerce initiated administrative 
reviews of the AD and CVD orders on quartz surface products from China 
for these periods.\4\
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    \3\ See Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Order, Finding, or 
Suspended Investigation; Opportunity To Request Administrative 
Review and Join Annual Inquiry Service List, 88 FR 42693 (July 3, 
2023).
    \4\ See Initiation of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty 
Administrative Reviews, 88 FR 62322 (September 11, 2023) (Initiation 
Notice).
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Expanding the PORs of the AD and CVD Administrative Reviews

    As noted above, in the Malaysia Processed Final Scope Ruling 
published on October 21, 2022, Commerce imposed a certification 
requirement and also directed CBP to suspend liquidation and require 
cash deposit for entries subject to the inquiry effective November 4, 
2021.\5\ Therefore, consistent with 19 CFR 351.213(e)(1)-(2),\6\ to 
ensure that Commerce is examining all suspended entries which were not 
previously under review, we are expanding the ongoing AD and CVD 
administrative reviews to cover the following periods: (1) November 1, 
2021, through June 30, 2023 for the AD administrative review; and (2) 
November 1, 2021, through December 31, 2022 for the CVD administrative 
review.
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    \5\ See Malaysian Processed Final Scope Ruling, 87 FR at 64010.
    \6\ See 19 CFR 351.213(e)(1)-(2), which provides that 
``{w{time} hile AD/CVD reviews normally are limited to 12 months or 
the calendar year, Commerce has the discretion to determine the 
period under review.''
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Supplemental Opportunity To Request Administrative Review

    In the Malaysia Processed Final Scope Ruling, we determined that 
the following companies were ineligible from participating in the scope 
certification process because they did not fully participate in the 
proceeding: Bada Industries SDN BHD (Bada Industries); Ever Stone World 
SDN BHD (Ever Stone); Karina Stone; MSI Building Supply SDN (MSI); 
Principal Safwa (M) SDN (Principal Safwa); Resstone Manufacturing 
(Resstone);

[[Page 14056]]

SCLM Services SDN BHD (SCLM); Unique Stone SDN BHD (Unique Stone); and 
Universal Quartz. We are conducting the ongoing AD and CVD 
administrative reviews to reconsider the eligibility of Bada 
Industries, Karina Stone, and Universal Quartz from the certification 
process.\7\
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    \7\ See Initiation Notice, 88 FR 62322.
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    With this notice, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.213(b), we are 
affording interested parties, as defined by section 771(9) of the 
Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, with a supplemental opportunity to 
request in writing that the Secretary conduct an administrative review 
to review the certification eligibility of any of the following 
companies: Ever Stone; MSI; Principal Safwa; Resstone; SCLM; and Unique 
Stone. For both the AD and CVD administrative reviews, the requestor 
must specify for which of these companies it is requesting a review.
    The deadline for parties to file a request for review of the 
certification status of these entities is not later than 14 days from 
the date of publication of this notice. If interested parties submit a 
request for review of any of these companies, Commerce's review will be 
limited to the company's eligibility to participate in the 
certification process. Moreover, Commerce will only include those 
companies in the AD and CVD administrative reviews which have suspended 
entries of subject merchandise during the expanded PORs (i.e., November 
1, 2021, through June 30, 2023 for the AD administrative review; and 
November 1, 2021, through December 31, 2022 for the CVD administrative 
review).
    All review requests must be filed electronically in Enforcement and 
Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic 
Service System (ACCESS) at https://access.trade.gov.\8\ Further, in 
accordance with 19 CFR 351.303(f)(l)(i), a copy of each request must be 
served on the petitioner and each exporter or producer specified in the 
request. Note that Commerce has amended certain of its requirements 
pertaining to the service of documents in 19 CFR 351.303(f).\9\
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    \8\ See Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Proceedings: 
Electronic Filing Procedures; Administrative Protective Order 
Procedures, 76 FR 39263 (July 6, 2011).
    \9\ See Administrative Protective Order, Service, and Other 
Procedures in Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Proceedings; Final 
Rule, 88 FR 67069 (September 29, 2023).
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    Commerce intends to publish in the Federal Register a supplementary 
initiation notice for all timely filed review requests which satisfy 
the requirements noted above.

Continued Suspension of Liquidation

    Commerce previously issued instructions to CBP directing the 
assessment of antidumping or countervailing duties on entries not 
currently under review at a rate equal to the cash deposit of estimated 
antidumping or countervailing duties required on those entries at the 
time of entry, or withdrawal from warehouse, for consumption. In the 
event that Commerce receives additional review requests for the 
companies listed above, Commerce intends to amend these instructions to 
direct CBP to continue to suspend liquidation of any unliquidated 
entries made by companies subsequently under review until the 
completion of these administrative reviews.

    Dated: February 20, 2024.
James Maeder,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty 
Operations.
[FR Doc. 2024-03857 Filed 2-23-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P