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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 219 (Wednesday, November 13, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 89601-89602]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-26216]

[[Page 89601]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[C-533-878]

Stainless Steel Flanges From India: Preliminary Results and 
Partial Rescission of Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; 2022

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

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily finds 
that countervailable subsidies are being provided to a producer and 
exporter of stainless steel flanges from India during the period of 
review (POR), January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022. Additionally, 
Commerce is rescinding this review with respect to five companies. 
Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.

DATES: Applicable November 13, 2024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sun Cho, AD/CVD Operations, Office V, 
Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. 
Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 
20230; telephone: (202) 482-6458.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On October 5, 2018, Commerce published the countervailing duty 
order on stainless steel flanges from India.\1\ On December 6, 2023, 
Commerce published a notice of initiation of an administrative review 
of the Order.\2\ On May 30, 2024, Commerce extended the time period for 
issuing these preliminary results by 120 days, in accordance with 
section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the 
Act).\3\ On July 22, 2024, Commerce tolled certain deadlines in this 
administrative review by seven days.\4\ The deadline for these 
preliminary results is now November 6, 2024.
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    \1\ See Stainless Steel Flanges from India: Countervailing Duty 
Order, 83 FR 50336 (October 5, 2018) (Order).
    \2\ See Initiation of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty 
Administrative Reviews, 88 FR 84784 (December 6, 2023).
    \3\ See Memorandum, ``Extension of Deadline for Preliminary 
Results of Countervailing Duty Administrative Review,'' dated May 
30, 2024.
    \4\ See Memorandum, ``Tolling of Deadlines for Antidumping and 
Countervailing Duty Proceedings,'' dated July 22, 2024.
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    For a complete description of the events that followed the 
initiation of this review, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.\5\ 
A list of topics discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum is 
included as an appendix to this notice. The Preliminary Decision 
Memorandum is a public document and is on file electronically via 
Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty 
Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS). ACCESS is available to 
registered users at https://access.trade.gov. In addition, a complete 
version of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly 
at https://access.trade.gov/public/FRNoticesListLayout.aspx.
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    \5\ See Memorandum, ``Decision Memorandum for the Preliminary 
Results of the Countervailing Duty Administrative Review: Stainless 
Steel Flanges from India; 2022,'' dated concurrently with, and 
hereby adopted by, this notice (Preliminary Decision Memorandum).
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Scope of the Order

    The merchandise covered by the Order is stainless steel flanges 
from India. For a complete description of the scope of the Order, see 
the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.

Methodology

    Commerce is conducting this review in accordance with section 
751(a)(1)(A) of the Act. For each of the subsidy programs found 
countervailable, we preliminarily find that there is a subsidy, i.e., a 
financial contribution that gives rise to a benefit to the recipient, 
and the subsidy is specific.\6\ For a full description of the 
methodology underlying our conclusions, see the Preliminary Decision 
Memorandum.
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    \6\ See sections 771(5)(B) and (D) of the Act regarding 
financial contribution; section 771(5)(E) of the Act regarding 
benefit; and section 771(5A) of the Act regarding specificity.
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Partial Rescission of Administrative Review

    Commerce's practice is to rescind an administrative review of a 
countervailing duty order, pursuant to 19 CFR 351.213(d)(1), when the 
interested party that requested a review withdraws the request within 
90 days of publication of notice of initiation of the requested review. 
Commerce received timely-filed withdrawal requests with respect to five 
companies, pursuant to 19 CFR 351.213(d)(1): (1) BFN Forgings Private 
Limited; (2) Chandan Steel Limited; (3) Fivebros Forgings Private 
Limited; (4) Hilton Metal Forging Limited; and (5) Kisaan Die Tech Pvt 
Ltd.\7\ Because the withdrawal requests were timely-filed, and no other 
party requested a review of these companies, in accordance with 19 CFR 
351.213(d)(1), Commerce is rescinding this review of the Order with 
respect to these five companies.
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    \7\ See Preliminary Decision Memorandum at the section titled 
``Partial Rescission of Administrative Review.''
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Preliminary Results of Review

    For the period January 1, 2022, through December 31, 2022, we 
preliminarily find that the following net countervailable subsidy rate 
exists:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           Subsidy rate
                   Producer/exporter                       (percent ad
                                                             valorem)
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Pradeep Metals Limited.................................            1.75
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Disclosure

    We will disclose to parties to this proceeding the calculations 
performed for these preliminary results within five days of the date of 
publication of these preliminary results in accordance with 19 CFR 
351.224(b).

Public Comment

    Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.309(c), interested parties may submit case 
briefs no later than 30 days after the date of publication of this 
notice. Rebuttal briefs, limited to issues raised in the case briefs, 
may be filed not later than five days after the date for filing case 
briefs.\8\ Parties who submit case briefs or rebuttal briefs in this 
proceeding are encouraged to submit with each argument: (1) a statement 
of the issue; (2) a brief summary of the argument; and (3) a table of 
authorities.\9\
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    \8\ See 19 CFR 351.309(c)(1)(ii) and 351.309(d)(1).
    \9\ See 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2).
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    As provided under 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2), in prior 
proceedings we have encouraged interested parties to provide an 
executive summary of their briefs that should be limited to five pages 
total, including footnotes. In this review, we instead request that 
interested parties provide at the beginning of their briefs a public, 
executive summary for each issue raised in their briefs.\10\ Further, 
we request that interested parties limit their public executive summary 
of each issue to no more than 450 words, not including citations. We 
intend to use the public executive summaries as the basis of the 
comment summaries included in the issues and decision memorandum that 
will accompany the final results in this administrative review. We 
request that interested parties include footnotes for relevant 
citations in the public executive summary of each issue. Note that 
Commerce has amended certain of its

[[Page 89602]]

requirements pertaining to the service of documents in 19 CFR 
351.303(f).\11\
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    \10\ We use the term ``issue'' here to describe an argument that 
Commerce would normally address in a comment of the Issues and 
Decision Memorandum.
    \11\ 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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    Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.310(c), interested parties who wish to 
request a hearing must do so within 30 days of publication of these 
preliminary results by submitting a written request to the Assistant 
Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance using Enforcement and 
Compliance's ACCESS system.\12\ Requests should contain the party's 
name, address, and telephone number, the number of participants, 
whether any participant is a foreign national, and a list of the issues 
to be discussed. Issues raised in the hearing will be limited to those 
raised in the respective case and rebuttal briefs.\13\ If a request for 
a hearing is made, Commerce intends to hold the hearing at a time and 
date to be determined. Parties should confirm the date and time of the 
hearing two days before the scheduled date. Parties are reminded that 
all briefs and hearing requests must be filed electronically using 
ACCESS and received successfully in their entirety by 5:00 p.m. Eastern 
Time on the due date.
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    \12\ See 19 CFR 351.310(c).
    \13\ See 19 CFR 351.310.
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Assessment Rates

    Consistent with section 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act, upon issuance of 
the final results, Commerce shall determine, and U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection (CBP) shall assess, countervailing duties on all 
appropriate entries in accordance with the final results of this 
review. If the assessment rate calculated for Pradeep Metals Limited in 
the final results is zero or de minimis, we will instruct CBP to 
liquidate all appropriate entries without regard to countervailing 
duties.
    For the companies for which this review is rescinded, Commerce will 
instruct CBP to assess countervailing duties on all appropriate entries 
at a rate equal to the cash deposit of estimated countervailing duties 
required at the time of entry, or withdrawal from warehouse, for 
consumption, during the period January 1, 2022, through December 31, 
2022, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.212(c)(l)(i).
    Commerce intends to issue assessment instructions to CBP no earlier 
than 35 days after the date of publication of the preliminary results 
of this review in the Federal Register for those companies for which 
Commerce is rescinding the review and no earlier than 35 days after the 
date of publication of the final results of this review in the Federal 
Register for Pradeep. If a timely summons is filed at the U.S. Court of 
International Trade, the assessment instructions will direct CBP not to 
liquidate relevant entries until the time for parties to file a request 
for a statutory injunction has expired (i.e., within 90 days of 
publication).

Cash Deposit Requirements

    Pursuant to section 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act, Commerce intends to 
instruct CBP to collect cash deposits of estimated countervailing 
duties in the amounts shown for the company listed above on shipments 
of subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for 
consumption on or after the date of publication of the final results of 
this administrative review, except where the rate calculated in the 
final results is zero or de minimis, no cash deposit will be required. 
For all non-reviewed firms or companies for which we rescinded the 
review, we will instruct CBP to continue to collect cash deposits of 
estimated countervailing duties at the most recent company-specific or 
all-others rate applicable to the company, as appropriate. These cash 
deposit instructions, when imposed, shall remain in effect until 
further notice.

Final Results of Review

    Unless the deadline is extended pursuant to section 751(a)(3)(A) of 
the Act, Commerce intends to issue the final results of this 
administrative review, including the results of our analysis of the 
issues raised by the parties in their comments, within 120 days after 
publication of these preliminary results.

Notification to Interested Parties

    This administrative review and notice are issued and published in 
accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 
351.211(b)(4).

    Dated: November 5, 2024.
Abdelali Elouaradia,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.

Appendix

List of Topics Discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum

I. Summary
II. Background
III. Scope of the Order
IV. Rescission of Administrative Review, In Part
V. Subsidies Valuation Information
VI. Benchmarks and Interest Rates
VII. Analysis of Programs
VIII. Recommendation

[FR Doc. 2024-26216 Filed 11-12-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P
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