[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 83 (Thursday, April 30, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23722-23723]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-11529]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration
[A-588-836]


Polyvinyl Alcohol From Japan: Notice of Initiation and 
Preliminary Results of Changed Circumstances Antidumping Duty Review, 
and Intent To Revoke Order in Part

AGENCY: Import Administration, International Trade Administration, 
Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of initiation and preliminary results of changed 
circumstances antidumping duty review, and intent to revoke order in 
part.

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SUMMARY: In response to a request made on March 12, 1998, by Colorcon, 
Inc., the Department of Commerce is initiating a changed circumstances 
antidumping duty review and issuing a preliminary intent to revoke in 
part the antidumping duty order on polyvinyl alcohol from Japan, the 
scope of which currently includes polyvinyl alcohol for use as a 
pharmaceutical excipient or for use in the manufacture of film coating 
systems which are components of a drug or dietary supplement. Air 
Products and Chemicals, Inc., the petitioner in this case, has 
expressed no further interest in the relief provided by the antidumping 
duty order with respect to polyvinyl alcohol imported from Japan for 
use as a pharmaceutical excipient or for use in the manufacture of film 
coating systems which are components of a drug or dietary supplement. 
Accordingly we intend to partially revoke this order.

EFFECTIVE DATE: April 30, 1998.

The Applicable Statute

    Unless otherwise indicated, all citations to the Tariff Act of 
1930, as amended (``the Act''), are references to the provisions 
effective January 1, 1995, the effective date of the amendments made to 
the Act by the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (``URAA''). In addition, 
unless otherwise indicated, all citations to the Department of 
Commerce's (``the Department's'') regulations are to the regulations at 
19 CFR Part 351 (62 FR 27296, May 19, 1997).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian Ledgerwood or Sunkyu Kim, Import 
Administration, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 
20230; telephone (202) 482-3836 or (202) 482-2613, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On May 14, 1996, the Department published in the Federal Register 
(61 FR 24286) an antidumping duty order on polyvinyl alcohol (``PVA'') 
from Japan. On March 12, 1998, Colorcon, Inc. (``Colorcon'') requested 
that the Department conduct a changed circumstances review and revoke, 
in part, the antidumping duty order with respect to PVA from Japan 
which is used as a pharmaceutical excipient or for use in the 
manufacture of film coating systems which are components of a drug or 
dietary supplement. Colorcon included in its request a statement from 
the petitioner dated October 30, 1997, expressing (i) no objection to a 
changed circumstances review, and (ii) no further interest in 
maintaining the antidumping duty order with respect to PVA imported 
from Japan for use in the manner described above.

Scope of Review

    The product covered by this review is PVA. PVA is a dry, white to 
cream-colored, water-soluble synthetic polymer. Excluded from this 
review are PVAs covalently bonded with acetoacetylate, carboxylic acid, 
or sulfonic acid uniformly present on all polymer chains in a 
concentration equal to or greater than two mole percent, and PVAs 
covalently bonded with silane uniformly present on all polymer chains 
in a concentration equal to or greater than one-tenth of one mole 
percent. PVA in fiber form is not included in the scope of this review.
    The merchandise under review is currently classifiable under 
subheading 3905.30.00 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United 
States (``HTSUS''). Although the HTSUS subheading is provided for 
convenience and customs purposes, our written description of the scope 
is dispositive.

Initiation and Preliminary Results of Changed Circumstances Review, 
and Intent To Revoke Order in Part

    Pursuant to section 751(d) of the Act, the Department may partially 
revoke an antidumping duty order based on a review under section 751(b) 
of the Act (i.e., a changed circumstances review). Section 751(b)(1) of 
the Act requires a changed circumstances administrative review to be 
conducted upon receipt of a request containing information concerning 
changed circumstances sufficient to warrant a review.
    Section 351.222(g) of the Department's regulations provides that 
the Department will conduct a changed circumstances review under 19 CFR 
351.216, and may revoke an order in whole or in part if it determines 
that the producers accounting for substantially all of the production 
of the domestic like product to which the order pertains have expressed 
a lack of interest in the order, in whole or in part. In addition, in 
the event that the Department concludes that expedited action is 
warranted, section 351.221(c)(3)(ii) of the regulations permits the 
Department to combine the notices of initiation and preliminary 
results. Therefore, in accordance with sections 751(b) of the Act and 
19 CFR 351.216, 351.221, and

[[Page 23723]]

351.222, based on an affirmative statement of no interest by the 
petitioner in continuing the order with respect to PVA imported from 
Japan for use as a pharmaceutical excipient or for use in the 
manufacture of film coating systems which are components of a drug or 
dietary supplement, we are initiating this changed circumstances 
administrative review. Based on the fact that no other interested 
parties have objected to the position taken by the petitioner, we have 
determined that expedited action is warranted, and we are combining 
these notices of initiation and preliminary results. We have 
preliminarily determined that there are changed circumstances 
sufficient to warrant partial revocation of the antidumping duty order 
on PVA from Japan. Therefore, we are hereby notifying the public of our 
intent to revoke, in part, the antidumping duty order as it relates to 
imports of PVA for use as a pharmaceutical excipient or for use in the 
manufacture of film coating systems which are components of a drug or 
dietary supplement.
    If final revocation, in part, occurs, we intend to instruct the 
Customs Service to end, effective on the date of publication in the 
Federal Register of the final notice of partial revocation, the 
suspension of liquidation and to refund any estimated antidumping 
duties collected for all unliquidated entries of the above described 
PVA not subject to final results of an administrative review. We will 
also instruct the Customs Service to pay interest on such refunds in 
accordance with section 778 of the Act. The current requirement for a 
cash deposit of estimated antidumping duties will continue until 
publication of the final results of this changed circumstances review.

Public Comment

    Interested parties may submit case briefs and/or written comments 
no later than 30 days after the date of publication of these results. 
Rebuttal briefs and rebuttals to written comments, limited to issues 
raised in such briefs or comments, may be filed no later than 37 days 
after the date of publication of these results. The Department will 
issue the final results of this changed circumstances review, which 
will include the results of its analysis raised in any such written 
comments, no later than 270 days after the date on which this review 
was initiated, or within 45 days if all parties agree to our 
preliminary results.
    This initiation of review and notice are in accordance with section 
751(b) of the Act (19 U.S.C. 1675(b)), and 19 CFR 351.216, 351.221, and 
351.222.

    Dated: April 22, 1998.
Robert S. LaRussa,
Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.
[FR Doc. 98-11529 Filed 4-29-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P