36876 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 130 /Wednesday, July 8, 1998 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A–122–503]

Iron Construction Castings From

Canada: Notice of Initiation and

Preliminary Results of Changed

Circumstances Antidumping Duty

Administrative Review, and Intent To

Revoke Order in Part

AGENCY: Import Administration,

International Trade Administration,

Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 8, 1998.

SUMMARY: In response to the April 30,

1998 request by the Municipal Castings

Fair Trade Council, the petitioner in this

case, the Department of Commerce (the

Department) is initiating a changed

circumstances antidumping duty

administrative review and issuing an

intent to revoke in part the antidumping

duty order on iron construction castings

from Canada. The scope of the order

currently includes valve, service, and

meter boxes which are placed below

ground to encase water, gas, or other

valves, or water and gas meters, which

are considered light castings. The

petitioner has expressed no further

interest in the relief provided by the

antidumping duty order with respect to

the importation and sale of valve,

service, and meter boxes which are

placed below ground to encase water,

gas, or other valves, or water and gas

meters, considered light castings.

Accordingly, we have preliminarily

determined to revoke the order on iron

construction castings from Canada with

respect to light castings.

Interested parties are invited to

comment on these preliminary results.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Matthew Blaskovich or Irene Darzenta,

AD/CVD Enforcement Group II, Import

Administration, International Trade

Administration, U.S. Department of

Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution

Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20230;

telephone (202) 482–4697 or (202) 482–

6320.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Applicable Statute and Regulations

Unless otherwise indicated, all

citations to the statute are references to

the provisions effective January 1, 1995,

the effective date of the amendments

made to the Tariff Act of 1930 (the Act)

by the Uruguay Round Agreements Act

(URAA). In addition, unless otherwise

indicated, all citations to the

Department’s regulations are to the

regulations codified at 19 CFR Part 351

(62 FR 27296, May 19, 1997).

Background

On March 5, 1986, the Department

published the antidumping duty order

on iron construction castings from

Canada (51 FR 7600). Subsequently, on

September 25, 1986, the Department

published an amendment to the final

determination in the less-than-fair-value

(LTFV) investigation and to the

antidumping duty order on iron

construction castings from Canada (51

FR 34110). On April 30, 1998, the

Municipal Castings Fair Trade Council

(the petitioner), requested that the

Department revoke, in part, the

antidumping duty order with respect to

light iron construction castings based on

its lack of further interest.

Scope of the Order

The merchandise covered by the order

consists of certain iron construction

castings from Canada, limited to

manhole covers, rings, and frames, catch

basin grates and frames, cleanout covers

and frames used for drainage or access

purposes for public utility, water and

sanitary systems, classifiable as heavy

castings under Harmonized Tariff

Schedule (HTS) item numbers

7325.10.0010 and 7325.10.0050; and to

valve, service, and meter boxes which

are placed below ground to encase

water, gas, or other valves, or water and

gas meters, classifiable as light castings

under HTS item numbers 8306.29.0000

and 8310.00.0000. The HTS item

numbers are provided for convenience

and Customs purposes only. The written

description remains dispositive.

Scope of the Changed Circumstances

Administrative Review

Imports covered by this changed

circumstances administrative review are

shipments of light castings from Canada,

as described above.

Initiation and Preliminary Results of

Changed Circumstances Antidumping

Duty Administrative Review, and Intent

to Revoke in Part

Pursuant to section 751(d)(1) 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 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, sections

351.221(c)(3)(ii) and 351.222(f)(2)(iv) of

the regulations permit 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

351.222, based on an affirmative

statement of no interest by the petitioner

in continuing the order with respect to

light iron construction castings, as

described above, 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 iron

construction castings from Canada.

Therefore, we are hereby notifying the

public of our intent to revoke, in part,

the antidumping duty order as it relates

to imports of light iron construction

castings.

If final revocation in part occurs, we

intend to instruct the U.S. Customs

Service (Customs) to end the suspension

of liquidation of iron construction

castings subject to this changed

circumstances review on the effective

date of the final notice of partial

revocation, and to refund any estimated

antidumping duties collected, for all

unliquidated entries of such

merchandise made on or after March 1,

1997. We will also instruct Customs 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 request a

hearing and/or 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 35
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 130 /Wednesday, July 8, 1998 / Notices 36877

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 of any

issues 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 notice is 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: June 30, 1998.

Joseph A. Spetrini,

Acting Assistant Secretary for Import

Administration.

[FR Doc. 98–18112 Filed 7–7–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A–401–040]

Stainless Steel Plate from Sweden:

Preliminary Results of Antidumping

Duty Administrative Review

AGENCY: Import Administration,

International Trade Administration,

Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of Preliminary Results of

Antidumping Duty Administrative

Review.

SUMMARY: In response to a request from

the petitioners, the Department of

Commerce (the Department) is

conducting an administrative review of

the antidumping finding on stainless

steel plate from Sweden. The review

covers two manufacturers/exporters of

the subject merchandise to the United

States and the period June 1, 1996

through May 31, 1997. We preliminarily

determine that sales have been made

below normal value (‘‘NV’’). If these

preliminary results are adopted in our

final results of administrative review,

we will instruct U.S. Customs to assess

antidumping duties based on the

difference between export price (‘‘EP’’)

and NV.

Interested parties are invited to

comment on these preliminary results.

Parties which submit argument in this

proceeding are requested to submit with

the argument (1) a statement of the issue

and (2) a brief summary of the argument

(no longer than five pages, including

footnotes).

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 8, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Heather Osborne or John Kugelman,

Import Administration, International

Trade Administration, U.S. Department

of Commerce, 14th Street and

Constitution Avenue, N.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20230; telephone

(202) 482–3019 (Osborne), 482–0649

(Kugelman).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

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’s regulations are

references to the provisions codified at

19 CFR Part 351 (62 FR 27296, May 19,

1997).

Background

The Department of the Treasury

published an antidumping finding on

stainless steel plate from Sweden on

June 8, 1973 (38 FR 15079). The

Department of Commerce published a

notice of ‘‘Opportunity To Request

Administrative Review’’ of the

antidumping finding for the 1996/1997

review period on June 11, 1997 (62 FR

31786). On June 28, 1997, the

petitioners, Allegheny Ludlum Steel

Corp., G.O. Carlson, Inc., and

Washington Steel Corporation filed a

request for review of Uddeholms AB

(Uddeholm) and Avesta Sheffield AB

(Avesta). We initiated the review on

August 1, 1997 (62 FR 41339).

Scope of the Review

Imports covered by this review are

shipments of stainless steel plate which

is commonly used in scientific and

industrial equipment because of its

resistance to staining, rusting and

pitting. Stainless steel plate is classified

under Harmonized Tariff schedule of

the United States (HTSUS) item

numbers 7219.11.00.00, 7219.12.00.05,

1209.12.00.15, 7219.12.00.45,

7219.12.00.65, 7219.12.00.70,

7219.12.00.80, 8219.21.00.05,

7219.21.00.50, 7219.22.00.05,

7219.22.00.10, 7219.22.00.30,

7219.22.00.60, 7219.31.00.10,

7219.31.00.50, 7220.11.00.00,

7222.30.00.00, and 7228.40.00.00.

Although the subheadings are provided

for convenience and customs purposes,

the written description of the

merchandise is dispositive.

On November 21, 1997, Avesta and

Avesta Sheffield NAD, Inc. requested

clarification to determine whether

stainless steel slabs that are

manufactured in Great Britain and

rolled into hot bands in Sweden are

within the scope of the antidumping

finding. On December 22, 1997, the

Department determined that British

slabs rolled into hot bands in Sweden

are within the scope of the finding. The

review covers the period June 1, 1996

through May 31, 1997. The Department

is conducting this review in accordance

within section 751 of the Act, as

amended.

The Department may extend the

deadline for completion of an

administrative review if it determines

that it is not practicable to complete the

review within the statutory time limit of

365 days. (See 19 C.F.R. 351.2139(g)(2).)

On February 24, 1998, the Department

extended the time limit for these

preliminary results to June 30, 1998. See

Stainless Steel Plate from Sweden;

Extension of Time Limits for

Antidumping Duty Administrative

Review (63 FR 10590, March 4, 1998).

United States Price (USP)

In calculating USP, the Department

treated sales as constructed export price

(CEP) sales, as defined in section 772(b)

of the Act, because the merchandise was

first sold to unaffiliated U.S. purchasers,

before or after importation, by an

affiliated seller in the United states.

There were no export price sales during

the period of review.

We based CEP on the delivered price

to unaffiliated customers in the United

States. We made adjustments, where

applicable, for ocean freight, U.S. inland

freight, U.S. brokerage and handling

expenses, U.S. customs duties, early

payment discounts, and rebates. In

accordance with section 772(d)(1) of the

Act, we made deductions for warranty

expenses, royalties, slitting and cutting

expenses, credit expenses, and indirect

selling expenses associated with

economic activity in the United States.

With respect to merchandise to which

value was added in the United States by

Avesta prior to sale to unaffiliated

customers, we deducted the cost of

further manufacturing in accordance

with section 772(d)(2) of the Act. To

arrive at the CEP, the gross unit price

was further reduced for both Avesta and

Uddeholm by an amount for profit

pursuant to section 772(d)(3) of the Act.

Normal Value

In order to determine whether there

were sufficient sales of stainless steel

plate in the home market (HM) to serve

as a viable basis for calculating NV, we

compared the volume of home market

sales of subject merchandise to the

volume of subject merchandise sold in

the United States, in accordance with

section 773(a)(1)(C) of the Act. Avesta’s

aggregate volume of HM sales of the