102864 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 243 / Wednesday, December 18, 2024 / Notices 

1The Requestors are the Committee on Pipe and 

Tube Imports Subcommittee for OCTG (CPTI OCTG 

Subcommittee) and the United Steel, Paper and 

Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied 

Industrial and Service Workers International Union, 

AFL–CIO, CLC (USW). The individual members of 

the CPTI OCTG Subcommittee are Axis Pipe and 

Tube, Benteler Steel & Tube Corporation, Borusan 

Mannesmann Pipe US Inc., PTC Liberty Tubulars 

LLC, Vallourec Star, and Welded Tube USA, Inc. 

See Requestors’ Letter, ‘‘Response to Second 

Request for Information,’’ dated November 12, 2024 

(Circumvention Request). 

2See Certain Oil Country Tubular Goods from the 

People’s Republic of China: Amended Final 

Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value and 

Antidumping Duty Order, 75 FR 28551 (May 21, 

2010); see also Certain Oil Country Tubular Goods 

from the People’s Republic of China: Amended 

Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty 

Determination and Countervailing Duty Order, 75 

FR 3203 (January 20, 2010) (collectively, Orders). 

3See Requestor’s Letter, ‘‘Request for 

Circumvention Inquiry,’’ dated July 18, 2024. 

4See Memorandum, ‘‘Extension of Time to 

Determine Whether to Initiate Circumvention 

Inquiry,’’ dated August 20, 2024. 

5See Commerce’s Letter, ‘‘Supplemental 

Questionnaire,’’ dated September 6, 2024. 

6 Id. 

7See Requestors’ Letter, ‘‘Request for 

Circumvention Inquiry,’’ dated September 25, 2024. 

8See Commerce’s Letter, ‘‘Supplemental 

Questionnaire,’’ dated October 23, 2024. 

9 Id. 

10See Circumvention Request. 

11See Initiation Checklist, ‘‘OCTG Completed in 

Thailand Circumvention Initiation Checklist,’’ 

dated concurrently with, and hereby adopted by, 

this notice (Circumvention Initiation Checklist) at 

Attachment I. 

information to value factors under 19 

CFR 351.408(c), or to measure the 

adequacy of remuneration under 19 CFR 

351.511(a)(2), filed pursuant to 19 CFR 

351.301(c)(3) and rebuttal, clarification 

and correction filed pursuant to 19 CFR 

351.301(c)(3)(iv); (3) comments 

concerning the selection of a surrogate 

country and surrogate values and 

rebuttal; (4) comments concerning CBP 

data; and (5) Q&V questionnaires. Under 

certain circumstances, Commerce may 

elect to specify a different time limit by 

which extension requests will be 

considered untimely for submissions 

which are due from multiple parties 

simultaneously. In such a case, 

Commerce will inform parties in the 

letter or memorandum setting forth the 

deadline (including a specified time) by 

which extension requests must be filed 

to be considered timely. This policy also 

requires that an extension request must 

be made in a separate, standalone 

submission, and clarifies the 

circumstances under which Commerce 

will grant untimely-filed requests for the 

extension of time limits. Please review 

the Final Rule, available at https://

www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-09-20/ 

html/2013-22853.htm, prior to 

submitting factual information in these 

segments. 

These initiations and this notice are 

in accordance with section 751(a) of the 

Act (19 U.S.C. 1675(a)) and 19 CFR 

351.221(c)(1)(i). 

Dated: December 12, 2024. 

Scot Fullerton, 

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for 

Antidumping and Countervailing Duty 

Operations. 

[FR Doc. 2024–30029 Filed 12–17–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

International Trade Administration 

[A–570–943, C–570–944] 

Oil Country Tubular Goods From the 

People’s Republic of China: Initiation 

of Circumvention Inquiry on the 

Antidumping and Countervailing Duty 

Orders 

AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, 

International Trade Administration, 

Department of Commerce. 

SUMMARY: In response to a request from 

the Committee on Pipe and Tube 

Imports Subcommittee for OCTG (the 

CPTI OCTG Subcommittee) and the 

United Steel, Paper and Forestry, 

Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied 

Industrial and Service Workers 

International Union, AFL–CIO, CLC 

(USW) (collectively, the requestors), the 

U.S. Department of Commerce 

(Commerce) is initiating a country-wide 

circumvention inquiry to determine 

whether imports of seamless oil country 

tubular goods (OCTG) from the People’s 

Republic of China (China) which are 

completed in Thailand from steel billets 

produced in China are circumventing 

the antidumping (AD) and 

countervailing duty (CVD) orders on 

OCTG from China. 

DATES: Applicable December 18, 2024. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Barb 

Rawdon, AD/CVD Office of Policy, 

Enforcement and Compliance, 

International Trade Administration, 

U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 

Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, 

DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482–0474. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

On July 18, 2024, pursuant to section 

781(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as 

amended (the Act), and 19 CFR 

351.226(i), the requestors 1 filed a 

circumvention inquiry request alleging 

that OCTG completed in Thailand using 

steel billets manufactured in China, is 

circumventing the AD and CVD orders 

on OCTG from China 2 and, accordingly, 

should be included within the scope of 

the Orders.3 On August 20, 2024, we 

extended the deadline to initiate this 

circumvention inquiry in accordance 

with 19 CFR 351.226(d)(1).4

On September 6, 2023, we issued a 

supplemental (deficiency) questionnaire 

to the requestors, directing them to resubmit their inquiry requests and 

provide additional information.5 In our 

request for information, we clarified that 

we issued the request because we had 

found that the request to conduct the 

circumvention inquiry was insufficient 

for purposes of initiation, in accordance 

with 19 CFR 351.226(d)(1). 

Additionally, we clarified that the 30- 

day time period for Commerce to 

consider whether to initiate on the 

requestors’ circumvention inquiry will 

begin with the requestors’ response to 

Commerce’s September 6, 2024, letter.6

On September 25, 2024, the requestors 

filed their response.7 On October 23, 

2024, Commerce issued a second 

supplemental questionnaire.8 In our 

request for information, we clarified that 

we issued the request because we had 

found that the request to conduct the 

circumvention inquiry was insufficient 

for purposes of initiation, in accordance 

with 19 CFR 351.226(d)(1). 

Additionally, we clarified that the 30- 

day time period for Commerce to 

consider whether to initiate on the 

requestors’ circumvention inquiry will 

begin with the requestors’ response to 

Commerce’s October 23, 2024, letter.9

On November 12, 2024, the requestors 

responded to Commerce’s request for 

information.10 Thus, we consider the 

inquiry request to have been filed on 

November 12, 2024. 

Scope of the Orders 

The merchandise covered by the 

scope of the Orders is OCTG, which are 

hollow steel products of circular crosssection, including oil well casing and 

tubing, of iron (other than cast iron) or 

steel (both carbon and alloy), whether 

seamless or welded, regardless of end 

finish. For a full description of the 

scope of the Orders, see the 

Circumvention Initiation Checklist.11

Merchandise Subject to the 

Circumvention Inquiry 

The circumvention inquiry covers 

seamless OCTG completed in Thailand 

using Chinese-produced steel billets, 

and subsequently exported from 

Thailand to the United States. 

Initiation of Circumvention Inquiry 

Section 351.226(d) of Commerce’s 

regulations states that if Commerce 

determines that a request for a 

circumvention inquiry satisfies the 


khammond on DSK9W7S144PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 243 / Wednesday, December 18, 2024 / Notices 102865 

12See Statement of Administrative Action 

Accompanying the Uruguay Round Agreements 

Act, H.R. Doc. 103–316, Vol. 1 (1994), at 893. 

13See, e.g., Hydrofluorocarbon Blends from the 

People’s Republic of China: Initiation of 

Circumvention Inquiry on the Antidumping Duty 

Order, 88 FR 74150 (October 30, 2023). 

requirements of 19 CFR 351.226(c), then 

Commerce ‘‘will accept the request and 

initiate a circumvention inquiry.’’ 

Section 351.226(c)(1) of Commerce’s 

regulations, in turn, requires that each 

circumvention inquiry request allege 

‘‘that the elements necessary for a 

circumvention determination under 

section 781 of the Act exist’’ and be 

‘‘accompanied by information 

reasonably available to the interested 

party supporting these allegations.’’ The 

requestors alleged circumvention 

pursuant to section 781(b) of the Act 

(merchandise completed or assembled 

in other foreign countries). 

Section 781(b)(1) of the Act provides 

that Commerce may find circumvention 

of an order when merchandise of the 

same class or kind subject to the order 

is completed or assembled in a foreign 

country other than the country to which 

the order applies. In conducting a 

circumvention inquiry, under section 

781(b)(1) of the Act, Commerce relies on 

the following criteria: (A) merchandise 

imported into the United States is of the 

same class or kind as any merchandise 

produced in a foreign country that is the 

subject of an AD or CVD order; (B) 

before importation into the United 

States, such imported merchandise is 

completed or assembled in another 

foreign country from merchandise 

which is subject to the order or is 

produced in the foreign country that is 

subject to the order; (C) the process of 

assembly or completion in the foreign 

country referred to in section (B) is 

minor or insignificant; (D) the value of 

the merchandise produced in the 

foreign country to which the AD or CVD 

order applies is a significant portion of 

the total value of the merchandise 

exported to the United States; and (E) 

the administering authority determines 

that action is appropriate to prevent 

evasion of such order. 

In determining whether the process of 

assembly or completion in a foreign 

country is minor or insignificant under 

section 781(b)(1)(C) of the Act, section 

781(b)(2) of the Act directs Commerce to 

consider: (A) the level of investment in 

the foreign country; (B) the level of 

research and development in the foreign 

country; (C) the nature of the production 

process in the foreign country; (D) the 

extent of production facilities in the 

foreign country; and (E) whether or not 

the value of processing performed in the 

foreign country represents a small 

proportion of the value of the 

merchandise imported into the United 

States. However, no single factor, by 

itself, controls Commerce’s 

determination of whether the process of 

assembly or completion in a foreign 

country is minor or insignificant.12

Accordingly, Commerce will evaluate 

each of these five factors as they exist 

in the foreign country, depending on the 

particular circumvention scenario. 

In addition, section 781(b)(3) of the 

Act sets forth additional factors to 

consider in determining whether to 

include merchandise assembled or 

completed in a foreign country within 

the scope of an AD or CVD order. 

Specifically, Commerce shall take into 

account such factors as: (A) the pattern 

of trade, including sourcing patterns; (B) 

whether the manufacturer or exporter of 

the merchandise that was shipped to the 

foreign country is affiliated with the 

person who, in the foreign country, uses 

the merchandise to complete or 

assemble the merchandise which is 

subsequently imported into the United 

States; and (C) whether imports of the 

merchandise into the foreign country 

have increased after the initiation of the 

investigation that resulted in the 

issuance of such order. 

Analysis 

Based on our analysis of the 

requestors’ circumvention inquiry 

request, we determine that they have 

satisfied the criteria under 19 CFR 

351.226(c), and thus, pursuant to 19 

CFR 351.226(d)(1)(iii), we are initiating 

the requested circumvention inquiry. 

For a full discussion of the basis for our 

decision to initiate this circumvention 

inquiry, see the Circumvention 

Initiation Checklist. As explained in the 

Circumvention Initiation Checklist, the 

information provided by the requestors 

warrants initiating this circumvention 

inquiry on a country-wide basis. 

Commerce has taken this approach in 

prior circumvention inquiries, where 

the facts warranted initiation on a 

country-wide basis.13

Consistent with the approach in the 

prior circumvention inquiries that we 

initiated on a country-wide basis, 

Commerce intends to issue 

questionnaires to solicit information 

from producers and exporters in 

Thailand concerning their shipments of 

OCTG made from Chinese-origin steel 

billets to the United States. 

Respondent Selection 

Commerce intends to base respondent 

selection on responses to quantity and 

value (Q&V) questionnaires. Commerce 

intends to identify the companies to 

which it will issue the Q&V 

questionnaire, in part, based on U.S. 

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 

data. Parties to which Commerce does 

not issue the Q&V questionnaire may 

also respond to the Q&V questionnaire, 

which will be available on Enforcement 

and Compliance’s Antidumping and 

Countervailing Duty Centralized 

Electronic Service System (ACCESS), 

before the applicable deadline. ACCESS 

is available to registered users at https:// 

access.trade.gov. 

Commerce intends to place the CBP 

data on the record via ACCESS within 

five days of the publication of this 

initiation notice. Comments regarding 

the CBP data and respondent selection 

should be submitted within seven days 

after placement of the CBP data on the 

record of the inquiry. 

Commerce intends to establish a 

schedule for questionnaire responses 

after Commerce selects respondents. A 

company’s failure to completely 

respond to Commerce’s requests for 

information may result in the 

application of facts available, pursuant 

to section 776(a) of the Act, which may 

include adverse inferences, pursuant to 

section 776(b) of the Act. 

Suspension of Liquidation 

Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.226(l)(1), 

Commerce will notify CBP of this 

initiation and direct CBP to continue the 

suspension of liquidation of entries of 

products subject to the circumvention 

inquiry that were already subject to the 

suspension of liquidation under the 

Orders and to apply the cash deposit 

rates that would be applicable if the 

products were determined to be covered 

by the scope of the Orders. Should 

Commerce issue affirmative preliminary 

or final circumvention determinations, 

Commerce will follow the suspension of 

liquidation rules under 19 CFR 

351.226(l)(2)–(4). 

Notification to Interested Parties 

In accordance with 19 CFR 351.226(d) 

and section 781(b) of the Act, Commerce 

determines that the requestors’ request 

for a circumvention inquiry satisfies the 

requirements of 19 CFR 351.226(c). 

Accordingly, Commerce is notifying all 

interested parties of the initiation of this 

circumvention inquiry to determine 

whether OCTG from China, which is 

completed in Thailand from steel billets 

produced in China, is circumventing the 

Orders. In addition, we have included a 

description of the products that are the 

subject to this inquiry and an 

explanation of Commerce’s decision to 

initiate this inquiry as provided in the 

accompanying Circumvention Initiation 


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102866 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 243 / Wednesday, December 18, 2024 / Notices 

14See Circumvention Initiation Checklist at 13. 

Checklist.14 In accordance with 19 CFR 

351.226(e)(1), Commerce intends to 

issue its preliminary circumvention 

determination no later than 150 days 

from the date of publication of the 

notice of initiation of this 

circumvention inquiry in the Federal 

Register. 

This notice is published in 

accordance with section 781(b) of the 

Act, and 19 CFR 351.226(d)(1)(iii). 

Dated: December 12, 2024. 

Abdelali Elouaradia, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement 

and Compliance. 

[FR Doc. 2024–29911 Filed 12–17–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

Request for Information; Data for 

Marine Spatial Studies Related to 

Transmission Planning in Texas, 

Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama 

AGENCY: National Centers for Coastal 

Ocean Science, National Ocean Service, 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA), Department of 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; request for information. 

SUMMARY: NOAA’s National Ocean 

Service (NOS) National Centers for 

Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS), 

hereafter NOAA, in partnership with the 

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management 

(BOEM) and the Department of Energy 

(DOE) Grid Deployment Office (GDO) 

and the National Renewable Energy 

Laboratory (NREL), is working to build 

on existing spatial planning capacity in 

the United States (U.S.) Gulf of Mexico 

region. Through this Request for 

Information, NOAA is seeking public 

input to identify coastal and marine 

spatial data or other critical information 

to inform spatial analyses for 

transmission planning in state and 

Federal waters off Texas, Louisiana, 

Mississippi, and Alabama. The input we 

receive from the data development 

workshop meeting, as well as the 

responses to the items listed in the 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of 

this document, will be used to inform 

potential coastal and ocean 

development activities in the U.S. Gulf 

of Mexico region, such as renewable 

energy development. 

DATES: Interested persons are invited to 

provide input in response to this 

Request for Information through January 

24, 2025. Late-filed input will be 

considered to the extent practicable. 

Verbal input will be accepted during 

a public meeting to be held at the 

InterContinental Hotel in New Orleans, 

Louisiana on January 14–15, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to provide input using one of the 

following methods: 

• Electronic Submission: Submit 

electronic written public comments via 

the Federal e- Rulemaking Portal. Go to 

https://www.regulations.gov and enter 

NOAA–NOS–2024–0138 in the Search 

box. Click on the ‘‘Comment’’ icon, 

complete the required fields, and enter 

or attach your comments. All comments 

received are a part of the public record 

and will generally be posted for public 

viewing on www.regulations.gov 

without change. All personal identifying 

information (e.g., name, address, etc.), 

confidential business information, or 

otherwise sensitive information 

submitted voluntarily by the sender will 

be publicly accessible. NOAA will 

accept anonymous comments (enter ‘‘N/ 

A’’ in the required fields if you wish to 

remain anonymous). 

• Verbal submission: NOAA will 

accept verbal input at a data 

development workshop. The meeting 

will be held at the InterContinental 

Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana on 

Tuesday, January 14, 2025 from 8 a.m. 

to 5 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST) 

and Wednesday, January 15, 2025 from 

8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CST. There will be a 

registration window from 8 a.m. to 9 

a.m. CST each day before the start of the 

meeting. Advanced registration is 

required for the meeting by completing 

the registration form at https://

forms.gle/BmTDiD5zV3ZuXHuN8 or by 

providing an RSVP to Joshua Chastain at 

joshua.chastain@noaa.gov. The 

registration deadline is Friday, January 

3, 2025. 

Reports of meeting results will also be 

published and made available to the 

public in the weeks following the 

meeting. If you are unable to provide 

electronic written comments or 

participate in the meeting, please 

contact Joshua Chastain at 

joshua.chastain@noaa.gov or (843) 267– 

5641 for alternative submission 

methods. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

James Morris, NOAA NCCOS, at 

james.morris@noaa.gov or (252) 666– 

7433. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

NOAA is an agency of the United 

States Federal Government that works to 

conserve and manage coastal and 

marine ecosystems and resources. 

NOAA works to make fisheries 

sustainable and productive, provide safe 

seafood to consumers, conserve 

threatened and endangered species and 

other protected resources, and maintain 

healthy ecosystems. NOAA has 

jurisdiction and responsibility for its 

trust marine resources in the U.S. Gulf 

of Mexico region as well as significant 

interest in supporting the resilience of 

coastal and marine-dependent 

communities and promoting equity and 

environmental justice. For these 

reasons, it is important for NOAA to 

invest in research that informs marine 

spatial studies in the U.S. Gulf of 

Mexico region, including socioeconomic 

research that ensures meaningful 

participation of local communities and 

supports equitable processes for 

planning and siting of new and existing 

marine industries and conservation 

areas. 

NOAA has been engaged with the 

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management 

(BOEM) to support siting and 

environmental review for offshore wind 

energy areas in U.S. Federal waters 

(https://www.boem.gov/renewableenergy) to ensure protection of trust 

resources in any offshore development 

activities. 

II. Purpose of This Request for 

Information 

The purpose of this Request for 

Information is to promote data 

development to inform coastal and 

marine spatial studies related to 

transmission planning in Texas, 

Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, 

with an emphasis on data needs for 

offshore wind and transmission 

planning. In addition to input received 

from the public through the electronic 

and verbal submissions, NOAA aims to 

inform the public about its coastal and 

ocean planning processes and 

capabilities, discuss the current data 

available for each ocean sector (e.g., 

national security, fisheries, industry, 

metocean, natural, cultural, and social 

resources), and gather ideas for other 

data sources. NOAA hopes to come out 

of the meetings with a strengthened 

relationship with the public and a list 

of best available data and data gaps. 

III. Specific Information Requested To 

Inform Marine Spatial Studies Related 

to Transmission Planning in Texas, 

Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama 

Through this Request for Information, 

NOAA seeks written public input to 

inform coastal and marine spatial 

studies related to transmission planning 

in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico region. 

NOAA is particularly interested in 


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