Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 8 / Tuesday, January 14, 2025 / Notices 3179 

1See Petitioner’s Letter, ‘‘Petitions for the 

Imposition of Antidumping and Countervailing 

Duties,’’ dated November 25, 2024 (Petition). 

2 Id. 

3See Commerce’s Letters, ‘‘Supplemental 

Questions,’’ dated November 27, 2024 (General 

Issues Questionnaire); ‘‘Supplemental Questions,’’ 

dated November 27, 2024; see also Memorandum, 

‘‘Phone Call with Counsel to the Petitioner,’’ dated 

December 6, 2024 (December 6, 2024, 

Memorandum). 

4See Petitioner’s Letters, ‘‘Antidumping and 

Countervailing Supplemental Questionnaire 

Response,’’ dated December 4, 2024 (General Issues 

Supplement); ‘‘Antidumping Supplemental 

Questionnaire Response,’’ dated December 4, 2024; 

‘‘Antidumping and Countervailing General Issues 

Supplement Response,’’ dated December 9, 2024 

(Scope Supplement); and ‘‘Antidumping 

Supplemental Questionnaire Response,’’ dated 

December 12, 2024. 

5See Notice of Extension of the Deadline for 

Determining the Adequacy of the Antidumping and 

Countervailing Duty Petitions: Sol Gel AluminaBased Ceramic Abrasive Grains from the People’s 

Republic of China, 89 FR 100465 (December 12, 

2024) (Initiation Extension Notice). 

6See section on ‘‘Determination of Industry 

Support for the Petition,’’ infra. 

7See General Issues Questionnaire; see also 

December 6, 2024, Memorandum. 8See General Issues Supplement at 1–3; see also 

Scope Supplement at 4–5. 9See Antidumping Duties; Countervailing Duties, 

Final Rule, 62 FR 27296, 27323 (May 19, 1997) 

(Preamble); see also 19 CFR 351.312. 

10See 19 CFR 351.102(b)(21) (defining ‘‘factual 

information’’). 

11See 19 CFR 351.303(b)(1). The deadline for 

scope comments falls on January 26, 2025, which 

is a Sunday. In accordance with 19 CFR 

351.303(b)(1), Commerce will accept comments 

filed by 5:00 p.m. ET on January 27, 2025 (‘‘For 

both electronically filed and manually filed 

documents, if the applicable due date falls on a 

non-business day, the Secretary will accept 

documents that are filed on the next business 

day.’’). 

and 8474.90.0090. Although the HTSUS 

statistical reporting numbers are provided for 

convenience and customs purposes, the 

written description of the merchandise is 

dispositive. 

[FR Doc. 2025–00545 Filed 1–13–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

International Trade Administration 

[A–570–190] 

Sol Gel Alumina-Based Ceramic 

Abrasive Grains From the People’s 

Republic of China: Initiation of LessThan-Fair-Value Investigation 

AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, 

International Trade Administration, 

Department of Commerce. 

DATES: Applicable January 6, 2025. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Thomas Cloyd, Office VII, AD/CVD 

Operations, Enforcement and 

Compliance, International Trade 

Administration, U.S. Department of 

Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue 

NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: 

(202) 482–1246. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

The Petition 

On November 25, 2024, the U.S. 

Department of Commerce (Commerce) 

received an antidumping duty (AD) 

petition concerning imports of sol gel 

alumina-based ceramic abrasive grains 

(ceramic abrasive grains) from the 

People’s Republic of China (China) filed 

in proper form on behalf of SaintGobain Ceramics & Plastics, Inc. (the 

petitioner), a U.S. producer of ceramic 

abrasive grains.1 The AD Petition was 

accompanied by a countervailing duty 

(CVD) petition concerning imports of 

ceramic abrasive grains from China.2

Between November 27 and December 

6, 2024, Commerce requested 

supplemental information pertaining to 

certain aspects of the Petition in 

supplemental questionnaires.3 Between 

December 4 and 12, 2024, the petitioner 

filed timely responses to these requests 

for additional information.4

On December 6, 2024, Commerce 

extended the initiation deadline by 20 

days to poll the domestic industry in 

accordance with sections 732(c)(1)(B) 

and 732(c)(4)(D) of the Tariff Act of 

1930, as amended (the Act), because the 

Petition ‘‘{had} not established that the 

domestic producers or workers 

accounting for more than 50 percent of 

total production support the 

{Petition}. . . .’’ 5

In accordance with section 732(b) of 

the Act, the petitioner alleges that 

imports of ceramic abrasive grains from 

China are being, or are likely to be, sold 

in the United States at less than fair 

value (LTFV) within the meaning of 

section 731 of the Act, and that imports 

of such products are materially injuring, 

or threatening material injury to, the 

ceramic abrasive grains industry in the 

United States. Consistent with section 

732(b)(1) of the Act, the Petition was 

accompanied by information reasonably 

available to the petitioner supporting its 

allegations. 

Commerce finds that the petitioner 

filed the Petition on behalf of the 

domestic industry, because the 

petitioner is an interested party, as 

defined in section 771(9)(C) of the Act. 

Commerce also finds that the petitioner 

demonstrated sufficient industry 

support for the initiation of the 

requested LTFV investigation.6

Period of Investigation 

Because the Petition was filed on 

November 25, 2024, and because China 

is a non-market economy (NME) 

country, pursuant to 19 CFR 

351.204(b)(1), the period of 

investigation (POI) for China LTFV 

investigation is April 1, 2024, through 

September 30, 2024. 

Scope of the Investigation 

The products covered by this 

investigation are ceramic abrasive grains 

from China. For a full description of the 

scope of this investigation, see the 

appendix to this notice. 

Comments on the Scope of the 

Investigation 

On November 27, 2024 and December 

6, 2024, Commerce requested 

information and clarification from the 

petitioner regarding the proposed scope 

to ensure that the scope language in the 

Petition is an accurate reflection of the 

products for which the domestic 

industry is seeking relief.7 On December 

4 and 9, 2024, the petitioner provided 

clarifications and revised the scope.8

The description of merchandise covered 

by this investigation, as described in the 

appendix to this notice, reflects these 

clarifications. 

As discussed in the Preamble to 

Commerce’s regulations, we are setting 

aside a period for interested parties to 

raise issues regarding product coverage 

(i.e., scope).9 Commerce will consider 

all scope comments received from 

interested parties and, if necessary, will 

consult with interested parties prior to 

the issuance of the preliminary 

determination. If scope comments 

include factual information,10 all such 

factual information should be limited to 

public information. To facilitate 

preparation of its questionnaires, 

Commerce requests that scope 

comments be submitted by 5:00 p.m. 

Eastern Time (ET) on January 27, 2025, 

which is the next business day after 20 

calendar days from the signature date of 

this notice.11 Any rebuttal comments, 

which may include factual information, 

and should also be limited to public 

information, must be filed by 5:00 p.m. 

ET on February 6, 2025, which is 10 

calendar days from the initial comment 

deadline. 

Commerce requests that any factual 

information that parties consider 

relevant to the scope of this 

investigation be submitted during that 

period. However, if a party subsequently 

finds that additional factual information 

pertaining to the scope of the 

investigation may be relevant, the party 

must contact Commerce and request 

permission to submit the additional 


khammond on DSK9W7S144PROD with NOTICES
3180 Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 8 / Tuesday, January 14, 2025 / Notices 

12See Antidumping and Countervailing Duty 

Proceedings: Electronic Filing Procedures; 

Administrative Protective Order Procedures, 76 FR 

39263 (July 6, 2011); see also Enforcement and 

Compliance: Change of Electronic Filing System 

Name, 79 FR 69046 (November 20, 2014) for details 

of Commerce’s electronic filing requirements, 

effective August 5, 2011. Information on using 

ACCESS can be found at https://access.trade.gov/ 

help.aspx and a handbook can be found at https:// 

access.trade.gov/help/Handbook_on_Electronic_

Filing_Procedures.pdf. 

13See 19 CFR 351.303(b)(1). The deadline for 

comments on product characteristics falls on 

January 26, 2025, which is a Sunday. In accordance 

with 19 CFR 351.303(b)(1), Commerce will accept 

comments filed by 5:00 p.m. ET on January 27, 2025 

(‘‘For both electronically filed and manually filed 

documents, if the applicable due date falls on a 

non-business day, the Secretary will accept 

documents that are filed on the next business 

day.’’). 

14See section 771(10) of the Act. 

15See USEC, Inc. v. United States, 132 F. Supp. 

2d 1, 8 (CIT 2001) (citing Algoma Steel Corp., Ltd. 

v. United States, 688 F. Supp. 639, 644 (CIT 1988), 

aff’d Algoma Steel Corp., Ltd. v. United States, 865 

F.2d 240 (Fed. Cir. 1989)). 

16For a discussion of the domestic like product 

analysis as applied to this case and information 

regarding industry support, see Checklist, 

‘‘Antidumping Duty Investigation Initiation 

Checklist: Sol Gel Alumina-Based Ceramic Abrasive 

Grains from the People’s Republic of China,’’ dated 

concurrently with, and hereby adopted by, this 

notice (China AD Initiation Checklist), at 

Attachment II, Analysis of Industry Support for the 

Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Petitions 

Covering Sol Gel Alumina-Based Ceramic Abrasive 

Grains from the People’s Republic of China 

(Attachment II). This checklist is on file 

electronically via ACCESS. 

17See Attachment II of the China AD Initiation 

Checklist. 

18See Initiation Extension Notice. 

19See Commerce’s Letters, ‘‘Polling 

Questionnaire,’’ dated December 10, 2024; see also 

Memorandum, ‘‘Email to Counsel for Domestic 

Producers,’’ dated December 23, 2024. 

20See Petitioner’s Letter, ‘‘Polling Questionnaire 

Response,’’ dated December 17, 2024; see also 3M 

Company’s Letter, ‘‘Industry Polling Questionnaire 

Response,’’ dated December 17, 2024. 

information. All scope comments must 

be filed simultaneously on the records 

of the concurrent LTFV and CVD 

investigations. 

Filing Requirements 

All submissions to Commerce must be 

filed electronically via Enforcement and 

Compliance’s Antidumping Duty and 

Countervailing Duty Centralized 

Electronic Service System (ACCESS), 

unless an exception applies.12 An 

electronically filed document must be 

received successfully in its entirety by 

the time and date it is due. 

Comments on Product Characteristics 

Commerce is providing interested 

parties an opportunity to comment on 

the appropriate physical characteristics 

of ceramic abrasive grains to be reported 

in response to Commerce’s AD 

questionnaires. This information will be 

used to identify the key physical 

characteristics of the subject 

merchandise in order to report the 

relevant factors of production (FOP) 

accurately, as well as to develop 

appropriate product comparison 

criteria. 

Interested parties may provide any 

information or comments that they feel 

are relevant to the development of an 

accurate list of physical characteristics. 

In order to consider the suggestions of 

interested parties in developing and 

issuing the AD questionnaires, all 

product characteristics comments must 

be filed by 5:00 p.m. ET on January 27, 

2025, which is the next business day 

after 20 calendar days from the 

signature date of this notice.13 Any 

rebuttal comments must be filed by 5:00 

p.m. ET on February 6, 2025, which is 

10 calendar days from the initial 

comment deadline. All comments and 

submissions to Commerce must be filed 

electronically using ACCESS, as 

explained above, on the record of the 

LTFV investigation. 

Determination of Industry Support for 

the Petition 

Section 732(b)(1) of the Act requires 

that a petition be filed on behalf of the 

domestic industry. Section 732(c)(4)(A) 

of the Act provides that a petition meets 

this requirement if the domestic 

producers or workers who support the 

petition account for: (i) at least 25 

percent of the total production of the 

domestic like product; and (ii) more 

than 50 percent of the production of the 

domestic like product produced by that 

portion of the industry expressing 

support for, or opposition to, the 

petition. Moreover, section 732(c)(4)(D) 

of the Act provides that, if the petition 

does not establish support of domestic 

producers or workers accounting for 

more than 50 percent of the total 

production of the domestic like product, 

Commerce shall: (i) poll the industry or 

rely on other information in order to 

determine if there is support for the 

petition, as required by subparagraph 

(A); or (ii) determine industry support 

using a statistically valid sampling 

method to poll the ‘‘industry.’’ 

Section 771(4)(A) of the Act defines 

the ‘‘industry’’ as the producers as a 

whole of a domestic like product. Thus, 

to determine whether a petition has the 

requisite industry support, the statute 

directs Commerce to look to producers 

and workers who produce the domestic 

like product. The U.S. International 

Trade Commission (ITC), which is 

responsible for determining whether 

‘‘the domestic industry’’ has been 

injured, must also determine what 

constitutes a domestic like product in 

order to define the industry. While both 

Commerce and the ITC apply the same 

statutory definition regarding the 

domestic like product,14 they do so for 

different purposes and pursuant to a 

separate and distinct authority. In 

addition, Commerce’s determination is 

subject to limitations of time and 

information. Although this may result in 

different definitions of the like product, 

such differences do not render the 

decision of either agency contrary to 

law.15

Section 771(10) of the Act defines the 

domestic like product as ‘‘a product 

which is like, or in the absence of like, 

most similar in characteristics and uses 

with, the article subject to an 

investigation under this title.’’ Thus, the 

reference point from which the 

domestic like product analysis begins is 

‘‘the article subject to an investigation’’ 

(i.e., the class or kind of merchandise to 

be investigated, which normally will be 

the scope as defined in the petition). 

With regard to the domestic like 

product, the petitioner does not offer a 

definition of the domestic like product 

distinct from the scope of the 

investigation.16 Based on our analysis of 

the information submitted on the 

record, we have determined that 

ceramic abrasive grains, as defined in 

the scope, constitute a single domestic 

like product, and we have analyzed 

industry support in terms of that 

domestic like product.17

As noted above, on December 6, 2024, 

Commerce extended the initiation 

deadline by 20 days to poll the domestic 

industry in accordance with sections 

732(c)(1)(B) and 732(c)(4)(D) of the Act, 

because the Petition ‘‘{had} not 

established that the domestic producers 

or workers accounting for more than 50 

percent of total production support the 

{Petition}. . . .’’ 18 On December 10, 

2024, we issued polling questionnaires 

to all known producers identified in the 

Petition.19 We requested that the 

companies complete the polling 

questionnaire and certify their 

responses by the due date specified in 

the cover letter to the questionnaire. We 

received timely responses to these 

questionnaires from domestic producers 

on December 17, 2024.20 No interested 

party submitted comments on the 

polling questionnaire responses. 

Our analysis of the data we received 

in the polling questionnaire responses 

indicates that the domestic producers 

and workers who support the Petition 

account for at least 25 percent of the 

total production of the domestic like 

product and more than 50 percent of the 


khammond on DSK9W7S144PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 8 / Tuesday, January 14, 2025 / Notices 3181 

21See Attachment II of the China AD Initiation 

Checklists. 

22 Id. 

23For further information regarding negligibility 

and the injury allegation, see China AD Initiation 

Checklist at Attachment III, Analysis of Allegations 

and Evidence of Material Injury and Causation for 

the Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Petitions 

Covering Sol Gel Alumina-Based Ceramic Abrasive 

Grains from the People’s Republic of China 

(Attachment III). 

24See Attachment III of the China AD Initiation 

Checklist. 

25 Id. 

26See China AD Initiation Checklist. 

27 Id. 

28See, e.g., Certain Freight Rail Couplers and 

Parts Thereof from the People’s Republic of China: 

Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Sales at 

Less Than Fair Value and Preliminary Affirmative 

Determination of Critical Circumstances, 88 FR 

15372 (March 13, 2023), and accompanying 

Preliminary Decision Memorandum at 5, 

unchanged in Certain Freight Rail Couplers and 

Parts Thereof from the People’s Republic of China: 

Final Affirmative Determination of Sales at LessThan-Fair Value and Final Affirmative 

Determination of Critical Circumstances, 88 FR 

34485 (May 30, 2023). 

29See China AD Initiation Checklist. 

30 Id. 

31See China AD Initiation Checklist. 

32 Id. 

33 Id. 

34See Petition at Volume I (page I–16 and Exhibit 

I–5); see also General Issues Supplement at 1 and 

Exhibit I–5–Revised. 

production of the domestic like product 

produced by that portion of the industry 

expressing support for, or opposition to, 

the Petition.21 Accordingly, Commerce 

determines that the industry support 

requirements of section 732(c)(4)(A) of 

the Act have been met and that the 

Petition was filed on behalf of the 

domestic industry within the meaning 

of section 732(b)(1) of the Act.22

Allegations and Evidence of Material 

Injury and Causation 

The petitioner alleges that the U.S. 

industry producing the domestic like 

product is being materially injured, or is 

threatened with material injury, by 

reason of the imports of the subject 

merchandise sold at LTFV. In addition, 

the petitioner alleges that subject 

imports from China exceed the 

negligibility threshold provided for 

under section 771(24)(A) of the Act.23

The petitioner contends that the 

industry’s injured condition is 

illustrated by the increasing volume of 

subject imports; reduced market share; 

underselling and price depression and/ 

or suppression; lost sales and revenues; 

declines in the domestic industry’s 

production, capacity utilization, and 

financial performance; and the 

magnitude of the alleged dumping 

margins.24 We assessed the allegations 

and supporting evidence regarding 

material injury, threat of material injury, 

causation, cumulation, as well as 

negligibility, and we have determined 

that these allegations are properly 

supported by adequate evidence and 

meet the statutory requirements for 

initiation.25

Allegations of Sales at LTFV 

The following is a description of the 

allegations of sales at LTFV upon which 

Commerce based its decision to initiate 

LTFV investigations of imports of 

ceramic abrasive grains from China. The 

sources of data for the deductions and 

adjustments relating to U.S. price and 

normal value (NV) are discussed in 

greater detail in the China AD Initiation 

Checklist. 

U.S. Price 

The petitioner based export price (EP) 

on invoice pricing information for 

ceramic abrasive grains produced in 

China and sold in the U.S. market 

during the POI.26 The petitioner made 

certain adjustments to U.S. price to 

calculate a net ex-factory U.S. price, 

where applicable.27

Normal Value 

Commerce considers China to be an 

NME country.28 In accordance with 

section 771(18)(C)(i) of the Act, any 

determination that a foreign country is 

an NME country shall remain in effect 

until revoked by Commerce. Therefore, 

we continue to treat China as an NME 

country for purposes of the initiation of 

this LTFV investigation. Accordingly, 

we base NV on FOPs valued in a 

surrogate market economy country in 

accordance with section 773(c) of the 

Act. 

The petitioner claims that the 

Republic of Tu ̈rkiye (Tu ̈rkiye) is an 

appropriate surrogate country for China 

because it is a market economy that is 

at a level of economic development 

comparable to that of China and is a 

significant producer of comparable 

merchandise.29 The petitioner provided 

publicly available information from 

Tu ̈rkiye to value all FOPs.30 Based on 

the information provided by the 

petitioner, we believe it is appropriate 

to use Tu ̈rkiye as a surrogate country for 

China to value all FOPs for initiation 

purposes. 

Interested parties will have the 

opportunity to submit comments 

regarding surrogate country selection 

and, pursuant to 19 CFR 

351.301(c)(3)(i), will be provided an 

opportunity to submit publicly available 

information to value FOPs within 30 

days before the scheduled date of the 

preliminary determination. 

Factors of Production 

Because information regarding the 

volume of inputs consumed by Chinese 

producers/exporters was not reasonably 

available, the petitioner used its own 

production experience and productspecific consumption rates as a 

surrogate to value Chinese 

manufacturers’ FOPs.31 Additionally, 

the petitioner calculated factory 

overhead, selling, general, and 

administrative expenses, and profit 

based on the experience of a Turkish 

producer of comparable merchandise.32

Fair Value Comparisons 

Based on the data provided by the 

petitioner, there is reason to believe that 

imports of ceramic abrasive grains from 

China are being, or are likely to be, sold 

in the United States at LTFV. Based on 

comparisons of EP to NV in accordance 

with sections 772 and 773 of the Act, 

the estimated dumping margins for 

ceramic abrasive grains from China 

covered by this initiation range from 

81.98 to 88.32 percent.33

Initiation of LTFV Investigation 

Based upon the examination of the 

Petition and supplemental responses, 

we find that they meet the requirements 

of section 732 of the Act. Therefore, we 

are initiating a LTFV investigation to 

determine whether imports of ceramic 

abrasive grains are being, or are likely to 

be, sold in the United States at LTFV. 

In accordance with section 733(b)(1)(A) 

of the Act and 19 CFR 351.205(b)(1), 

unless postponed, we will make our 

preliminary determination no later than 

140 days after the date of this initiation. 

Respondent Selection 

In the Petition, the petitioner 

identified 11 companies in China as 

producers and/or exporters of ceramic 

abrasive grains.34 Our standard practice 

for respondent selection in AD 

investigations involving NME countries 

is to select respondents based on 

quantity and value (Q&V) 

questionnaires in cases where 

Commerce has determined that the 

number of companies is large, and it 

cannot individually examine each 

company based upon its resources. 

Therefore, considering the number of 

producers and/or exporters identified in 

the Petition, Commerce will solicit Q&V 

information that can serve as a basis for 

selecting exporters for individual 

examination in the event that Commerce 

determines that the number is large and 

decides to limit the number of 

respondents individually examined 

pursuant to section 777A(c)(2) of the 


khammond on DSK9W7S144PROD with NOTICES
3182 Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 8 / Tuesday, January 14, 2025 / Notices 

35See 19 CFR 351.303(b)(1). The deadline for 

Q&V questionnaire responses falls on January 20, 

2025, which is a federal holiday. In accordance 

with 19 CFR 351.303(b)(1), Commerce will accept 

Q&V questionnaire responses filed by 5:00 p.m. ET 

on January 21, 2025 (‘‘For both electronically filed 

and manually filed documents, if the applicable 

due date falls on a non-business day, the Secretary 

will accept documents that are filed on the next 

business day.’’). 

36See Enforcement and Compliance’s Policy 

Bulletin No. 05.1, regarding, ‘‘Separate-Rates 

Practice and Application of Combination Rates in 

Antidumping Investigation involving NME 

Countries,’’ (April 5, 2005), at 6 (emphasis added), 

available on Commerce’s website at https://

access.trade.gov/Resources/policy/bull05-1.pdf. 

37See section 733(a) of the Act. 

38 Id. 

39See 19 CFR 351.301(b). 

40See 19 CFR 351.301(b)(2). 

41See 19 CFR 351.301; see also Extension of Time 

Limits; Final Rule, 78 FR 57790 (September 20, 

2013) (Time Limits Final Rule), available at https:// 

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

22853.htm. 

Act. Because there are 11 Chinese 

producers and/or exporters identified in 

the Petition, Commerce has determined 

that it will issue Q&V questionnaires to 

each potential respondent for which 

there is complete address information 

on the record. 

Commerce will post the Q&V 

questionnaires along with filing 

instructions on Commerce’s website at 

https://www.trade.gov/ec-adcvd-caseannouncements. Producers/exporters of 

ceramic abrasive grains from China that 

do not receive Q&V questionnaires may 

still submit a response to the Q&V 

questionnaire and can obtain a copy of 

the Q&V questionnaire from 

Commerce’s website. Responses to the 

Q&V questionnaire must be submitted 

by the relevant Chinese producers/ 

exporters no later than 5:00 p.m. ET on 

January 21, 2025, which is the next 

business day after two weeks from the 

signature date of this notice.35 All Q&V 

questionnaire responses must be filed 

electronically via ACCESS. An 

electronically filed document must be 

received successfully, in its entirety, by 

ACCESS no later than 5:00 p.m. ET on 

the deadline noted above. 

Interested parties must submit 

applications for disclosure under 

administrative protective order (APO) in 

accordance with 19 CFR 351.305(b). As 

stated above, instructions for filing such 

applications may be found on 

Commerce’s website at https://

www.trade.gov/administrativeprotective-orders. 

Separate Rates 

In order to obtain separate rate status 

in an NME investigation, exporters and 

producers must submit a separate rate 

application. The specific requirements 

for submitting a separate rate 

application in an NME investigation are 

outlined in detail in the application 

itself, which is available on Commerce’s 

website at https://access.trade.gov/ 

Resources/nme/nme-sep-rate.html. The 

separate rate application will be due 30 

days after publication of this initiation 

notice. Exporters and producers must 

file a timely separate rate application if 

they want to be considered for 

individual examination. Exporters and 

producers who submit a separate rate 

application and have been selected as 

mandatory respondents will be eligible 

for consideration for separate rate status 

only if they respond to all parts of 

Commerce’s AD questionnaire as 

mandatory respondents. Commerce 

requires that companies from China 

submit a response both to the Q&V 

questionnaire and to the separate rate 

application by the respective deadlines 

to receive consideration for separate rate 

status. Companies not filing a timely 

Q&V questionnaire response will not 

receive separate rate consideration. 

Use of Combination Rates 

Commerce will calculate combination 

rates for certain respondents that are 

eligible for a separate rate in an NME 

investigation. The Separate Rates and 

Combination Rates Bulletin states: 

{w}hile continuing the practice of assigning 

separate rates only to exporters, all separate 

rates that {Commerce} will now assign in its 

NME investigation will be specific to those 

producers that supplied the exporter during 

the period of investigation. Note, however, 

that one rate is calculated for the exporter 

and all of the producers which supplied 

subject merchandise to it during the period 

of investigation. This practice applies both to 

mandatory respondents receiving an 

individually calculated separate rate as well 

as the pool of non-investigated firms 

receiving the {weighted average} of the 

individually calculated rates. This practice is 

referred to as the application of ‘‘combination 

rates’’ because such rates apply to specific 

combinations of exporters and one or more 

producers. The cash-deposit rate assigned to 

an exporter will apply only to merchandise 

both exported by the firm in question and 

produced by a firm that supplied the exporter 

during the period of investigation.36

Distribution of Copies of the Petition 

In accordance with section 

732(b)(3)(A) of the Act and 19 CFR 

351.202(f), copies of the public version 

of the Petition have been provided to 

the Government of China via ACCESS. 

To the extent practicable, we will 

attempt to provide a copy of the public 

version of the Petition to each exporter 

named in the Petition, as provided 

under 19 CFR 351.203(c)(2). 

ITC Notification 

Commerce will notify the ITC of our 

initiation, as required by section 732(d) 

of the Act. 

Preliminary Determination by the ITC 

The ITC will preliminarily determine, 

within 25 days after the date on which 

the ITC receives notice from Commerce 

of initiation of the investigation, 

whether there is a reasonable indication 

that imports of ceramic abrasive grains 

from China are materially injuring, or 

threatening material injury to, a U.S. 

industry.37 A negative ITC 

determination will result in the 

investigation being terminated.38

Otherwise, this LTFV investigation will 

proceed according to statutory and 

regulatory time limits. 

Submission of Factual Information 

Factual information is defined in 19 

CFR 351.102(b)(21) as: (i) evidence 

submitted in response to questionnaires; 

(ii) evidence submitted in support of 

allegations; (iii) publicly available 

information to value factors under 19 

CFR 351.408(c) or to measure the 

adequacy of remuneration under 19 CFR 

351.511(a)(2); (iv) evidence placed on 

the record by Commerce; and (v) 

evidence other than factual information 

described in (i)–(iv). Section 351.301(b) 

of Commerce’s regulations requires any 

party, when submitting factual 

information, to specify under which 

subsection of 19 CFR 351.102(b)(21) the 

information is being submitted 39 and, if 

the information is submitted to rebut, 

clarify, or correct factual information 

already on the record, to provide an 

explanation identifying the information 

already on the record that the factual 

information seeks to rebut, clarify, or 

correct.40 Time limits for the 

submission of factual information are 

addressed in 19 CFR 351.301, which 

provides specific time limits based on 

the type of factual information being 

submitted. Interested parties should 

review the regulations prior to 

submitting factual information in this 

investigation. 

Extensions of Time Limits 

Parties may request an extension of 

time limits before the expiration of a 

time limit established under 19 CFR 

351.301, or as otherwise specified by 

Commerce. In general, an extension 

request will be considered untimely if it 

is filed after the expiration of the time 

limit established under 19 CFR 351.301, 

or as otherwise specified by 

Commerce.41 For submissions that are 

due from multiple parties 

simultaneously, an extension request 

will be considered untimely if it is filed 


khammond on DSK9W7S144PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 8 / Tuesday, January 14, 2025 / Notices 3183 

42See 19 CFR 351.302; see also, e.g., Time Limits 

Final Rule. 

43See section 782(b) of the Act. 

44See Certification of Factual Information to 

Import Administration During Antidumping and 

Countervailing Duty Proceedings, 78 FR 42678 (July 

17, 2013) (Final Rule). Additional information 

regarding the Final Rule is available at https://

access.trade.gov/Resources/filing/index.html. 

45See Administrative Protective Order, Service, 

and Other Procedures in Antidumping and 

Countervailing Duty Proceedings, 88 FR 67069 

(September 29, 2023). 

after 10:00 a.m. ET on the due date. 

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, we will 

inform parties in a letter or 

memorandum of the deadline (including 

a specified time) by which extension 

requests must be filed to be considered 

timely. An extension request must be 

made in a separate, standalone 

submission; under limited 

circumstances we will grant untimely 

filed requests for the extension of time 

limits, where we determine, based on 19 

CFR 351.302, that extraordinary 

circumstances exist. Parties should 

review Commerce’s regulations 

concerning the extension of time limits 

and the Time Limits Final Rule prior to 

submitting factual information in this 

investigation.42

Certification Requirements 

Any party submitting factual 

information in an AD or CVD 

proceeding must certify to the accuracy 

and completeness of that information.43

Parties must use the certification 

formats provided in 19 CFR 

351.303(g).44 Commerce intends to 

reject factual submissions if the 

submitting party does not comply with 

the applicable certification 

requirements. 

Notification to Interested Parties 

Interested parties must submit 

applications for disclosure under APO 

in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305. 

Parties wishing to participate in this 

investigation should ensure that they 

meet the requirements of 19 CFR 

351.103(d) (e.g., by filing the required 

letter of appearance). Note that 

Commerce has amended certain of its 

requirements pertaining to the service of 

documents in 19 CFR 351.303(f).45

This notice is issued and published 

pursuant to sections 732(c)(2) and 777(i) 

of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.203(c). 

Dated: January 6, 2025. 

Steven Presing, 

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy 

and Negotiations. 

Appendix—Scope of the Investigation 

The merchandise covered by this 

investigation is sol gel alumina-based 

ceramic abrasive grains which are comprised 

of minimum 94% aluminum oxide (Al2O3), 

and may contain other compounds, 

including, but not limited to, titanium 

dioxide, silicon dioxide, calcium oxide, 

sodium superoxide, ferric oxide, magnesium 

oxide, di-aluminum magnesium tetroxide, 

lanthanum oxide, lanthanum magnesium 

oxide, zirconium dioxide, or zirconium 

carbonate. Grain sizes of sol gel aluminabased ceramic abrasive grains range from 

0.85 mm to 0.0395 mm (which corresponds 

to American National Standards Institute 

(ANSI) grit sizes from 20 to 280). 

Shapes include but are not limited to 

angular, sharp, extra sharp, blocky, splintery, 

round stripped, triangular or shaped like 

extruded rods or stars. 

Ceramic abrasive grains have unique 

crystalline structures that impart certain 

advanced properties, such as their extreme 

hardness and strength ranging between 16 

and 22 gigapascals by the Vickers Diamond 

Indent Method, high melting point (2050°C), 

and a single- or multi-phase microstructure, 

which may contain multiple phases, having 

crystalline sizes ranging from 0.05 to 30mm. 

These ceramic abrasive grains include but are 

not limited to blue, white, white-translucent, 

or off-white opaque colors. 

Sol gel alumina-based ceramic abrasive 

grains are covered by the scope of this 

investigation, whether or not incorporated 

into downstream articles, including but not 

limited to, abrasive papers, grinding wheels, 

grinding cylinders, and grinding discs. When 

incorporated into downstream articles, only 

the sol gel alumina-based ceramic abrasive 

grains component of such articles is covered 

by the product scope, and not the 

downstream product as a whole. 

The merchandise subject to this 

investigation is properly classified under 

subheadings 2818.10.2020 and 2818.10.2090 

of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the 

United States (HTSUS). Other merchandise 

subject to the current scope, including when 

incorporated into the abovementioned 

downstream articles, may be classified under 

HTSUS subheadings 2818.10.1000, 

2818.20.0000, 2818.30.0000, 3824.99.1100, 

3824.99.1900, 6805.10.0000, 6805.20.0000, 

6805.30.1000, 6805.30.5000, 6804.22.1000, 

6804.22.4000, 6804.22.6000, 8204.12.0000, 

8474.90.0010, 8474.90.0020, 8474.90.0050, 

and 8474.90.0090. Although the HTSUS 

statistical reporting numbers are provided for 

convenience and customs purposes, the 

written description of the merchandise is 

dispositive. 

[FR Doc. 2025–00544 Filed 1–13–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

International Trade Administration 

[A–570–992] 

Monosodium Glutamate From the 

People’s Republic of China: Notice of 

Intent To Address Covered 

Merchandise Referral in Ongoing 

Circumvention Inquiry 

AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, 

International Trade Administration, 

Department of Commerce. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of 

Commerce (Commerce) has received a 

covered merchandise referral from U.S. 

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in 

connection with a CBP investigation 

concerning alleged evasion of the 

antidumping duty (AD) order on 

monosodium glutamate (MSG) from the 

People’s Republic of China (China). 

Commerce intends to address the 

covered merchandise referral in 

Commerce’s ongoing circumvention 

inquiry (Malaysia Assembly) to 

determine whether merchandise 

described in the referral is subject to the 

AD order on MSG from China. 

Interested parties are invited to 

comment and submit factual 

information. 

DATES: Applicable January 14, 2025. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Thomas Cloyd at (202) 482–1246 or 

Jacob Saude at (202) 482–0981, AD/CVD 

Operations Office VII, Enforcement & 

Compliance, International Trade 

Administration, U.S. Department of 

Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue 

NW, Washington, DC 20230. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Section 517(b)(4)(A) of the Tariff Act 

of 1930, as amended (the Act), provides 

a procedure whereby if, during the 

course of an Enforce and Protect Act 

(EAPA) investigation, CBP is unable to 

determine whether the merchandise at 

issue is covered merchandise within the 

meaning of section 517(a)(3) of the Act, 

it shall refer the matter to Commerce to 

make such a determination. Section 

517(a)(3) of the Act defines covered 

merchandise as merchandise that is 

subject to an antidumping duty order 

issued under section 736 of the Act or 

a countervailing duty order issued 

under section 706 of the Act. Section 

517(b)(4)(B) of the Act states that 

Commerce, after receiving a covered 

merchandise referral from CBP, shall 

determine whether the merchandise is 

covered merchandise and promptly 

transmit its determination to CBP. 

Commerce’s regulations at 19 CFR 


khammond on DSK9W7S144PROD with NOTICES