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 


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3184 Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 8 / Tuesday, January 14, 2025 / Notices 

1See Regulations to Improve Administration and 

Enforcement of Antidumping and Countervailing 

Duty Laws, 86 FR 52300, 52354–62 (September 20, 

2021) (final rule promulgating the regulation 

establishing procedures for covered merchandise 

referrals). 

2See Letter from CBP, ‘‘Scope Determination 

Referral Request for EAPA Consolidated 

Investigation 7950 on Antidumping Duty Order A– 

570–992 on Monosodium Glutamate from the 

People’s Republic of China’’ dated December 18, 

2024. The covered merchandise referral and any 

supporting documents will be made available on 

Enforcement and Compliance’s Antidumping Duty 

and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic 

Service System (ACCESS). 

3See Monosodium Glutamate from the People’s 

Republic of China: Amended Final Determination 

of Sales at Less Than Fair Value, 79 FR 70505 

(November 26, 2014) (Order). 

4See Monosodium Glutamate from the People’s 

Republic of China: Initiation of Circumvention 

Inquiry on the Antidumping Duty Order, 89 FR 

42425 (May 15, 2024) (Initiation Notice). 

351.227 establish procedures for 

covered merchandise referrals that 

Commerce receives from CBP in 

connection with an EAPA 

investigation.1

On December 18, 2024, Commerce 

received a covered merchandise referral 

from CBP regarding CBP EAPA 

Investigation No. 7950.2 which concerns 

the AD order on MSG from China.3

Specifically, CBP explained that an 

allegation as filed by Ajinomoto Health 

& Nutrition North America, Inc., alleges 

that MSG exported by Ajinoriki MSG 

(Malaysia) Sdn Bhd and imported by 

CPF Legacy, LLC, doing business as C. 

Pacific Foods (CPF), Handylee 

Enterprises (USA) Corp., Jefi Enterprise 

(USA) Inc., and Highland USA 

International Inc. (collectively, the 

importers) is potentially subject to the 

Order. CBP informed Commerce that 

CBP is unable to determine whether 

certain merchandise constitutes covered 

merchandise consistent with 19 CFR 

351.227(a). Thus, CBP has requested 

that Commerce issue a determination as 

to whether MSG produced in Malaysia 

by Ajinoriki MSG (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd 

by processing of Chinese-origin 

glutamic acid into MSG is covered by 

the Order. 

Notification of Intent To Address 

Covered Merchandise Referral in 

Ongoing Circumvention Inquiry 

Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.227(b), within 

20 days after receiving a covered 

merchandise referral from CBP, 

Commerce will either initiate a covered 

merchandise inquiry or decide to 

address the covered merchandise 

referral in an ongoing segment of the 

proceeding. Commerce is currently 

conducting a circumvention inquiry to 

determine whether MSG finished in 

Malaysia using glutamic acid produced 

in China and subsequently exported 

from Malaysia to the United States 

should be included in the scope of the 

Order.4 As the covered merchandise 

referral requests a determination on 

merchandise currently under 

consideration, in accordance with 19 

CFR 351.227(b)(2), the covered 

merchandise referral can be addressed 

as part of the ongoing circumvention 

inquiry on MSG finished in Malaysia 

from Chinese inputs. Therefore, 

Commerce is hereby notifying interested 

parties of its intent to address CBP’s 

covered merchandise referral in the 

ongoing circumvention inquiry segment 

of this proceeding, to determine 

whether the merchandise subject to the 

referral is covered merchandise within 

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

Act. We intend to notify CBP as to 

whether the merchandise subject to the 

referral is covered merchandise within 

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

Act based on our final determination in 

the ongoing circumvention inquiry 

segment of this proceeding. 

Commerce intends to provide 

interested parties with the opportunity 

to participate in the circumvention 

inquiry segment of the proceeding, 

including through the submission of 

comments and, as appropriate, factual 

information, and verification. The 

current deadline for Commerce to issue 

a preliminary circumvention 

determination in the ongoing 

circumvention inquiry is January 17, 

2025. 

Parties are hereby notified that this 

may be the only notice that Commerce 

publishes in the Federal Register 

concerning this covered merchandise 

referral. Except as indicated below, 

interested parties that wish to 

participate in the ongoing 

circumvention inquiry must submit 

their entry of appearance as discussed 

below. Further, any representative of an 

interested party desiring access to 

business proprietary information in this 

segment of the proceeding must file an 

application for access to business 

proprietary information under 

administrative protective order (APO), 

as discussed below. 

Scope of the Order 

The product covered by this Order is 

monosodium glutamate (MSG), whether 

or not blended or in solution with other 

products. Specifically, MSG that has 

been blended or is in solution with 

other product(s) is included in this 

scope when the resulting mix contains 

15 percent or more of MSG by dry 

weight. Products with which MSG may 

be blended include, but are not limited 

to, salts, sugars, starches, maltodextrins, 

and various seasonings. Further, MSG is 

included in this Order regardless of 

physical form (including, but not 

limited to, in monohydrate or 

anhydrous form, or as substrates, 

solutions, dry powders of any particle 

size, or unfinished forms such as MSG 

slurry), end-use application, or 

packaging. 

MSG in monohydrate form has a 

molecular formula of C5H8NO4Na— 

H2O, a Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) 

registry number of 6106–04–3, and a 

Unique Ingredient Identifier (UNII) 

number of W81N5U6R6U. MSG in 

anhydrous form has a molecular 

formula of C5H8NO4Na, a CAS registry 

number of l42–47–2, and a UNII number 

of C3C196L9FG. 

Merchandise covered by the scope of 

this Order is currently classified in the 

Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the 

United States (HTSUS) at subheading 

2922.42.10.00. Merchandise subject to 

the order may also enter under HTSUS 

subheadings 2922.42.50.00, 

2103.90.72.00, 2103.90.74.00, 

2103.90.78.00, 2103.90.80.00, and 

2103.90.90.91. The tariff classifications, 

CAS registry numbers, and UNII 

numbers are provided for convenience 

and customs purposes; however, the 

written description of the scope is 

dispositive. 

Merchandise Described in Covered 

Merchandise Referral To Be Addressed 

in Ongoing Circumvention Inquiry 

The ongoing circumvention inquiry 

addresses whether the scope should 

include MSG finished in Malaysia using 

glutamic acid produced in China and 

subsequently exported from Malaysia to 

the United States. Pursuant to 19 CFR 

351.226(m)(1), Commerce will consider, 

based on the available record evidence, 

whether the final determination in the 

ongoing circumvention inquiry as it 

relates to the products described in the 

referral should be applied on a (i) 

producer-specific, exporter-specific, 

importer-specific basis, or some 

combination thereof; or (ii) on a 

country-wide basis, regardless of the 

producer, exporter, or importer, to all 

products from the same country with 

the same relevant physical 

characteristics as the product at issue. 

Filing Requirements 

All submissions to Commerce must be 

filed electronically via Enforcement and 

Compliance (E&C)’s Antidumping Duty 

and Countervailing Duty Centralized 

Electronic Service System (ACCESS), 


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Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 8 / Tuesday, January 14, 2025 / Notices 3185 

5See Antidumping and Countervailing Duty 

Proceedings: Electronic Filing Procedures; 

Administrative Protective Order Procedures, 76 FR 

39263 (July 6, 2011), as amended in 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 help 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%20on%20Electronic%20

Filing%20Procedures.pdf. 

6See Temporary Rule Modifying AD/CVD Service 

Requirements Due to COVID–19, 85 FR 17006 

(March 26, 2020); see also Temporary Rule 

Modifying AD/CVD Service Requirements Due to 

COVID19; Extension of Effective Period, 85 FR 

41363 (July 10, 2020). 

7See Memorandum, ‘‘Request for APO Segment,’’ 

dated May 8, 2024. 

unless an exception applies.5 An 

electronically filed document must be 

received successfully in its entirety by 

the applicable deadline. Note that 

Commerce has modified certain of its 

requirements for serving documents 

containing business proprietary 

information until further notice.6 Each 

submission must be placed on the 

record of the segment of the proceeding. 

Suspension of Liquidation 

Commerce previously notified CBP of 

the initiation of the ongoing 

circumvention inquiry in accordance 

with 19 CFR 351.226(l)(1), and directed 

CBP to continue to suspend liquidation 

of entries of products subject to the 

circumvention inquiry that were already 

subject to the suspension of liquidation, 

and to collect the cash deposit for 

estimated antidumping duties that 

would be applicable if the product were 

determined to be covered by the scope 

of the Order. CBP should continue to 

suspend liquidation of entries already 

subject to the suspension of liquidation 

in accordance with Commerce’s 

previous instruction. 

Notification to Interested Parties 

Interested parties that wish to 

participate in this segment of the 

proceeding and be added to the public 

service list(s) for this segment of the 

proceeding must file an entry of 

appearance in accordance with 19 CFR 

351.103(d)(1), with one exception: the 

relevant parties to CBP’s EAPA 

investigation publicly identified by CBP 

in the covered merchandise referral 

referenced above are not required to 

submit an entry of appearance, and will 

be added to the public service list for 

this segment of the proceeding by 

Commerce. 

Commerce placed an APO on the 

record on May 10, 2024.7 Commerce 

intends to place the business 

proprietary versions of the documents 

(if any) contained in the covered 

merchandise referral on the record of 

this proceeding in ACCESS. 

Representatives of interested parties 

must submit applications for disclosure 

under the APO in accordance with the 

procedures outlined in Commerce’s 

regulations at 19 CFR 351.305. Those 

procedures apply to this segment of the 

proceeding, with one exception: APO 

applicants representing the parties that 

have been identified by CBP as an 

importer in the covered merchandise 

referral (referenced above) are exempt 

from the additional filing requirements 

for importers pursuant to 19 CFR 

351.305(d). 

This notice is issued and published 

pursuant to section 517(b)(4) of the Act 

and 19 CFR 351.227(b). 

Dated: January 7, 2025. 

Scot Fullerton, 

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for 

Antidumping and Countervailing Duty 

Operations. 

[FR Doc. 2025–00560 Filed 1–13–25; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[RTID 0648–XE567] 

Whaling Provisions; Aboriginal 

Subsistence Whaling Quotas 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice; notification of quota for 

bowhead whales. 

SUMMARY: NMFS notifies the public of 

the aboriginal subsistence whaling 

quota for bowhead whales assigned to 

the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission 

(AEWC), and of limitations on the use 

of the quota deriving from regulations of 

the International Whaling Commission 

(IWC). For 2025, the AEWC quota is 93 

bowhead whales struck. This quota and 

other applicable limitations govern the 

harvest of bowhead whales by licensed 

whaling captains of the AEWC. 

DATES: Applicable January 14, 2025. 

ADDRESSES: Office of International 

Affairs, Trade, and Commerce, National 

Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 EastWest Highway, Silver Spring, MD 

20910. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Madison Harris, (202) 480–4592. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Aboriginal 

subsistence whaling in the United States 

is governed by the Whaling Convention 

Act (WCA) (16 U.S.C. 916 et seq.). 

Under the WCA, IWC regulations shall 

become effective with respect to all 

persons and vessels subject to the 

jurisdiction of the United States within 

90 days of notification from the IWC 

Secretariat of an amendment to the IWC 

Schedule (16 U.S.C. 916k). Regulations 

that implement the WCA, found at 50 

CFR part 230, require NOAA’s Assistant 

Administrator for Fisheries to publish, 

at least annually, aboriginal subsistence 

whaling quotas and any other 

limitations on aboriginal subsistence 

whaling deriving from regulations of the 

IWC. 

At the 67th meeting of the IWC in 

2018, the Commission set catch limits 

for aboriginal subsistence use of 

bowhead whales from the BeringChukchi-Beaufort Seas stock for the 

years 2019–2025. The aboriginal 

subsistence whaling catch limits were 

based on a joint request by Denmark on 

behalf of Greenland, the Russian 

Federation, St. Vincent and the 

Grenadines, and the United States, 

accompanied by documentation 

concerning the needs of the Native 

groups. 

The IWC set a 7-year block catch limit 

of 392 bowhead whales landed. For 

each of the years 2019 through 2025, the 

number of bowhead whales struck may 

not exceed 67, with unused strikes from 

the 3 prior quota blocks carried forward 

and added to the annual strike quota of 

subsequent years, provided that no more 

than 50 percent of the annual strike 

limit is added to the strike quota for any 

1 year. For the 2025 bowhead harvest, 

there are 33 strikes available for carryforward, so the combined strike quota 

set by the IWC for 2025 is 100 (67 + 33). 

Both Alaska and Russian Natives hunt 

the bowhead whale, and thus the IWC 

quota for the bowhead whale is shared 

between the two Native groups. To 

account for the shared quota, the United 

States and Russia established a 

cooperative arrangement to monitor the 

quota. 

NOAA has assigned 93 strikes to the 

AEWC through its cooperative 

agreement with the AEWC, accounting 

for bowhead whales that may be hunted 

by Russian Natives. The AEWC will in 

turn allocate these strikes among the 11 

villages whose cultural and subsistence 

needs have been documented, and will 

ensure that AEWC whaling captains use 

no more than 93 strikes. 

At its 67th meeting, the IWC also 

provided for an automatic extension of 

aboriginal subsistence whaling catch 

limits under certain circumstances. 

Commencing in 2026, bowhead whale 

catch limits shall be extended every 6 

years provided: (a) the IWC Scientific 

Committee advises in 2024, and every 6 


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