[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 73 (Friday, April 15, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22504-22505]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-08082]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[C-821-837]


Sodium Nitrite From the Russian Federation: Preliminary 
Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination

AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, 
Department of Commerce.

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines 
that countervailable subsidies are being provided to producers and 
exporters of sodium nitrite from the Russian Federation (Russia). The 
period of investigation is January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021. 
Interested parties are invited to comment on this preliminary 
determination.

DATES: Applicable April 15, 2022

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melissa Kinter, AD/CVD Operations, 
Office II, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue 
NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-1413.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    This preliminary determination is made in accordance with section 
703(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). Commerce 
published the notice of initiation of this investigation on February 8, 
2022.\1\ For a complete description of the events that followed the 
initiation of this investigation, see the Preliminary Decision 
Memorandum.\2\ A list of topics discussed in the Preliminary Decision 
Memorandum is included as Appendix II to this notice. The Preliminary 
Decision Memorandum is a public document and is on file electronically 
via Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty 
Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS). ACCESS is available to 
registered users at http://access.trade.gov. In addition, a complete 
version of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly 
at https://access.trade.gov/public/FRNoticesListLayout.aspx.
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    \1\ See Sodium Nitrite from India and the Russian Federation: 
Initiation of Countervailing Duty Investigations, 87 FR 7108 
(February 8, 2022) (Initiation Notice).
    \2\ See Memorandum, ``Decision Memorandum for the Preliminary 
Determination of the Countervailing Duty Investigation of Sodium 
Nitrite from the Russian Federation,'' dated concurrently with, and 
hereby adopted by, this notice (Preliminary Decision Memorandum).
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Scope of the Investigation

    The product covered by this investigation is sodium nitrite from 
Russia. For a complete description of the scope of this investigation, 
see Appendix I.

Scope Comments

    In accordance with the preamble to Commerce's regulations,\3\ the 
Initiation Notice set aside a period of time for parties to raise 
issues regarding product coverage, (i.e., scope).\4\ No interested 
party commented on the scope of the investigation as it appeared in the 
Initiation Notice.
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    \3\ See Antidumping Duties; Countervailing Duties, Final Rule, 
62 FR 27296, 27323 (May 19, 1997).
    \4\ See Initiation Notice.
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Methodology

    Commerce is conducting this investigation in accordance with 
section 701 of the Act. For each of the subsidy programs found 
countervailable, Commerce preliminarily determines that there is a 
subsidy, i.e., a financial contribution by an ``authority'' that gives 
rise to a benefit to the recipient, and that the subsidy is 
specific.\5\
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    \5\ See sections 771(5)(B) and (D) of the Act regarding 
financial contribution; section 771(5)(E) of the Act regarding 
benefit; and section 771(5A) of the Act regarding specificity.
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    Commerce notes that, in making these findings, it relied, in part, 
on facts available and, because it finds that one or more respondents 
did not act to the best of their ability to respond to Commerce's 
requests for information, it drew an adverse inference where 
appropriate in selecting from among the facts otherwise available.\6\ 
For further information, see ``Use of Facts Otherwise Available and 
Adverse Inferences'' in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.
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    \6\ See sections 776(a) and (b) of the Act.
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All-Others Rate

    Sections 703(d) and 705(c)(5)(A) of the Act provide that in the 
preliminary determination, Commerce shall determine an estimated all-
others rate for companies not individually examined. This rate shall be 
an amount equal to the weighted average of the estimated subsidy rates 
established for those companies individually examined, excluding any 
zero and de minimis rates and any rates based entirely under section 
776 of the Act.
    Pursuant to section 705(c)(5)(A)(ii) of the Act, if the individual 
estimated countervailable subsidy rates established for all exporters 
and producers individually examined are zero, de minimis, or determined 
based entirely on facts otherwise available, Commerce may use any 
reasonable method to establish the estimated subsidy rate for all other 
producers or exporters. Commerce has preliminarily determined the 
individually estimated subsidy rate for the individually examined 
respondent under section 776 of the Act. Consequently, pursuant to 
section 705(c)(5)(A)(ii) of the Act, we established the all-others rate 
by applying the countervailable subsidy rate assigned to the mandatory 
respondent.\7\ For a full description of the methodology underlying 
Commerce's analysis, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.
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    \7\ See, e.g., Freight Rail Coupler Systems and Certain 
Components Thereof: Preliminary Affirmative Countervailing Duty 
Determination, 87 FR 12662 (March 7, 2022); and Dried Tart Cherries 
from the Republic of Turkey: Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty 
Determination, 84 FR 67430 (December 10, 2019).
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Preliminary Determination

    Commerce preliminarily determines that the following estimated 
countervailable subsidy rates exist:

[[Page 22505]]



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                                                           Subsidy rate
                         Company                             (percent)
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UralChem, JSC...........................................          386.24
All Others..............................................          386.24
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Suspension of Liquidation

    In accordance with section 703(d)(1)(B) and (d)(2) of the Act, 
Commerce will direct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to 
suspend liquidation of entries of subject merchandise as described in 
the scope of the investigation section entered, or withdrawn from 
warehouse, for consumption on or after the date of publication of this 
notice in the Federal Register. Further, pursuant to 19 CFR 351.205(d), 
Commerce will instruct CBP to require a cash deposit equal to the rates 
indicated above.

Disclosure

    Normally, Commerce discloses to interested parties the calculations 
performed in connection with a preliminary determination within five 
days of the public announcement or, where there is no public 
announcement, within five days of the date of publication of the notice 
of preliminary determination in the Federal Register, in accordance 
with 19 CFR 351.224(b). However, because Commerce preliminarily applied 
AFA to the individually examined company, UralChem JSC, in this 
investigation in accordance with section 776 of the Act, there are no 
calculations to disclose.

Verification

    Because the examined respondents in this investigation did not 
provide information requested by Commerce and Commerce preliminarily 
determines each of the examined respondents to have been uncooperative, 
Commerce will not conduct verification.

Public Comment

    Case briefs or other written comments may be submitted to the 
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance no later than 30 
days after the date of publication of the preliminary determination. 
Rebuttal briefs, limited to issues raised in case briefs, may be 
submitted no later than seven days after the deadline date for case 
briefs after the deadline date for case briefs.\8\ Note that Commerce 
has temporarily modified certain of its requirements for serving 
documents containing business proprietary information, until further 
notice.\9\ Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2), parties who 
submit case briefs or rebuttal briefs in this investigation are 
encouraged to submit with each argument: (1) A statement of the issue; 
(2) a brief summary of the argument; and (3) a table of authorities.
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    \8\ See 19 CFR 351.309; see also 19 CFR 351.303 (for general 
filing requirements).
    \9\ See Temporary Rule Modifying AD/CVD Service Requirements Due 
to COVID-19, 85 FR 17006 (March 26, 2020); and Temporary Rule 
Modifying AD/CVD Service Requirements Due to COVID-19; Extension of 
Effective Period, 85 FR 41363 (July 10, 2020).
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    Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.310(c), interested parties who wish to 
request a hearing, limited to issues raised in the case and rebuttal 
briefs, must submit a written request to the Assistant Secretary for 
Enforcement and Compliance, U.S. Department of Commerce within 30 days 
after the date of publication of this notice. Requests should contain 
the party's name, address, and telephone number, the number of 
participants, whether any participant is a foreign national, and a list 
of the issues to be discussed. If a request for a hearing is made, 
Commerce intends to hold the hearing at a time and date to be 
determined. Parties should confirm by telephone the date, time, and 
location of the hearing two days before the scheduled date.

International Trade Commission Notification

    In accordance with section 703(f) of the Act, Commerce will notify 
the International Trade Commission (ITC) of its determination. If the 
final determination is affirmative, the ITC will determine before the 
later of 120 days after the date of this preliminary determination or 
45 days after the final determination.

Notification to Interested Parties

    This determination is issued and published pursuant to sections 
703(f) and 777(i) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.205(c).

    Dated: April 8, 2022.
Lisa W. Wang,
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.

Appendix I--Scope of the Investigation

    The product covered by this investigation is sodium nitrite in 
any form, at any purity level. In addition, the sodium nitrite 
covered by this investigation may or may not contain an anti-caking 
agent. Examples of names commonly used to reference sodium nitrite 
are nitrous acid, sodium salt, anti-rust, diazotizing salts, 
erinitrit, and filmerine. Sodium nitrite's chemical composition is 
NaNO<INF>2</INF>, and it is generally classified under subheading 
2834.10.1000 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States 
(HTSUS). The American Chemical Society Chemical Abstract Service 
(CAS) has assigned the name ``sodium nitrite'' to sodium nitrite. 
The CAS registry number is 7632-00-0. For purposes of the scope of 
this investigation, the narrative description is dispositive, not 
the tariff heading, CAS registry number or CAS name, which are 
provided for convenience and customs purposes.

Appendix II--List of Topics Discussed in the Preliminary Decision 
Memorandum

I. Summary
II. Background
III. Scope of the Investigation
IV. Use of Facts Otherwise Available and Adverse Inferences
V. Analysis of Programs
VI. Recommendation

[FR Doc. 2022-08082 Filed 4-14-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P