12954 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 48 / Tuesday, March 11, 2008 / Notices 

1 DPE is the sole petitioner in this antidumping 

proceeding. See Polychloroprene Rubber From 

Japan: Final Results of the Expedited Sunset Review 

of the Antidumping Finding, 69 FR 64276 

(November 4, 2004). 

2 DuPont has been the sole U.S. producer of 

polychloroprene rubber since 1998, when Bayer 

Group closed its polychloroprene rubber plant in 

Houston, Texas. See Polychloroprene Rubber from 

Japan, Inv. No. AA–1921–129 (Second Review), 

U.S. ITC Pub. 3786, at 4–5 (June 2005). 

interested parties will have an 

opportunity to comment on the 

preliminary results of this review. 

This notice of initiation is in 

accordance with section 751(b)(1) of the 

Act, 19 CFR 351.216(b) and (d), and 19 

CFR 351.221(b)(1). 

Dated: March 5, 2008. 

Stephen J. Claeys, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Import 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. E8–4827 Filed 3–10–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–S 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

International Trade Administration 

[A–588–046] 

Polychloroprene Rubber From Japan: 

Notice of Initiation and Preliminary 

Results of Changed Circumstances 

Review, and Intent To Revoke 

Antidumping Duty Finding in Part 

AGENCY: Import Administration, 

International Trade Administration, 

Department of Commerce. 

SUMMARY: On January 23, 2008, the 

Department of Commerce (the 

Department) received a request on 

behalf of the petitioner, DuPont 

Performance Elastomers L.L.C. (DPE) 1

for a changed circumstances review and 

a request to revoke, in part, the 

antidumping duty (AD) finding on 

certain polychloroprene rubber products 

from Japan. 

EFFECTIVE DATE: March 11, 2008. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Douglas Kirby, AD/CVD Operations, 

Office 6, Import Administration, 

International Trade Administration, 

U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th 

Street and Constitution Avenue, NW., 

Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 

482–3782. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

On December 6, 1973, the Department 

of Treasury published in the Federal 

Register (38 FR 33593) the antidumping 

finding on polychloroprene rubber 

(PCR) from Japan. On January 23, 2008, 

DPE requested revocation in part of the 

AD finding with respect to solid 

polychloroprenes that are dipolymers of 

chloroprene and methacrylic acid 

having methacrylic acid comonomer 

content in the 1.0 percent to 5.0 percent 

range (this category does not include 

aqueous chloroprene/methacrylic acid 

dipolymer dispersion products or 

solvent solutions of chloroprene/ 

methacrylic acid dipolymers). In its 

January 23, 2008 submission, DPE stated 

that it no longer has any interest in 

antidumping relief from imports of such 

PCR with respect to the subject 

merchandise defined in the ‘‘Scope of 

the Finding’’ section below. Interested 

parties are invited to comment on these 

preliminary results. 

Scope of the Finding 

Imports covered by this finding are 

shipments of polychloroprene rubber, 

an oil resistant synthetic rubber also 

known as polymerized chlorobutadiene 

or neoprene, currently classifiable under 

items 4002.42.00, 4002.49.00, 

4003.00.00, 4462.15.21 and 4462.00.00 

of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of 

the United States (HTSUS). HTSUS item 

numbers are provided for convenience 

and customs purposes. The 

Department’s written description of the 

scope remains dispositive. 

Initiation and Preliminary Results of 

Changed Circumstances Review, and 

Intent To Revoke Antidumping Finding 

in Part 

Pursuant to section 751(d)(1) of the 

Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), 

the Department may revoke, in whole or 

in part, an antidumping finding based 

on a review under section 751(b) of the 

Act (i.e., a changed circumstances 

review). Section 751(b)(1) of the Act 

requires a changed circumstances 

review to be conducted upon receipt of 

a request which shows changed 

circumstances sufficient to warrant a 

review. Pursuant to section 782(h)(2) of 

the Act and 19 CFR 351.222(g), the 

Department will conduct a changed 

circumstances review under 19 CFR 

351.216 and may revoke an order (in 

whole or in part) if it determines that 

producers accounting for substantially 

all of the production of the domestic 

like product to which the order (or the 

part of the order to be revoked) pertains 

have expressed a lack of interest in the 

relief provided by the order, in whole or 

in part. In addition, in the event that the 

Department concludes that expedited 

action is warranted, 19 CFR 

351.221(c)(3)(ii) permits the Department 

to combine the notices of initiation and 

preliminary results. 

In this case, the Department finds that 

the information submitted by Petitioner 

provides sufficient evidence of changed 

circumstances to warrant a review. See 

19 CFR 351.216(d). DPE is the sole 

petitioner and domestic producer of 

PCR, and therefore accounts for all of 

the production of the domestic like 

product to which the order pertains.2 In 

addition, DPE affirms that it is no longer 

interested in the inclusion of the above 

products within the scope of the 

antidumping findings. See DPE’s 

January 23, 2008 submission at page 2. 

Therefore, in accordance with sections 

751(b)(1) and 751(d)(1) of the Act, and 

19 CFR 351.216 and 351.222(g), and 

based on the information provided by 

DPE, the Department is initiating a 

changed circumstances review of PCR 

from Japan to determine whether partial 

revocation of the AD finding is 

warranted with respect to the 

aforementioned certain PCR products 

from Japan. Furthermore, in accordance 

with 19 CFR 351.221(c)(3)(ii), we have 

determined that expedited action is 

warranted. Our decision to expedite this 

review stems from the fact that the sole 

petitioner and domestic producer of the 

subject merchandise, DPE, has 

requested expedited action. Because we 

have concluded that expedited action is 

warranted, we are combining these 

notices of initiation and preliminary 

results. 

Based on the expression of no interest 

by the sole domestic producer, the 

Department has preliminarily 

determined that producers accounting 

for substantially all of the production of 

the domestic like product have no 

further interest in the continued 

application of the AD finding on PCR 

that is subject to this request. See 

section 782(h)(2) of the Act. Therefore, 

we are notifying the public of our intent 

to revoke, in part, the AD finding as it 

relates to imports of certain PCR 

products from Japan. 

Accordingly, the Department intends 

to amend the scope of the finding on 

PCR from Japan to read as follows: 

Imports covered by this review are 

shipments of polychloroprene rubber, 

an oil resistant synthetic rubber also 

known as polymerized chlorobutadiene 

or neoprene, currently classifiable under 

items 4002.42.00, 4002.49.00, 

4003.00.00, 4462.15.21 and 4462.00.00 

of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of 

the United States (HTSUS). HTSUS item 

numbers are provided for convenience 

and customs purposes. The 

Department’s written description of the 

scope remains dispositive. 

In addition, the following type of 

polychloroprene rubber is excluded 

from the scope of the finding: solid 

polychloroprenes that are dipolymers of 

chloroprene and methacrylic acidhaving 


yshivers on PROD1PC62 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 48 / Tuesday, March 11, 2008 / Notices 12955 

methacrylic acid comonomer content in 

the 1.0 percent to 5.0 percent range (this 

category does not include aqueous 

chloroprene/methacrylic acid diploymer 

dispersion products or solvent solutions 

of chloroprene/methacrylic acid 

dipolymers). 

Public Comment 

Interest parties are invited to 

comment on these preliminary results. 

All written comments shall be 

submitted in accordance with 19 CFR 

351.303 and shall be served on all 

interested parties. Interested parties may 

submit case briefs and/or written 

comments no later than 30 days after the 

date of publication of this notice. See 19 

CFR 351.309(c)(ii). Rebuttal briefs and 

rebuttals to written comments, which 

must be limited to issues raised in such 

briefs or comments, may be filed no 

later than 5 days after the time limit for 

filing the case brief. See 19 CFR 

351.309(d). Parties who submit 

arguments are requested to submit with 

the argument (1) a statement of the 

issue, (2) a brief summary of the 

argument, and (3) a table of authorities. 

Also, any interested party may request 

a hearing within 30 days of publication 

of this notice. See 19 CFR 351.310(c). 

Any hearing, if requested, will be held 

44 days after the date of publication of 

this notice, or the first working day 

thereafter. Persons interested in 

attending a hearing should contact the 

Department for the date and time of the 

hearing. 

Consistent with section 351.216(e) of 

the Department’s regulations, the 

Department will issue the final results 

of this changed circumstances review, 

including the results of its analysis of 

issues raised in any written comments, 

no later than 270 days the date on 

which this review was initiated, or 

within 45 days if all parties agree to our 

preliminary finding. See 19 CFR 

351.216(e). If final partial revocation 

occurs, we will instruct U.S. Customs 

and Border Protection to end the 

suspension of liquidation for the 

merchandise covered by the revocation 

on the effective date of the notice of 

revocation and to release any cash 

deposit or bond. See 19 CFR 

351.222(g)(4). The current requirement 

for a cash deposit of estimated AD 

duties on all subject merchandise will 

continue unless and until it is modified 

pursuant to the final results of this 

changed circumstances review. 

This notice of initiation is in 

accordance with sections 751(b)(1) and 

777 of the Act and 19 CFR 351.216, 

351.221, and 351.222. 

Dated: March 6, 2008. 

David M. Spooner, 

Assistant Secretary for Import 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. 08–1003 Filed 3–10–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–M 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

Notice of Availability for Public 

Comment on the Draft Joint 

Subcommittee on Ocean Science and 

Technology Interagency Working 

Group on Ocean Observation 

Integrated Ocean Observing System 

Strategic Plan 

AGENCY: National Ocean Service (NOS), 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration (NOAA), U.S. 

Department of Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; request 

for comments. 

SUMMARY: The NOAA Integrated Ocean 

Observing System Program (IOOS) 

Program publishes this notice on behalf 

of the Joint Subcommittee on Ocean 

Science and Technology—Interagency 

Working Group on Ocean Observation’s 

(JSOST-IWGOO) to announce a 30-day 

public comment period for the five-year 

IOOS Strategic Plan. This five-year 

vision for IOOS will be used by the 

IWGOO to build an implementation 

plan that will describe in more detail 

the roles and responsibilities that will 

be undertaken by the interagency 

members. 

DATES: Written, faxed or emailed 

comments must be received no later 

than 5 p.m. eastern standard time on 

April 4, 2008. 

ADDRESSES: The JSOST-IWGOO IOOS 

Strategic Plan is available for review 

from Ocean.US Web site URL: http:// 

www.ocean.us/IWGOO/SPcomments. 

For the public unable to access the 

internet, printed copies can be 

requested by contacting the IWGOO 

Executive Secretariat at the address 

below. The public is encouraged to 

submit comments electronically to 

strategic_comments@IWGOO.net. If you 

are unable to access the internet, 

comments may be submitted via fax or 

regular mail. Faxed comments should be 

sent to 301–427–2073. Comments may 

be submitted in writing to the NOAA 

IOOS Program Office, Attention: 

IWGOO Executive Secretariat, 1100 

Wayne Avenue, Suite 1225, Silver 

Spring, Maryland 20910. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information about this notice, 

please contact the IWGOO Executive 

Secretariat, telephone: 301–427–2439; 

E-mail: 

strategic_comments@IWGOO.net. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. 

Ocean Action Plan (2004), in response 

to strong recommendations of the U.S. 

Commission on Ocean Policy (2004) and 

building on and complementing the 

work of past and current interagency 

efforts to build IOOS, establishes a 

comprehensive mechanism in the 

executive branch for coordinating ocean 

policy at the federal level. The 

Committee on Ocean Policy (COP) was 

established by Executive Order 13366 to 

function as this coordinating 

mechanism. To support its efforts, the 

COP established the Interagency 

Committee on Ocean Science and 

Resource Management Integration 

(ICOSRMI) to facilitate and coordinate, 

recommend, and identify opportunities 

on a broad array of ocean science issues. 

In April 2007, ICOSRMI and the 

National Ocean Research Leadership 

Council (NORLC) established by the 

National Ocean Partnership Program (10 

U.S.C. 7981–7983) jointly agreed that 

future actions taken by ICOSRMI related 

to the NOPP would be deemed actions 

of the NORLC for the purpose of 

maintaining interagency progress. This 

relationship combines the executivelegislative set of mechanisms to provide 

the essential organizational structures 

including coordination of IOOS issues 

at all levels of the federal government. 

The IWGOO, established under JSOST 

to lead the interagency planning and 

coordination of ocean observing 

activities including IOOS, is represented 

by seventeen federal agencies, which 

NOAA was identified as the lead federal 

agency by the Administration. As 

defined in the charter, the purpose of 

the IWGOO is to advise and assist 

JSOST on matters relating to all aspects 

of ocean observations within the scope 

of an end-to-end concept of ocean 

observations. 

The IWGOO IOOS Strategic Plan is a 

five-year vision for the IOOS that builds 

on the IOOS development plan, 

addendum, and its predecessor 

documents for the U.S. IOOS that 

characterizes the areas of highest 

priority for the U.S. contribution to the 

Global Earth Observation System of 

Systems (GEOSS). 

John H. Dunnigan, 

Chair, Interagency Working Group on Ocean 

Observations; Assistant Administrator, 

National Ocean Service, National Oceanic 

and Atmospheric Administration. 

[FR Doc. E8–4693 Filed 3–10–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–22–P 


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