[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 88 (Monday, May 6, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20236-20238]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-11124]



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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
[A-427-078]


Sugar From France: Initiation and Preliminary Results of Changed 
Circumstances Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, and Intent To 
Revoke Finding in Part

AGENCY: Import Administration, International Trade Administration, 
Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of initiation and preliminary results of changed 
circumstances antidumping duty administrative review, and intent to 
revoke finding in part.

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SUMMARY: In response to a request made on March 12, 1996, by Boiron-
Borneman, Inc. (Boiron), the Department of Commerce (the Department) is 
initiating a changed circumstances antidumping duty administrative 
review and issuing a preliminary intent to revoke in part the 
antidumping duty finding on sugar from France, the scope of which 
currently includes sugar, both raw and refined, with the exception of 
specialty sugars. See Sugar From Belgium, France, and the Federal 
Republic of Germany; Finding of Dumping, 44 FR 33878 (June 13, 1979), 
and Memorandum For Dick Moreland From Frank R. Brennan (June 1, 1982). 
Based on the fact that the Florida Sugar Marketing and Terminal 
Association, Inc., (the petitioner) has expressed no interest in the 
importation

[[Page 20237]]

or sale of homeopathic sugar pellets produced in France, we intend to 
partially revoke this finding.

EFFECTIVE DATE: May 6, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Matthew Blaskovich or Zev Primor, Office of Antidumping Compliance, 
Import Administration, International Trade Administration, U.S. 
Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW., 
Washington, DC 20230; telephone (202) 482-5831/4114.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On December 29, 1994, Boiron requested that the Department issue a 
scope ruling, finding its sugar pellets outside the scope of the 
finding. On February 26, 1996, the petitioner informed the Department 
in writing that it does not object to a changed circumstances review 
and has no interest in the importation or sale of homeopathic sugar 
pellets produced in France. On March 12, 1996, Boiron requested that 
the Department conduct a changed circumstance review.

The Applicable Statute

    Unless otherwise indicated, all citations to the Tariff Act of 
1930, as amended (The Act), are referenced to the provisions effective 
January 1, 1995, the effective date of the amendments made to the Act 
by the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA). In addition, unless 
otherwise indicated, all citations to the Department's regulations are 
to the current regulations, as amended by the interim regulations 
published in the Federal Register on May 11, 1995 (60 FR 25130).

Scope of Review

    The final antidumping finding on sugar from France covers raw and 
refined sugar (44 FR 8949 (February 12, 1979)). The petition, filed by 
the Florida Sugar Marketing & Terminal Assn., Inc., on July 3, 1978, 
states that ``[t]he product being imported and which is the subject of 
this petition, is raw and refined, semi-refined or `off-white' sugar 
produced from sugar beets. Raw beet sugar and raw cane sugar are very 
similar chemically and nutritionally, with the result that they are 
interchangeable in terms of meeting refiners' needs for raw sugar.'' 
See Petition of Florida Sugar Marketing & Terminal Assn., Inc., July 3, 
1978, at 7. Excluded from the finding are specialty sugars. Imports of 
the subject merchandise are currently classifiable under various 
subprovisions of item number 1701.91 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule 
of the United States (HTS). HTS item numbers are provided for 
convenience and for Customs purposes. This written description remains 
dispositive.
    The merchandise covered by this changed circumstances review 
includes homeopathic sugar pellets meeting the following criteria: (1) 
composed of 85 percent sucrose and 15 percent lactose; (2) have a 
polished, matte appearance, and more uniformly porous than domestic 
sugar cubes; (3) produced in two sizes of 2 and 3.8 mm in diameter.
    The finding with regard to imports of other sugar products is not 
affected by this request. This changed circumstances administrative 
review covers homeopathic sugar pellets imported from France.

Initation and Preliminary Results of Changed Circumstances Antidumping 
Duty Administrative Review, and Intent To Revoke Finding in Part

    Purusant to section 751(d) of the Act, the Department may partially 
revoke an antidumping duty order 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 administrative review to be 
conducted upon receipt of a request containing information concerning 
changed circumstances sufficient to warrant a review.
    The Department's regulations at 19 CFR 353.25(d)(2) permit the 
Department to conduct a changed circumstances administrative review 
under 19 CFR 353.22(f) based upon an affirmative statement of no 
interest from the petitioner in the proceeding. Section 782(h) of the 
Act and Section 353.25(d)(1)(i) of the Department's regulations further 
provide that the Department may revoke an order or revoke an order in 
part if it determines that the order under review is no longer of 
interests to interested parties. In addition, in the event that the 
Department concludes that expedited action is warranted, section 
353.22(f)(4) of the regulations permits the Department to combine the 
notices of initiation and preliminary results. Therefore, in accordance 
with sections 751(d) and 782(h) of the Act and 19 CFR 353.25(d) and 
353.22(f), based on an affirmative statement of no interest in this 
proceeding by petitioner, we are initiating this changed circumstances 
administrative review. Based on the fact that no other interested 
parties have objected to the position taken by petitioner that they 
have no interest in the order regarding homeopathic sugar pellets from 
France, we have determined that expedited action is warranted, and we 
are combining these notices of initiation and preliminary results. We 
have preliminarily determined tat there are changed circumstances 
sufficient to warrant partial revocation of the finding on sugar from 
France. Therefore, we are hereby notifying the public of our intent to 
revoke in part the antidumping duty finding as it relates to imports of 
homeopathic sugar pellets from France.
    If final revocation in part occurs, we intend to instruct the U.S. 
Customs Service (Customs) to end the suspension of liquidation of 
homeopathic sugar pellets from France on the effective date of the 
final notice of partial revocation and to refund any estimated 
antidumping duties collected for all unliquidated entries of 
homeopathic sugar pellets made on or after June 1, 1994, in accordance 
with 19 C.F.R. 353.25(d)(5). We will also instruct Customs to refund 
interest for entries made on or after June 1, 1994, in accordance with 
section 778 of the Act. The current requirement for a cash deposit of 
estimated antidumping duties will continue until publication of the 
final results of this changed circumstances review.

Public Comment

    Parties to the proceeding may request disclosure within 5 days of 
the date of publication of this notice and any interested party may 
request a hearing within 10 days of publication. Any hearing, if 
requested, will be held no later than 28 days after the date of 
publication of this notice, or the first workday thereafter. Case 
briefs and/or written comments from interested parties may be submitted 
not later than 14 days after the date of publication of this notice. 
Rebuttal briefs and rebuttals to written comments, limited to the 
issues raised in those comments, may be filed not later than 21 days 
after the date of publication of this notice. All written comments 
shall be submitted in accordance with 19 CFR 353.31(e) and shall be 
served on all interested parties on the Department's service list in 
accordance with 19 CFR 353.31(g). Persons interested in attending the 
hearing should contact the Department for the date and time of the 
hearing. The Department will publish the final results of this changed 
circumstances review, including the results of its analysis of issues 
raised in any written comments.
    This notice is in accordance with section 751(b)(1) of the Act and 
sections 353.22(f) and 353.25(d) of the Department's regulations.


[[Page 20238]]


    Dated: April 26, 1996.
Susan G. Esserman,
Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.
[FR Doc. 96-11124 Filed 5-3-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-M