Opinion ID: 3066250
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Data Sources

Text: The Cocommunity data is limited to coconut shell charcoal, while the Philippine import data includes all imports to the Philippines categorized under HTS 4402, “Wood Charcoal (Including Shell or Nut Charcoal), Whether or Not Agglomerated”—a broader basket category consisting of carbonized material made from wood and coconut shell. 2 The CIT erred when it found that Jacobi and Cherishmet produced the subject merchandise during the period of review using carbonized material made of wood. See Jacobi Carbons, 992 F. Supp. 2d at 1372–73. Although it is possible to produce activated carbon using carbonized material made of wood, id. (citing J.A. 102, 260), the record indicates that Jacobi and Cherishmet used only carbonized material made from coal and coconut shell charcoal, not wood, to produce the activated carbon shipped to the United States during the review period, see J.A. 110–15, 133, 150, 155–56, 290–301, 765– 68. The inputs used to produce the subject merchandise are the inputs most relevant to this review. JACOBI CARBONS AB v. US 9 Appellants argue that the Philippine import data is not specific because there were no imports of coconut shell charcoal to the Philippines during the review period. Appellants contend that HTS 4402 consists of four subcategories, one of which—HTS 4402.00.00.01 (“Of Coconut Shell, Not Agglomerated”)—covers coconut shell charcoal. 3 Jacobi’s Br. 32; Cherishmet’s Br. 30–31. Appellants further contend that the Philippine import data in the HTS 4402.00.00.01 subcategory indicates that there were zero imports of coconut shell charcoal to the Philippines during the review period. Thus, appellants argue that although in theory the Philippine import data includes coconut shell charcoal, the pricing data for the review period is limited to wood charcoal, not coconut shell charcoal. This is a new argument not made, in any meaningful or detailed sense, to Commerce below. The unsupported, conclusory statement by Jacobi made below that there was “no data available for coconut shell charcoal from the Philippines imported under HTS 4402.00.10,” J.A. 177, is insufficient. Jacobi presented Commerce with no evidence supporting the proposition that there were no imports of coconut shell charcoal to the Philippines during the period of review. Indeed, Jacobi incorrectly transcribed the HTS number, stating there was no data available for coconut shell charcoal from the Philippines under “HTS 4402.00.10” instead of HTS 4402.00.00.01, so Commerce could not verify Jacobi’s claim. This is compounded by the fact that the record does not support appellants’ claim that HTS 4402 consists of four ten-digit subcategories and that one of those 3 The other three categories that appellants con- tend make up HTS 4402 are 4402.00.00.02 (“Of Wood, Not Agglomerated”); 4402.00.00.03 (“Of Wood (Including of Shell or Not Agglomerated)”); and 4402.00.00.04 (“Other”). Jacobi’s Br. 32; Cherishmet’s Br. 30–31. 10 JACOBI CARBONS AB v. US subcategories is HTS 4402.00.00.01. Rather, the record indicates that HTS 4402 has only two subcategories, neither of which is limited to coconut shell charcoal: 4402.10.00 (“Of bamboo”) and 4402.90.00 (“Other”). J.A. 255. Thus, Jacobi presented to Commerce a single conclusory sentence which inaccurately references an HTS category, with no record evidence or data to support its claim. Without any record evidence that there were zero imports of coconut shell charcoal to the Philippines during the period of review under HTS 4402.00.00.01, or even that HTS 4402.00.00.01 existed, Commerce could not evaluate Jacobi’s statement that there was “no data available for coconut shell charcoal from the Philippines.” It was Jacobi’s and Cherishmet’s responsibility to build an adequate record before Commerce, so any failure of proof lies with them. QVD Food, 658 F.3d at 1324. We will not reverse Commerce’s decision about the best available information on the basis of an argument not made and evidence not presented on the administrative record. Qingdao, 766 F.3d at 1385 (“Our review is limited to the record before Commerce in the particular review proceeding at issue.”).