[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 153 (Wednesday, August 9, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40566-40568]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-19693]



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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Interntional Trade Administration
[A-357-804]


Silicon Metal From Argentina; Preliminary Results of Antidumping 
Duty Administrative Review

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


[[Page 40567]]

ACTION: Notice of preliminary results of antidumping duty 
administrative review and termination in part.

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SUMMARY: In response to a request from petitioners, the Department of 
Commerce (the Department) is conducting an administrative review of the 
antidumpting duty order on silcon metal from Argentina. Petitioners 
requested that the review cover two manufacturers/exporters, 
Electrometalurgica Andian, S.A.I.C. (Andina) and Silarsa, S.A. 
(Silarsa), and the period September 1, 1993 through August 31, 1994. 
However, within 90 days of the publication of the Department's 
initiation notice, the petitioners withdrew their request for review of 
Andina in accordance with 19 CFR Sec. 353.22(a). Because no other party 
requested a review of Andina, we are terminating this administrative 
review with respect to Andina. Petitioners did not withdraw their 
request with respect to Silarsa.
    Since Silarsa did not provide the information requested by the 
Department in its questionnaire, we were unable to conduct an 
administrative review of this firm. We have, therefore, preliminary 
determined to use the best information available (BIA) and have 
assigned to Silarsa a 24.62 percent margin, the highest margin obtained 
in any review of this order. Interested parties are invited to comment 
on these preliminary results.

EFFECTIVE DATE: August 9, 1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Maureen McPhillips or John Kugelman, 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) 482-5253.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On September 26, 1991, the Department 
published in the Federal Register (56 FR 48779) the antidumping duty 
order on silicon metal from Argentina. On September 2, 1994, the 
Department published in the Federal Register (59 FR 45664) a notice of 
``Opportunity to Request an Administrative Review'' of this antidumping 
duty order for the period September 1, 1993 through August 31, 1994. We 
received timely requests on September 30, 1994, to conduct an 
administrative review of Andina and Silarsa from a group of four 
domestic producers of silicon metal (the petitioners): American Silicon 
Technologies, Elkem Metals Company, Globe Metallurgical, Inc., and SKW 
Metals and Alloys, Inc.
    On October 13, 1994, in accordance with 19 Sec. CFR 353.22(c), we 
published notice of initiation (59 FR 51939) covering the two 
manufacturing/exports named above.

Applicable Statute and Regulations

    The Department is conducting this review in accordance with section 
751(a) of the Tariff Act. Unless otherwise indicated, all citations of 
the statute and the Department's regulations are in reference to the 
provisions as they existed on December 31, 1994.

Scope of the Review

    The product covered by the review is silicon metal. During the 
less-than-fair-value (LTFV) investigation, silicon metal was described 
as containing at least 96.00 percent, but less than 99.99 percent, 
silicon by weight. In response to a request by petitioners for 
clarification of the scope of the antidumping duty order on silicon 
metal from the People's Republic of China (PRC), the Department 
determined that material with a higher aluminum content containing 
between 89.00 and 96.00 percent silicon by weight is the same class or 
kind of merchandise as silicon metal described in the less-than-fair-
value (LTFV) investigation (Final Scope Rulings--Antidumping Duty 
Orders on Silicon Metal from the People's Republic of China, Brazil, 
and Argentina (February 3, 1993)). Therefore, such material is within 
the scope of the orders on silicon metal from the PRC, Brazil, and 
Argentina. Silicon metal is currently provided for under subheadings 
2804.69.10 and 2804.69.50 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) and 
is commonly referred to as a metal.
    Semiconductor-grade silicon (silicon metal containing by weight not 
less than 99.9 percent of silicon metal and provided for in subheading 
2804.61.00 of the HTS) is not subject to this order. The HTS 
subheadings are provided for convenience and U.S. Customs Service 
purposes only; our written description of the scope of the proceedings 
is dispositive.
    This review covers two manufactures/exporters of silicon metal to 
the United States, Andina and Salarsa. The period of review (POR) is 
September 1, 1993 through August 31, 1994.

Best Information Available

    In accordance with section 776(c) of the Tariff Act, we have 
preliminarily determined that the use of BIA is appropriate for 
Silarsa. The Department's regulations provide that we may take into 
account whether a party refuses to provide information (19 CFR 
Sec. 353.37(b)) in selecting BIA. Generally, whenever a company refuses 
to cooperate with the Department, or otherwise significantly impedes 
the proceeding, the Department uses as BIA the highest rate for any 
company for the same class or kind of merchandise for the current or 
any prior segment of the proceeding. When a company substantially 
cooperates with our requests for information, but fails to provide all 
the information requested in a timely manner or in the form requested, 
we use as BIA the higher of (1) the highest rate (including the ``all 
others'' rate) ever applicable to the firm for the same class or kind 
of merchandise from the same country from either the LTFV investigation 
or a prior administrative review; or (2) the highest calculated rate in 
the review for any firm for the same class or kind of merchandise from 
the same country. See Antifriction Bearings (Other Than Tapered Roller 
Bearings) and Parts Thereof From the Federal Republic of Germany, et. 
al.; Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, 56 FR 
31692, (Fed. Cir. 1993).
    On October 26, 1994, the Department sent questionnaires to Andina 
and Silarsa requesting their respective responses to company-specific 
information needed to conduct the administrative review. The deadline 
for submission of the respondents' information was December 28, 1994. 
Andina submitted its response in a timely manner. However, petitioners 
subsequently withdrew their request for review of Andina in accordance 
with 19 CFR Sec. 353.22(a)(5) of the Department's regulations. The 
Department, therefore, is terminating its review with respect to 
Andina. On December 29, 1994, Silarsa requested that it be excused from 
responding to the Department's antidumping duty request for information 
as it had exported only a small amount of silicon metal in October 
1993. Moreover, Silarsa stated that it had ceased to produce silicon 
metal as of January 1994 (see letter from Silarsa to the Department 
dated December 29, 1994). Absent a timely filed withdrawal of the 
petitioners' review request, pursuant to 19 CFR Sec. 353.22(a), the 
Department is obligated to conduct an administrative review following 
specific procedures after receipt of a timely request for review from 
an interested party, pursuant to 19 CFR Sec. 353.22(c). In this 
instance, the petitioners did not withdraw their request for review of 
Silarsa. Neither the volume of Silarsa's exports to the United States, 
nor its claim that it ceased producing silicon metal is relevant to the 
Department's obligation to conduct this administrative review. 

[[Page 40568]]
Since Silarsa did export silicon metal to the United States during the 
POR in question, but failed to provide the Department with the 
information needed to conduct the administrative review, we consider 
the firm to be uncooperative, and we have used as BIA 24.62 percent, 
the highest rate ever determined in this proceeding. This rate is 
Silarsa's BIA rate from the first administrative review of this 
antidumping duty order.

Preliminary Results of Review

    We preliminarily determine the margin for this administrative 
review to be:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                     Manufacturer/exporter                       Margin 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Silarsa, S.A..................................................     24.62
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Parties to the proceeding may request disclosure within 5 days and 
interested parties may request a hearing not later than 10 days after 
publication of this notice. Interested parties may submit written 
arguments in case briefs on these preliminary results within 30 days of 
the date of publication of this notice. Rebuttal briefs, limited to 
issues raised in case briefs, may be filed no later than 7 days after 
the time limit for filing case briefs. Any hearing, if requested, will 
be held 7 days after the scheduled date for submission of rebuttal 
briefs. Copies of case briefs and rebuttal briefs must be served on 
interested parties in accordance with 19 CFR Sec. 353.38(e). 
Representatives of parties to the proceeding may request disclosure of 
proprietary information under administrative protective order no later 
than 10 days after the representative's client or employer becomes a 
party to the proceeding, but in any event not later than the date the 
case briefs are due, under 19 CFR Sec. 353.38(c). The Department will 
publish the final results of this administrative review, including the 
results of its analysis of issues raised in any case or rebuttal brief 
or at a hearing.
    Upon completion of the final results of this review, the Department 
will determine, and the Customs Service shall assess, antidumping 
duties on all appropriate entries. The Department will issue 
appraisement instructions on each exporter directly to the Customs 
Service.
    Furthermore, the following deposit requirements will be effective 
for all shipments of the subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from 
warehouse, for consumption on or after the publication date of the 
final results of this administrative review, as provided for by section 
751(a)(1) of the Tariff Act: (1) The cash deposit rate for the reviewed 
companies, in the event the order is not revoked in part, will be the 
rate established in the final results of this review; (2) for 
previously reviewed or investigated companies not listed above, the 
cash deposit rate will continue to be the company-specific rate 
published for the most recent period; (3) if the exporter is not a firm 
covered in this review, a prior review, or the original LTFV 
investigation, but the manufacturer is, the cash deposit rate will be 
the rate established for the most recent period for the manufacturer of 
the merchandise; and (4) for all other producers and/or exporters of 
this merchandise, the cash deposit rate shall be 8.65 percent, the 
``all others'' rate from the LTFV investigation. These deposit 
requirements, when imposed, shall remain in effect until publication of 
the final results of the next administrative review. This notice also 
serves as a preliminary reminder to importers of their responsibility 
under 19 CFR Sec. 353.26 to file a certificate regarding the 
reimbursement of antidumping duties prior to liquidation of the 
relevant entries during this review period. Failure to comply with this 
requirement could result in the Secretary's presumption that 
reimbursement of antidumping duties occurred and the subsequent 
assessment of double antidumping duties.
    This administrative review and notice are in accordance with 
section 751(a)(1) of the Tariff Act (19 U.S.C. 1675(a)(1)) and 19 CFR 
Sec. 353.22(c)(5) of the Department's regulations.

    Dated: July 26, 1995.
Susan G. Esserman,
Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.
[FR Doc. 95-19693 Filed 8-8-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-M