[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 135 (Tuesday, July 15, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37865-37866]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-18447]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration
[A-580-809]


Circular Welded Non-Alloy Steel Pipe From the Republic of Korea: 
Extension of Time Limit for Preliminary Results, Partial Termination of 
Antidumping Duty Administrative Review and Initiation of Changed 
Circumstances Review

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

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (the Department) is extending the 
time limit for the preliminary results in the fourth administrative 
review of the antidumping duty order on circular welded non-alloy steel 
pipe from the Republic of Korea, covering the period November 1, 1995 
through October 31, 1996, since it is not practicable to complete the 
review within the time limits mandated by the Tariff Act of 1930 (the 
Act), as amended, 19 U.S.C. 1675(a)(3)(A). In addition, the Department 
is terminating this administrative review with respect to one company, 
i.e., Dongbu Steel Company, Ltd. (Dongbu), based upon a withdrawal of 
the request for review by Sawhill Tubular Division-Armco Inc., Allied 
Tube and Conduit Corporation and Wheatland Tube Company, the 
petitioners in this proceeding and the party who requested the review 
of Dongbu. At this time, the Department is also initiating a changed 
circumstances review at the request of SeAH Steel Corporation (SeAH).

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 15, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rosa Jeong, Marian Wells or Cynthia 
Thirumalai, Import Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Room 
3099, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230; 
telephone (202) 482-1278, 482-6309 or (202) 482-4087, respectively.

APPLICABLE STATUTE AND REGULATIONS: Unless otherwise indicated, all 
citations to the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), are 
references to the provisions effective January 1, 1995, the effective 
date of the amendments made to the Act by the Uruguay Round Agreements 
Act (URAA). All citations to the Department's regulations are 
references to the regulatory provisions in effect on the date that the 
request for review was made, to the extent that those regulations were 
not invalidated by the URAA or replaced by the interim final 
regulations published on May 11, 1995 (60 FR 25130).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On December 16, 1996, the Department initiated an administrative 
review of the antidumping duty order on circular welded non-alloy steel 
pipe from the Republic of Korea, covering the period November 1, 1995 
through October 31, 1996 (61 FR 66017) based upon a request by certain 
exporters/producers of the subject merchandise and the petitioners in 
this proceeding. Petitioners' request covered six companies, including 
Dongbu. In our notice of initiation, we stated that we intended to 
issue the preliminary results of this review no later than 245 days 
from the last day of the anniversary month of the order. On March 27, 
1997, we received a request from SeAH to conduct a changed 
circumstances review of the order in this proceeding (see 57 FR 42942 
(September 29, 1992)).

Postponement of Preliminary Results of Review

    Section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act requires the Department to make a 
preliminary determination within 245 days after the last day of the 
anniversary month of an order for which a review is requested. However, 
if it is not practicable to issue the preliminary results in 245 days, 
section 751(a)(3)(A) allows the Department to extend this time period 
to 365 days. We determine that it is not practicable to issue the 
preliminary results within 245 days because this review involves 
collecting and analyzing information from a large number of companies, 
examining allegations of sales below the cost of production for some 
companies and novel issues regarding company affiliations. Accordingly, 
the deadline for issuing the preliminary results of this review is now 
no later than December 1, 1997. The deadline for issuing the final 
results of this review will be 120 days from the publication of the 
preliminary results.

Partial Termination of Administrative Review

    Ordinarily, parties have 90 days from the publication of the notice 
of initiation of review in which to withdraw a request for review. See 
19 CFR 353.22(a)(5). We received a request for rescission of the review 
from Dongbu on January 8, 1997. However, the petitioner did not 
withdraw its request for review with respect to Dongbu until June 11, 
1997 (after the conclusion of the 90-day time period).
    Given that the review has not progressed substantially and there 
would be no undue burden on the

[[Page 37866]]

parties or the Department, the Department has determined that it would 
be reasonable to grant the withdrawal at this time. Therefore, in 
accordance with section 353.22(a)(5) of the Department's regulations, 
the Department has terminated this administrative review with respect 
to Dongbu.

Initiation of Changed Circumstances Review

    On March 27, 1997, SeAH requested that the Department conduct a 
changed circumstances review to determine that SeAH is the successor 
firm of Pusan Steel Pipe (PSP), a company examined during the less-
than-fair-value (LTFV) investigation (see Final Determination of Sales 
at Less Than Fair Value: Circular Welded Non-Alloy Steel Pipe from the 
Republic of Korea, 57 FR 42942 (September 29, 1992)). SeAH amended its 
request on May 13, 1997 by including certain documents examined by 
Department officials during verification for the first administrative 
review.
    The information submitted by SeAH shows changed circumstances 
sufficient to warrant a review. Therefore, we are initiating a changed 
circumstances administrative review pursuant to section 751(b)(1) of 
the Act to determine whether or not SeAH is the successor firm to PSP 
and is, as a result, subject to PSP's cash deposit rate.
    This notice is in accordance with section 751 of the Act and 19 CFR 
353.22.

    Dated: July 7, 1977.
Richard W. Moreland,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for AD/CVD Enforcement.
[FR Doc. 97-18447 Filed 7-14-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P