[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 80 (Monday, April 27, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20574-20575]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-11000]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[A-421-804]
Cold-Rolled Carbon Steel Flat Products From the Netherlands;
Amended Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review
AGENCY: Import Administration, International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of Amended Final Results of Antidumping Duty
Administrative Review.
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SUMMARY: On March 18, 1998, the Department of Commerce (the Department)
published the final results of its administrative review of the
antidumping duty order on cold-rolled carbon steel flat products from
the Netherlands (63 FR 13204). The period of review is August 1, 1995
through July 31, 1996. On March 18, 1998, the sole respondent,
Hoogovens Staal BV, and its U.S. subsidiary, Hoogovens Steel USA, Inc.
(collectively, Hoogovens) filed a timely request that the Department
correct certain clerical errors in these final results. On March 25,
1998, the petitioners (Bethlehem Steel Corporation, U.S. Steel Company
(a Unit of USX Corporation), Inland Steel Industries, Inc., Geneva
Steel, Gulf States Steel Inc. of Alabama, Sharon Steel Corporation, and
Lukens Steel Company) filed a response claiming that none of the errors
alleged by Hoogovens appeared to be ministerial in nature, inasmuch as
the Department followed the allocation methodology described in the
final analysis memorandum. We are publishing this amendment to the
final results of review in accordance with 19 CFR 353.28(c).
EFFECTIVE DATE: April 27, 1998.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Helen Kramer or Linda Ludwig, AD/CVD
Enforcement Group III, Office 8, Import Administration, International
Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-
0405 or (202) 482-3833, respectively.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Applicable Statute and Regulations
Unless otherwise stated, all citations to the Tariff Act are
references to the provisions effective January 1, 1995, the effective
date of the amendments made to the Tariff Act by the Uruguay Round
Agreements Act (URAA). In addition, unless otherwise indicated, all
citations to the Department's regulations are to 19 CFR Part 353
(1997).
Scope of this Review
The products covered by this review include cold-rolled (cold-
reduced) carbon steel flat-rolled products, of rectangular shape,
neither clad, plated nor coated with metal, whether or not painted,
varnished or coated with plastics or other nonmetallic substances, in
coils (whether or not in successively superimposed layers) and of a
width of 0.5 inch or greater, or in straight lengths which, if of a
thickness less than 4.75 millimeters, are of a width of 0.5 inch or
greater and which measures at least 10 times the thickness or if of a
thickness of 4.75 millimeters or more are of a width which exceeds 150
millimeters and measures at least twice the thickness, as currently
classifiable in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) under item numbers
7209.15.0000, 7209.16.0030, 7209.16.0060, 7209.16.0090, 7209.17.0030,
7209.17.0060, 7209.17.0090, 7209.18.1530, 7209.18.1560, 7209.18.2550,
7209.18.6000, 7209.25.0000, 7209.26.0000, 7209.27.0000, 7209.28.0000,
7209.90.0000, 7210.70.3000, 7210.90.9000, 7211.23.1500, 7211.23.2000,
7211.23.3000, 7211.23.4500, 7211.23.6030, 7211.23.6060, 7211.23.6085,
7211.29.2030, 7211.29.2090, 7211.29.4500, 7211.29.6030, 7211.29.6080,
7211.90.0000, 7212.40.1000, 7212.40.5000, 7212.50.0000, 7215.50.0015,
7215.50.0060, 7215.50.0090, 7215.90.5000, 7217.10.1000, 7217.10.2000,
7217.10.3000, 7217.10.7000, 7217.90.1000, 7217.90.5030, 7217.90.5060,
and 7217.90.5090. Included in this review are flat-rolled products of
nonrectangular cross-section where such cross-section is achieved
subsequent to the rolling process (i.e., products which have been
``worked after rolling'')--for example, products which have been
beveled or rounded at the edges. Excluded from this review is certain
shadow mask steel, i.e., aluminum-killed, cold-rolled steel coil that
is open-coil annealed, has a carbon content of less than 0.002 percent,
is of 0.003 to 0.012 inch in thickness, 15 to 30 inches in width, and
has an ultra flat, isotropic surface. These HTS item numbers are
provided for convenience and Customs purposes. The written description
remains dispositive.
The POR is August 1, 1995, through July 31, 1996. This review
covers entries of certain cold-rolled carbon steel flat
[[Page 20575]]
products from the Netherlands by Hoogovens Staal B.V. (Hoogovens).
Analysis of Comments Received
Hoogovens argues that the Department inadvertently used the wrong
denominator to arrive at the per ton factor in reclassifying Hoogovens'
warranty expenses as direct, rather than indirect expenses. The
Department divided the total warranty expenses incurred during the
period of March 1994-July 1996 (``window period'') by the total sales
entered into the United States during the period of review of August
1995-July 1996, instead of the total shipments during the window
period. According to Hoogovens, this resulted in a considerable
overstatement of U.S. warranty expenses. For the home market warranty
expenses, the Department used as the denominator the home market sales
during the window period rather than the shipments, resulting in a
slight overstatement of per ton expenses. Finally, after deducting
warranty expenses from the reported home market indirect selling
expenses (ISE), the Department allocated the remaining ISE on the basis
of the quantity sold. Hoogovens alleges that the Department's practice
is to require that ISE be reported as a percentage of sales value
rather than on the basis of quantity.
Petitioners argue that the Department allocated the expenses
exactly as described in its analysis memorandum. Moreover, petitioners
point out, the Department found in its final results that Hoogovens had
improperly failed to report its warranty expenses as direct selling
expenses based on the tonnages sold. While petitioners argued in their
case brief that the Department should deny any adjustment for the
reported expense in the home market, in petitioners' view the
Department's decision to allocate these expenses based on the tonnages
in Hoogovens' reported data is consistent with the Department's stated
intention and cannot be said to be a ministerial error. Finally,
petitioners argue that Hoogovens' questioning of the Department's
allocation of ISE raises a policy issue, not a ministerial error.
We agree in part with Hoogovens. For these amended final results we
have corrected the denominators to correspond to the same period as the
numerators. We disagree with the petitioners' claim that these were not
ministerial errors. We did not intend to calculate a ratio in which the
denominator and numerator were based on data covering different
periods. Accordingly, we find this error to be ministerial within the
meaning of 19 CFR 353.28(d).
In regard to the allocation of ISE, we agree with petitioners that
this raises a methodological issue, not a ministerial error. We believe
that the Department's allocation based on quantity rather than value is
reasonable, and have adjusted the denominator to correspond to the
quantities shipped in the home market during the extended window
period.
Amended Final Results of Review
As a result of our correction of ministerial errors, we have
determined the margin to be:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Margin
Manufacturer/exporter Period of review (percent)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hoogovens Staal B.V....................... 8/1/95-7/31/96 4.32
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Further, as a result of these corrections, we find that there are
dumping margins on 84.3 percent of Hoogovens' U.S. sales by quantity.
In the absence of any information on the record that the unaffiliated
purchasers in the United States will pay the ultimately assessed
duties, the Department finds that respondent has absorbed antidumping
duties on 84.3 percent of its U.S. sales.
The Department shall determine, and the Customs Service shall
assess, antidumping duties on all appropriate entries. For assessment
purposes, the duty assessment rate will be a specific amount per metric
ton. The Department will issue appraisement instructions directly to
the Customs Service.
Furthermore, the following deposit requirements will be effective
upon publication of this notice of final results of review for all
shipments of cold-rolled carbon steel flat products from the
Netherlands entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or
after the publication date, as provided for by section 751(a)(1) of the
Act: (1) The cash deposit rate for the reviewed company will be the
rate for that firm as stated above; (2) if the exporter is not a firm
covered in this review, or the original less than fair value (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 (3) if neither the exporter nor the manufacturer
is a firm covered in this review, the cash deposit rate will be 19.32
percent. This is the ``all others'' rate from the amended final
determination in the LTFV investigation. See Amended Final
Determination Pursuant to CIT Decision: Certain Cold-Rolled Carbon
Steel Flat Products from the Netherlands, 61 FR 47871. These deposit
requirements, when imposed, shall remain in effect until publication of
the final results of the next administrative review.
This notice serves as a final reminder to importers of their
responsibility under section 353.26 of the Department's regulations 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 notice also serves as a reminder to parties subject to
administrative protective order (APO) of their responsibility
concerning the disposition of proprietary information disclosed under
APO in accordance with section 353.34(d) of the Department's
regulations. Timely notification of return/destruction of APO materials
or conversion to judicial protective order is hereby requested. Failure
to comply with the regulations and the terms of an APO is a
sanctionable violation.
These amended final results of 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 353.28(c).
Dated: April 17, 1998.
Joseph A. Spetrini,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.
[FR Doc. 98-11000 Filed 4-24-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P