[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 126 (Thursday, July 1, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35694-35696]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-16822]


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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

[Investigations Nos. 731-TA-540, 354, and 541 (Review)]


Certain Stainless Steel Pipe From Korea, Sweden, and Taiwan

AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.

ACTION: Institution of five-year reviews concerning the antidumping 
duty orders on certain stainless steel pipe from Korea, Sweden, and 
Taiwan.

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SUMMARY: The Commission hereby gives notice that it has instituted 
reviews pursuant to section 751(c) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 
1675(c)) (the Act) to determine whether revocation of the antidumping 
duty orders on certain stainless steel pipe from Korea, Sweden, and 
Taiwan would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of 
material injury. Pursuant to section 751(c)(2) of the Act, interested 
parties are requested to respond to this notice by submitting the 
information specified below to the Commission; \1\ to be assured of 
consideration, the deadline for responses is August 20, 1999. Comments 
on the adequacy of responses may be filed with the Commission by 
September 13, 1999.
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    \1\ No response to this request for information is required if a 
currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) number is not 
displayed; the OMB number is 3117-0016/USITC No. 99-5-021. Public 
reporting burden for the request is estimated to average 7 hours per 
response. Please send comments regarding the accuracy of this burden 
estimate to the Office of Investigations, U.S. International Trade 
Commission, 500 E Street, SW, Washington, DC 20436.
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    For further information concerning the conduct of these reviews and 
rules of general application, consult the Commission's rules of 
practice and procedure, part 201, subparts A through E (19 CFR part 
201), and part 207, subparts A, D, E, and F (19 CFR part 207). Recent 
amendments to the Rules of Practice and Procedure pertinent to five-
year reviews, including the text of subpart F of part 207, are 
published at 63 FR 30599, June 5, 1998, and may be downloaded from the 
Commission's World Wide Web site at http://www.usitc.gov/rules.htm.

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 1, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Messer (202-205-3193) or Vera 
Libeau (202-205-3176), Office of Investigations, U.S. International 
Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC 20436. Hearing-
impaired persons can obtain information on this matter by contacting 
the Commission's TDD terminal on 202-205-1810. Persons with mobility 
impairments who will need special assistance in gaining access to the 
Commission should contact the Office of the Secretary at 202-205-2000. 
General information concerning the Commission may also be obtained by 
accessing its internet server (http://www.usitc.gov).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On December 3, 1987, the Department of Commerce issued an 
antidumping duty order on imports of seamless stainless steel hollow 
products from Sweden (52 FR 45985). The Department of Commerce amended 
the order on November 5, 1992 to include welded stainless steel hollow 
products from Sweden (57 FR 52761). The Department subsequently revoked 
the order as to the seamless products on August 16, 1995, the order 
thus remaining in effect only as to the welded products (60 FR 42529). 
On December 30, 1992, the Department of Commerce issued antidumping 
duty orders on imports of welded ASTM A-312 stainless steel pipe from 
Korea (57 FR 62301) and Taiwan (57 FR 62300). The Commission is 
conducting reviews to determine whether revocation of the orders would 
be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury to 
the domestic industry within a reasonably foreseeable time. It will 
assess the adequacy of interested party responses to this notice of 
institution to determine whether to conduct full reviews or expedited 
reviews. The Commission's determinations in any expedited reviews will 
be based on the facts available, which may include information provided 
in response to this notice.

Definitions

    The following definitions apply to these reviews:
    (1) Subject Merchandise is the class or kind of merchandise that is 
within the scope of the five-year reviews, as defined by the Department 
of Commerce.
    (2) The Subject Countries in these reviews are Korea, Sweden, and 
Taiwan.
    (3) The Domestic Like Product is the domestically produced product 
or products which are like, or in the absence of like, most similar in 
characteristics and uses with, the Subject Merchandise. In the original 
and remand determinations concerning Sweden, the Commission found two 
Domestic Like Products: (1) Welded pipe and tube, excluding articles 
containing between 10.1 and 11.5 percent chromium (primarily grade 409 
pipe and tube), and (2) seamless pipe and tube, including redraw 
hollows and finished seamless pipe and tube. One Commissioner defined 
the welded pipe and tube Domestic Like Product differently. Because the 
antidumping order was subsequently revoked as to seamless pipe and 
tube, the seamless pipe and tube Domestic Like Product, as defined 
above, is no longer like, or most similar in characteristics with, the 
merchandise from Sweden that remains subject to the order. Accordingly, 
for purposes of responding to this notice, persons should consider 
welded pipe and tube, excluding articles containing between 10.1 and 
11.5 percent chromium by weight (primarily grade 409 pipe and tube), to 
be the sole Domestic Like Product corresponding to the subject 
merchandise from Sweden.

[[Page 35695]]

In its original determinations concerning Korea and Taiwan, the 
Commission found one Domestic Like Product: welded stainless steel 
pipes and pressure tubes, excluding grade 409 tubes and mechanical 
tubes (also known as ornamental tubes). For purposes of this notice, 
you should report information separately on each of the two foregoing 
welded pipe and tube Domestic Like Products.
    (4) The Domestic Industry is the U.S. producers as a whole of the 
Domestic Like Product, or those producers whose collective output of 
the Domestic Like Product constitutes a major proportion of the total 
domestic production of the product. In the original and remand 
determinations concerning Sweden, the Commission found two Domestic 
Industries corresponding to the two Domestic Like Products. The first 
is the welded pipe and tube industry, which consists of integrated 
companies that melt stainless steel, produce the required basic shapes 
(sheet, strip, and plate), and then make the pipe and tube; and non-
integrated companies that purchase the basic shapes and make the pipe 
and tube. The second is the seamless pipe and tube industry, which 
consists of integrated companies that melt the steel, produce the basic 
shapes, and then make the pipe and tube; and redrawers. Because the 
antidumping order was subsequently revoked as to seamless pipe and 
tube, the Domestic Industry corresponding to the Domestic Like Product 
is now the welded pipe and tube industry, as defined above. The 
Commission excluded one domestic producer, Sandvik, from the Domestic 
Industry under the related parties provision. In its original 
determinations concerning Korea and Taiwan, the Commission found one 
Domestic Industry: producers of welded stainless steel pipes and 
pressure tubes, excluding grade 409 tubes and mechanical tubes (also 
known as ornamental tubes). For purposes of this notice, you should 
report information separately on each of the two foregoing welded pipe 
and tube Domestic Industries.
    (5) The Order Dates are the dates that the antidumping duty order 
under review became effective. In the review concerning Sweden, the 
Order Date is December 3, 1987. In the reviews concerning Korea and 
Taiwan, the Order Date is December 30, 1992.
    (6) An Importer is any person or firm engaged, either directly or 
through a parent company or subsidiary, in importing the Subject 
Merchandise into the United States from a foreign manufacturer or 
through its selling agent.

Participation in the Reviews and Public Service List

    Persons, including industrial users of the Subject Merchandise and, 
if the merchandise is sold at the retail level, representative consumer 
organizations, wishing to participate in the reviews as parties must 
file an entry of appearance with the Secretary to the Commission, as 
provided in Sec. 201.11(b)(4) of the Commission's rules, no later than 
21 days after publication of this notice in the Federal Register. The 
Secretary will maintain a public service list containing the names and 
addresses of all persons, or their representatives, who are parties to 
the reviews.

Limited Disclosure of Business Proprietary Information (BPI) Under 
an Administrative Protective Order (APO) and APO Service List

    Pursuant to section 207.7(a) of the Commission's rules, the 
Secretary will make BPI submitted in these reviews available to 
authorized applicants under the APO issued in the reviews, provided 
that the application is made no later than 21 days after publication of 
this notice in the Federal Register. Authorized applicants must 
represent interested parties, as defined in 19 U.S.C. 1677(9), who are 
parties to the reviews. A separate service list will be maintained by 
the Secretary for those parties authorized to receive BPI under the 
APO.

Certification

    Pursuant to Sec. 207.3 of the Commission's rules, any person 
submitting information to the Commission in connection with these 
reviews must certify that the information is accurate and complete to 
the best of the submitter's knowledge. In making the certification, the 
submitter will be deemed to consent, unless otherwise specified, for 
the Commission, its employees, and contract personnel to use the 
information provided in any other reviews or investigations of the same 
or comparable products which the Commission conducts under Title VII of 
the Act, or in internal audits and investigations relating to the 
programs and operations of the Commission pursuant to 5 U.S.C. Appendix 
3.

Written Submissions

    Pursuant to Sec. 207.61 of the Commission's rules, each interested 
party response to this notice must provide the information specified 
below. The deadline for filing such responses is August 20, 1999. 
Pursuant to Sec. 207.62(b) of the Commission's rules, eligible parties 
(as specified in Commission rule 207.62(b)(1)) may also file comments 
concerning the adequacy of responses to the notice of institution and 
whether the Commission should conduct expedited or full reviews. The 
deadline for filing such comments is September 13, 1999. All written 
submissions must conform with the provisions of Secs. 201.8 and 207.3 
of the Commission's rules and any submissions that contain BPI must 
also conform with the requirements of Secs. 201.6 and 207.7 of the 
Commission's rules. The Commission's rules do not authorize filing of 
submissions with the Secretary by facsimile or electronic means. Also, 
in accordance with Secs. 201.16(c) and 207.3 of the Commission's rules, 
each document filed by a party to the reviews must be served on all 
other parties to the reviews (as identified by either the public or APO 
service list as appropriate), and a certificate of service must 
accompany the document (if you are not a party to the reviews you do 
not need to serve your response).

Inability To Provide Requested Information

    Pursuant to Sec. 207.61(c) of the Commission's rules, any 
interested party that cannot furnish the information requested by this 
notice in the requested form and manner shall notify the Commission at 
the earliest possible time, provide a full explanation of why it cannot 
provide the requested information, and indicate alternative forms in 
which it can provide equivalent information. If an interested party 
does not provide this notification (or the Commission finds the 
explanation provided in the notification inadequate) and fails to 
provide a complete response to this notice, the Commission may take an 
adverse inference against the party pursuant to section 776(b) of the 
Act in making its determinations in the reviews.

Information To Be Provided in Response to This Notice of 
Institution

    Please provide the requested information separately for each 
Domestic Like Product, as defined above, and for each of the products 
identified by Commerce as Subject Merchandise. If you are a domestic 
producer, union/worker group, or trade/business association; import/
export Subject Merchandise from more than one Subject Country; or 
produce Subject Merchandise in more than one Subject Country, you may 
file a single response. If you do so, please ensure that your response 
to each question includes the information requested for each pertinent

[[Page 35696]]

Subject Country. As used below, the term ``firm'' includes any related 
firms.
    (1) The name and address of your firm or entity (including World 
Wide Web address if available) and name, telephone number, fax number, 
and E-mail address of the certifying official.
    (2) A statement indicating whether your firm/entity is a U.S. 
producer of the Domestic Like Product to which your response pertains, 
a U.S. union or worker group, a U.S. importer of the Subject 
Merchandise, a foreign producer or exporter of the Subject Merchandise, 
a U.S. or foreign trade or business association, or another interested 
party (including an explanation). If you are a union/worker group or 
trade/business association, identify the firms in which your workers 
are employed or which are members of your association.
    (3) A statement indicating whether your firm/entity is willing to 
participate in these reviews by providing information requested by the 
Commission.
    (4) A statement of the likely effects of the revocation of the 
antidumping duty orders on each Domestic Industry for which you are 
filing a response in general and/or your firm/entity specifically. In 
your response, please discuss the various factors specified in section 
752(a) of the Act (19 U.S.C. 1675a(a)) including the likely volume of 
subject imports, likely price effects of subject imports, and likely 
impact of imports of Subject Merchandise on the Domestic Industry.
    (5) A list of all known and currently operating U.S. producers of 
each Domestic Like Product for which you are filing a response. 
Identify any known related parties and the nature of the relationship 
as defined in section 771(4)(B) of the Act (19 U.S.C. 1677(4)(B)).
    (6) A list of all known and currently operating U.S. importers of 
the Subject Merchandise and producers of the Subject Merchandise in 
Sweden that currently export or have exported Subject Merchandise to 
the United States or other countries since 1986. A list of all known 
and currently operating U.S. importers of the Subject Merchandise and 
producers of the Subject Merchandise in Korea and Taiwan that currently 
export or have exported Subject Merchandise to the United States or 
other countries since 1991.
    (7) If you are a U.S. producer of a Domestic Like Product, provide 
the following information separately on your firm's operations on each 
product during calendar year 1998 (report quantity data in short tons 
and value data in thousands of U.S. dollars, f.o.b. plant). If you are 
a union/worker group or trade/business association, provide the 
information, on an aggregate basis, for the firms in which your workers 
are employed/which are members of your association.
    (a) Production (quantity) and, if known, an estimate of the 
percentage of total U.S. production of each Domestic Like Product 
accounted for by your firm's(s'') production; and
    (b) The quantity and value of U.S. commercial shipments of each 
Domestic Like Product produced in your U.S. plant(s); and
    (c) The quantity and value of U.S. internal consumption/company 
transfers of each Domestic Like Product produced in your U.S. plant(s).
    (8) If you are a U.S. importer or a trade/business association of 
U.S. importers of the Subject Merchandise from the Subject Countries, 
provide the following information on your firm's(s'') operations on 
that product during calendar year 1998 (report quantity data in short 
tons and value data in thousands of U.S. dollars). If you are a trade/
business association, provide the information, on an aggregate basis, 
for the firms which are members of your association.
    (a) The quantity and value (landed, duty-paid but not including 
antidumping or countervailing duties) of U.S. imports and, if known, an 
estimate of the percentage of total U.S. imports of Subject Merchandise 
from the Subject Countries accounted for by your firm's(s') imports; 
and
    (b) The quantity and value (f.o.b. U.S. port, including antidumping 
and/or countervailing duties) of U.S. commercial shipments of Subject 
Merchandise imported from the Subject Countries; and
    (c) The quantity and value (f.o.b. U.S. port, including antidumping 
and/or countervailing duties) of U.S. internal consumption/company 
transfers of Subject Merchandise imported from the Subject Countries.
    (9) If you are a producer, an exporter, or a trade/business 
association of producers or exporters of the Subject Merchandise in the 
Subject Countries, provide the following information on your 
firm's(s'') operations on that product during calendar year 1998 
(report quantity data in short tons and value data in thousands of U.S. 
dollars, landed and duty-paid at the U.S. port but not including 
antidumping or countervailing duties). If you are a trade/business 
association, provide the information, on an aggregate basis, for the 
firms which are members of your association.
    (a) Production (quantity) and, if known, an estimate of the 
percentage of total production of Subject Merchandise in the Subject 
Countries accounted for by your firm's(s'') production; and
    (b) The quantity and value of your firm's(s'') exports to the 
United States of Subject Merchandise and, if known, an estimate of the 
percentage of total exports to the United States of Subject Merchandise 
from the Subject Countries accounted for by your firm's(s'') exports.
    (10) Identify significant changes, if any, in the supply and demand 
conditions or business cycle for each Domestic Like Product that have 
occurred in the United States or in the market for the Subject 
Merchandise in the Subject Countries since the Order Dates, and 
significant changes, if any, that are likely to occur within a 
reasonably foreseeable time. Supply conditions to consider include 
technology; production methods; development efforts; ability to 
increase production (including the shift of production facilities used 
for other products and the use, cost, or availability of major inputs 
into production); and factors related to the ability to shift supply 
among different national markets (including barriers to importation in 
foreign markets or changes in market demand abroad). Demand conditions 
to consider include end uses and applications; the existence and 
availability of substitute products; and the level of competition among 
the Domestic Like Product produced in the United States, Subject 
Merchandise produced in the Subject Countries, and such merchandise 
from other countries.
    (11) (OPTIONAL) A statement of whether you agree with the above 
definitions of the Domestic Like Product and Domestic Industry; if you 
disagree with either or both of these definitions, please explain why 
and provide alternative definitions.

    Authority: These reviews are being conducted under authority of 
title VII of the Tariff Act of 1930; this notice is published 
pursuant to Sec. 207.61 of the Commission's rules.

    Issued: June 25, 1999.

    By order of the Commission.
Donna R. Koehnke,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 99-16822 Filed 6-30-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020-02-P