[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 179 (Thursday, September 16, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50273-50274]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-24194]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration
[A-588-833]


Stainless Steel Bar From Japan: Final Results of Changed-
Circumstances Review, and Revocation of Order In Part

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

ACTION: Notice of final results of changed-circumstances review and 
revocation of order in part.

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SUMMARY: On August 6, 1999, the Department of Commerce published a 
notice of initiation and preliminary results of a changed-circumstances 
review and intent to revoke order in part of the antidumping duty order 
on stainless steel bar from Japan.
    We gave interested parties an opportunity to comment on the 
preliminary results. We received no comments. We are now revoking this 
order in part based on the fact that domestic parties support the 
request of Tohoku Steel Co., Ltd. for a changed-circumstances review 
and revocation in part of the order with regard to K-M35FL steel bar.

EFFECTIVE DATE: September 16, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Minoo Hatten or Robin Gray, Office of 
AD/CVD Enforcement, Import Administration, International Trade 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and 
Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone (202) 482-1690 
or (202) 482-4023, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On June 17, 1999, Tohoku Steel Co., Ltd. (Tohoku) requested that 
the Department of Commerce (the Department) conduct a changed-
circumstances review to determine whether to revoke the antidumping 
duty order in part with regard to K-M35FL steel bar, which is currently 
covered by the scope of the order. Tohoku stated that the leaded steel 
product in question is not produced in commercial quantities in the 
United States. With its June 17, 1999, submission, Tohoku included a 
letter from the petitioners (Al Tech Specialty Steel Corp., Dunkirk, 
NY, Carpenter Technology Corp., Reading, PA, Republic Engineered 
Steels, Inc., Massillon, OH, Slater Steels Corp., Fort Wayne, IN, 
Talley Metals Technology, Inc., Hartsville, SC, and the United Steel 
Workers of America, AFL-CIO/CLC) agreeing to Tohoku's request to have 
K-M35FL steel bar excluded from the scope of the antidumping duty order 
on stainless steel bar from Japan.
    We preliminarily determined that the statement of support from the 
domestic interested party constituted changed circumstances sufficient 
to warrant revocation in part of this order. Consequently, on August 6, 
1999, we published a notice of initiation and preliminary results of a 
changed-circumstances review and intent to revoke order in part (64 FR 
42920).

The Applicable Statute

    Unless otherwise indicated, all citations to the statute are 
references to the provisions effective January 1, 1995, the effective 
date of the amendments made to the Tariff Act of 1930 (the 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 351 (1998).

Scope of Review

    The products covered by this changed-circumstances review are 
imports of K-M35FL steel bar manufactured by Tohoku and exported from 
Japan.
    The scope of the order covers stainless steel bar (SSB). For 
purposes of this order, the term SSB means articles of stainless steel 
in straight lengths that have been either hot-rolled, forged, turned, 
cold-drawn, cold-rolled or otherwise cold-finished, or ground, having a 
uniform solid cross section along their whole length in the shape of 
circles, segments of circles, ovals,

[[Page 50274]]

rectangles (including squares), triangles, hexagons, octagons or other 
convex polygons. SSB includes cold-finished SSBs that are turned or 
ground in straight lengths, whether produced from hot-rolled bar or 
from straightened and cut rod or wire, and reinforcing bars that have 
indentations, ribs, grooves, or other deformations produced during the 
rolling process.
    Except as specified above, the term does not include stainless 
steel semi-finished products, cut-length flat-rolled products (i.e., 
cut-length rolled products which if less than 4.75 mm in thickness have 
a width measuring at least 10 times the thickness or if 4.75 mm or more 
in thickness having a width which exceeds 150 mm and measures at least 
twice the thickness), wire (i.e., cold-formed products in coils, of any 
uniform solid cross section along their whole length, which do not 
conform to the definition of flat-rolled products), and angles, shapes 
and sections.
    The SSB subject to this order is currently classifiable under 
subheadings 7222.10.0005, 7222.10.0050, 7222.20.0005, 7222.20.0045, 
7222.20.0075, and 7222.30.0000 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the 
United States (HTSUS). Although the HTSUS subheadings are provided for 
convenience and customs purposes, our written description of the scope 
of this order is dispositive.

Final Results of Changed Circumstances Review and Revocation of 
Order in Part

    Pursuant to section 751(d)(1) of the Act, the Department may 
partially revoke an antidumping duty order based on a review under 
section 751(b) of the Act (i.e., a changed-circumstances review). 
Section 751(b)(1) of the Act requires a changed-circumstances review to 
be conducted upon receipt of a request containing information 
concerning changed circumstances sufficient to warrant a review.
    The Department's regulations at 19 CFR 351.216 provide that the 
Department will conduct a changed-circumstances review based upon 
``changed circumstances sufficient to warrant a review''. Section 
782(h) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.222(g)(1)(i) provide further that the 
Department may revoke an order, or revoke an order in part, if it 
determines that the order (or part of the order) under review is no 
longer of interest to domestic interested parties.
    Based on the fact that no other domestic interested parties have 
objected to the position taken by the petitioners that they have no 
further interest in the application of the order to imports of K-M35FL 
steel bar from Japan, we have determined that there are changed 
circumstances sufficient to warrant revocation of the order in part. 
Therefore, the Department is revoking in part the antidumping duty 
order on stainless steel bar from Japan, in accordance with sections 
751(b) and 782(h) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.222(g)(1)(i). This partial 
revocation will apply to all entries of K-M35FL from Japan entered, or 
withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the publication 
date of the final results of this changed circumstances review.
    The Department will instruct the Customs Service to cease 
suspension of liquidation and collection of cash deposits on entries of 
K-M35FL from Japan entered, or withdrawn from the warehouse, for 
consumption on or after the publication date of the final results of 
this changed circumstances review. Additionally, the Department will 
instruct the Customs Service to proceed with liquidation, without 
regard to antidumping duties, and to refund with interest any estimated 
duties collected with respect to unliquidated entries of K-M35FL from 
Japan or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption on or after the 
publication date of the final results of this changed-circumstances 
review, in accordance with section 778 of the Act.
    We are issuing and publishing this determination and notice in 
accordance with sections 751(b)(1) and 777(i)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 
351.216 and 351.222.

    Dated: September 10, 1999.
Richard W. Moreland,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.
[FR Doc. 99-24194 Filed 9-15-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P