[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 15, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7490-7491]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-3555]



[[Page 7490]]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-412-810, C-412-811]


Certain Hot-Rolled Lead and Bismuth Carbon Steel Products From 
the United Kingdom: Initiation and Preliminary Results of Changed-
Circumstances Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Administrative 
Reviews, Intent To Revoke Orders and Rescind Administrative Reviews

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

ACTION: Notice of initiation and preliminary results of changed-
circumstances antidumping and countervailing duty administrative 
reviews, intent to revoke orders, and rescind administrative reviews.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In response to a request from the petitioners, Ispat Inland 
Inc. and Republic Technologies International LLC, that the Department 
of Commerce revoke the antidumping and countervailing duty orders on 
hot-rolled lead and bismuth carbon steel products from the United 
Kingdom, we are initiating changed-circumstances administrative reviews 
and issuing this notice of preliminary results and intent to revoke the 
antidumping and countervailing duty orders retroactive to January 1, 
1995. We also intend to rescind the ongoing antidumping and 
countervailing duty reviews covering the periods March 1, 1998, through 
February 28, 1999, and January 1, 1998, through December 31, 1998, 
respectively. Interested parties are invited to comment on these 
preliminary results.

EFFECTIVE DATE: January 1, 1995.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rebecca Trainor or Kate Johnson 
(Antidumping); Dana Mermelstein or Jon Lyons (Countervailing), 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-
4007, (202) 482-4929, (202) 482-3208, and (202) 482-0374, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The 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). In addition, unless 
otherwise indicated, all citations to the Department of Commerce's (the 
Department's) regulations are to the regulations at 19 CFR part 351 
(April 1999).

Background

    On December 28, 1999, Ispat Inland Inc. and Republic Technologies 
International LLC (the petitioners) requested that the Department 
revoke the antidumping and countervailing duty orders on certain hot-
rolled lead and bismuth carbon steel products from the United Kingdom, 
retroactive to January 1, 1994, stating that they no longer have an 
interest in maintaining these orders. The petitioners represent 
domestic interested parties, and are successor companies to the 
petitioners in the less-than-fair-value and countervailing duty 
investigations. On January 5, 2000, the petitioners submitted a letter 
substantiating their claim that they represent more than 85 percent of 
domestic production and shipments of the subject merchandise. On 
February 2, 2000, petitioners amended their initial revocation request, 
and asked that revocation of the orders be retroactive to January 1, 
1995, rather than to January 1, 1994.

Scope of the Reviews

    The products covered by these reviews are hot-rolled bars and rods 
of nonalloy or other alloy steel, whether or not descaled, containing 
by weight 0.03 percent or more of lead or 0.05 percent or more of 
bismuth, in coils or cut lengths, and in numerous shapes and sizes. 
Excluded from the scope of this review are other alloy steels (as 
defined by the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) 
Chapter 72, note 1 (f)), except steels classified as other alloy steels 
by reason of containing by weight 0.4 percent or more of lead, or 0.1 
percent or more of bismuth, tellurium, or selenium. Also excluded are 
semi-finished steels and flat-rolled products. Most of the products 
covered in these reviews are provided for under subheadings 
7213.20.00.00 and 7214.30.00.00 of the HTSUS. Small quantities of these 
products may also enter the United States under the following HTSUS 
subheadings: 7213.31.30.00; 7213.31.60.00; 7213.39.00.30; 
7213.39.00.60; 7213.39.00.90; 7213.91.30.00; 7213.91.45.00; 
7213.91.60.00; 7213.99.00; 7214.40.00.10, 7214.40.00.30, 7214.40.00.50; 
7214.50.00.10; 7214.50.00.30, 7214.50.00.50; 7214.60.00.10; 
7214.60.00.30; 7214.60.00.50; 7214.91.00; 7214.99.00; 7228.30.80.00; 
and 7228.30.80.50. HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and 
customs purposes. The written description of the scope of these 
proceedings is dispositive.

Initiation and Preliminary Results of Changed-Circumstances Reviews 
and Intent To Revoke Orders

    Pursuant to section 751(d)(1) of the Act, the Department may 
revoke, in whole or in part, a countervailing or antidumping duty order 
based on a review under section 751(b) of the Act (i.e., a changed 
circumstances review). The Department's regulations at 19 CFR 
351.216(d) require the Department to conduct a changed-circumstances 
review in accordance with 19 CFR 351.221 if it decides that changed 
circumstances sufficient to warrant a review exist. Section 782(h)(2) 
of the Act and Sec. 351.222(g)(1)(i) of the Department's regulations 
provide that the Department may revoke an order (in whole or in part) 
if it determines that producers accounting for substantially all of the 
production of the domestic like product have no further interest in the 
order, in whole or in part. In addition, in the event that the 
Department concludes that expedited action is warranted, 19 CFR 
351.221(c)(3) permits the Department to combine the notices of 
initiation and preliminary results.
    The petitioners are domestic interested parties as defined by 
section 771(9)(C) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.102(b). These parties 
indicated that they represent at least 85 percent of the domestic 
production of the domestic like product to which these orders pertain, 
and thus account for ``substantially all'' of the production of the 
domestic like product. Therefore, based on the lack of interest by the 
domestic industry in the continued application of the antidumping and 
countervailing duty orders on certain hot-rolled lead and bismuth 
carbon steel products from the United Kingdom, we are initiating these 
changed-circumstances reviews. Because of the pending antidumping and 
countervailing duty administrative reviews, we have determined that 
expedited action is warranted, and we are combining the notices of 
initiation and preliminary results. We have preliminarily determined 
that the petitioners' statement of no interest in the continuation of 
the orders constitutes changed circumstances sufficient to warrant 
revocation of the orders in whole. We are hereby notifying the public 
of our intent to revoke in whole the antidumping and countervailing 
duty orders on certain

[[Page 7491]]

hot-rolled lead and bismuth carbon steel products from the United 
Kingdom retroactive to January 1, 1995.
    If these preliminary results become final, we intend to rescind the 
current antidumping and countervailing duty administrative reviews of 
the orders, covering the periods March 1, 1998, through February 28, 
1999, and January 1, 1998, through December 31, 1998, respectively 
(initiated on April 30, 1999 (64 FR 23269)).
    If final revocation of the orders occurs, we intend to instruct the 
Customs Service to discontinue the suspension of liquidation and to 
refund any estimated antidumping and countervailing duties collected 
for all unliquidated entries of certain hot-rolled lead and bismuth 
carbon steel products from the United Kingdom entered, or withdrawn 
from warehouse, for consumption on or after January 1, 1995. We will 
also instruct the Customs Service to pay interest on any refunds with 
respect to the subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from 
warehouse, for consumption on or after January 1, 1995, in accordance 
with section 778 of the Act. The current requirement for a cash deposit 
of estimated antidumping and countervailing duties will continue until 
publication of the final results of these changed-circumstances 
reviews.

Public Comment

    Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary 
results. Parties who submit argument in these proceedings are requested 
to submit with the argument (1) A statement of the issue, and (2) A 
brief summary of the argument. Any interested party may request a 
hearing within 10 days of the date of publication of this notice. Any 
hearing, if requested, will be held no later than 21 days after the 
date of publication of this notice, or the first workday thereafter. 
Case briefs may be submitted by interested parties not later than 7 
days after the date of publication of this notice. Rebuttal briefs, 
limited to the issues raised in the case briefs, may be filed not later 
than 12 days after the date of publication of this notice. All written 
comments shall be submitted in accordance with 19 CFR 351.303 and shall 
be served on all interested parties on the Department's service list in 
accordance with 19 CFR 351.303. Persons interested in attending the 
hearing should contact the Department for the date and time of the 
hearing. The Department will publish the final results of these 
changed-circumstances reviews, including the results of its analysis of 
issues raised in any written comments.
    We are issuing and publishing these determinations and notice in 
accordance with sections 751(b)(1) and 777(i)(1) of the Act and section 
351.222 of the Department's regulations.

    Dated: February 9, 2000.
Robert S. LaRussa,
Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.
[FR Doc. 00-3555 Filed 2-14-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P