[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 66 (Wednesday, April 5, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17856-17857]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-8287]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-588-845]


Stainless Steel Sheet and Strip in Coils From Japan: Final 
Results of Changed Circumstance Antidumping Duty Review, and 
Determination To Revoke Order in Part

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

ACTION: Final results of changed circumstance antidumping duty review, 
and determination to revoke order in part.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: April 5, 2000.

SUMMARY: On February 8, 2000, the Department of Commerce (the 
Department) published a notice of initiation of a changed circumstances 
antidumping duty review and preliminary results of review with intent 
to revoke, in part, the antidumping duty order on stainless steel sheet 
and strip in coils from Japan. We are now revoking this order in part, 
with regard to the following product: Stainless steel welding electrode 
strips, as described in the ``Scope'' section of this notice, based on 
the fact that domestic parties have expressed no further interest in 
the relief provided by the order with respect to the importation or 
sale of this steel coil, as so described.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Bolling, Import Administration, 
International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th 
Street and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone 
(202) 482-3434.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Applicable Statute and Regulations

    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 the 
regulations at 19 CFR part 351 (1999).

Background

    On August 13, 1999, the Department of Commerce (the Department) 
received a request on behalf of Watanabe Trading Co., Ltd. (Watanabe) 
and Byram Steel Trading Co. (Byram) for a changed circumstance review 
and an intent to revoke in part the antidumping duty (AD) order with 
respect to specific stainless steel sheet and strip from Japan. The 
Department received a letter on August 30, 1999, from petitioners 
(Allegheny Ludlum Corporation, Armco, Inc., J&L Specialty Steel, Inc., 
Washington Steel Division of Bethlehem Steel Corporation (formerly 
Lukens, Inc.), the United Steelworkers of America, AFL-CIO/CLC, the 
Butler Armco Independent Union and the Zanesville Armco Independent 
Organization, Inc. of CA) expressing no opposition to the request of 
Watanabe and Byram for revocation in part of the order pursuant to a 
changed circumstance review with respect to the subject merchandise 
defined in the Scope of the Review section below.
    We preliminarily determined that petitioners' affirmative statement 
of no interest constituted changed circumstances sufficient to warrant 
a review and partial revocation of the order. Consequently, on February 
8, 2000, the Department published an initiation of a changed 
circumstances review and preliminary results of review with an intent 
to revoke the order in part (65 FR 6155).
    The merchandise under review is currently classifiable under 
subheading 7220.20.70 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United 
States (HTSUS). Although the HTSUS subheading is provided for 
convenience and customs purposes, our written description of the scope 
is dispositive.

Scope of Changed Circumstance Review

    The products covered by this exclusion request and changed 
circumstances review are stainless steel welding electrode strips that 
are manufactured in accordance with American Welding Society (AWS) 
specification ANSI/AWS A5.9-93. The products are 0.5 mm in thickness, 
60 mm in width, and in coils of approximately 60 pounds each. The 
products are limited to the following AWS grade classifications: ER 
308L, ER 309L, ER 316L and ER 347, and a modified ER 309L or 309LCb 
which meets the following chemical composition limits (by weight):

Carbon--0.03% maximum
Chromium--20.0-22.0%
Nickel--10.0-12.0%
Molybdenum--0.75% maximum
Manganese--1.0-2.5%
Silicon--0.65% maximum
Phosphorus--0.03% maximum
Sulphur--0.03% maximum
Copper--0.75% maximum
Columbium--8 times the carbon level minimum--1.0% maximum

Comments

    In the preliminary results, we provided parties the opportunity to 
comment. We did not receive any comments from the interested parties.

Final Results of Review and Partial Revocation of the Antidumping 
Duty Order

    The affirmative statement of no interest by petitioners concerning 
the steel coil (i.e., stainless steel welding electrode strips) and the 
fact that no interested parties objected to or otherwise commented on 
our preliminary results of review, constitute changed circumstances 
sufficient to warrant partial revocation of the order. Therefore, the 
Department is partially revoking the order on stainless steel sheet and 
strip in coils with respect to the product described above, in 
accordance with sections 751(b) and (d) and 782(h) of the Act and 19 
CFR 351.222(g)(i). This partial revocation applies to all unliquidated 
entries of the above-described merchandise not subject to final results 
of administrative review as of the date of publication in the Federal 
Register of these final results of changed circumstances review.
    The Department will instruct the Customs Service (Customs) to 
proceed with liquidation, without regard to antidumping duties, of any 
unliquidated entries of steel coil (i.e., stainless steel welding 
electrode strips), as specifically described in the ``Scope of Changed 
Circumstance Review'' section above, and entered, or withdrawn from the 
warehouse, for consumption on or after March 24, 2000. The Department 
will further instruct Customs to refund with interest any estimated 
duties collected with respect to unliquidated entries of steel coils 
(i.e., stainless steel welding electrode strips) entered 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 and 19 CFR 351.222(f)(4).
    This notice also serves as a final reminder to parties subject to

[[Page 17857]]

administrative protection orders (APOs) of their responsibility 
concerning the disposition of proprietary information disclosed under 
APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.34(d)(1997). Failure to timely notify 
the Department in writing of the return/destruction of APO material is 
a sanctionable violation.
    This changed circumstances review, partial revocation of the 
antidumping duty order, and notice are in accordance with sections 
751(b) and (d) and 782(h) of the Act and sections 351.216, 
351.2221(c)(3), and 351.222(g) of the Department's regulations.

    Dated: March 23, 2000.
Richard Moreland,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.
[FR Doc. 00-8287 Filed 4-4-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P