[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 147 (Monday, July 31, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46693-46694]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-19283]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-588-845]


Stainless Steel Sheet and Strip in Coils From Japan: Notice of 
Initiation and Preliminary Results of Changed Circumstance Antidumping 
Duty Review, and Intent To Revoke Order in Part

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

ACTION: Notice of initiation and preliminary results of changed 
circumstance antidumping duty review, and intent to revoke order in 
part.

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SUMMARY: On October 22, 1999, the Department of Commerce (the 
Department) received a request on behalf of Techni Edge Manufacturing 
Co. (``Techni Edge'') for a changed circumstance antidumping duty (AD) 
review and an intent to revoke in part the AD order with respect to 
specific stainless steel sheet and strip from Japan. On May 9, 2000, 
Techni Edge submitted further information in support of its request. 
The Department received a letter on May 12, 2000, from petitioners 
(Allegheny Ludlum, AK Steel (formerly Armco, 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.) indicating that they do not oppose Techni Edge's request 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.
    Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary 
results.

EFFECTIVE DATE: July 31, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sally C. Gannon or James C. Doyle, 
Import Administration, International Trade Administration, U.S. 
Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., 
Washington D.C. 20230; telephone (202) 482-0162 and (202) 482-0159, 
respectively.

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.

Background

    On July 27, 1999, the Department published the Notice of Amended 
Final Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value and Antidumping 
Duty Order on stainless steel sheet and strip from Japan (64 FR 40565).
    On October 22, 1999, and May 9, 2000, Techni Edge requested 
revocation in part of the AD order pursuant to section 751(b) of the 
Act with respect to specific stainless steel sheet and strip in coils 
from Japan, as described below.

Scope of the Review

    The product covered by this exclusion request is certain stainless 
steel used for razor blades, medical surgical blades, and industrial 
blades and sold under proprietary names such as DSRIK7, DSRIK8, and 
DSRIK9. This stainless steel strip in coils is a specialty product with 
a thickness of 0.15 mm to 1.000 mm, or 0.006 inches to 0.040 inches, 
and a width of 6 mm to 50 mm, or 0.250 inches to 2.000 inches. The edge 
of the product is slit, and the finish is bright. The steel contains 
the following chemical composition by weight:

Carbon 0.65% to 1.00%
Silicon 1.00% maximum
Manganese 1.00% maximum
Phosporus 0.35% maximum
Sulfur 0.25% maximum
Nickel 0.35% maximum
Chromium 0.15% maximum
Molybdenum 0.30% maximum

Initiation and Preliminary Results of Changed Circumstance AD 
Review, and Intent to Revoke Order in Part

    At the request of Techni Edge, and in accordance with sections 
751(d)(1) and 751(b)(1) of the Act and section 351.216 of the 
Department's regulations, the Department is initiating a changed 
circumstance review of stainless steel sheet and strip from Japan to 
determine whether partial revocation of the AD order is warranted with 
respect to the stainless steel sheet and strip subject to this request. 
Section 782(h)(2) of the Act and section 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 the Department determines that expedited action 
is warranted, section 351.221(c)(3)(ii) of the regulations permits the 
Department to combine the notices of initiation and preliminary 
results.
    In accordance with section 751(b) of the Act, and sections 
351.222(g)(l)(i) and 351.221(c)(3) of the Department's regulations, we 
are initiating this changed circumstance review and have determined 
that expedited action is warranted. Our decision to expedite this 
review stems from the domestic industry's lack of interest in applying 
the AD order to the specific stainless steel sheet and strip covered by 
this request. Additionally, in accordance with section 351.216(a) we 
find that the petitioners' affirmative statement of no interest 
constitutes good cause for the conduct of this review.
    Based on the expression of no interest by petitioners and absent 
any objection by any other domestic interested parties, we have 
preliminarily determined that substantially all of the domestic 
producers of the like product have no interest in continued application 
of the

[[Page 46694]]

AD order to the stainless steel sheet and strip subject to this 
request. Therefore, we are notifying the public of our intent to 
revoke, in part, the AD order as it relates to imports of the 
merchandise described above from Japan.

Public Comment

    Interested parties may submit case briefs and/or written comments 
no later than 14 days after the date of publication of these 
preliminary results. Rebuttal briefs and rebuttals to written comments, 
limited to issues raised in such briefs or comments, may be filed no 
later than 21 days after the date of publication. The Department will 
issue the final results of this changed circumstance review, which will 
include the results of its analysis raised in any such written 
comments, no later than 270 days after the date on which this review 
was initiated, or within 45 days if all parties agree to our 
preliminary determination. See section 351.216(e) of the Department's 
regulations.
    If final revocation occurs, we will instruct the U.S. Customs 
Service to end the suspension of liquidation for the merchandise 
covered by the revocation on the effective date of the notice of 
revocation and to release any cash deposit or bond. See section 
351.222(g)(4) of the Department's regulations. The current requirement 
for a cash deposit of estimated AD duties on all subject merchandise 
will continue unless and until it is modified pursuant to the final 
results of this changed circumstance review.
    This initiation of review and notice are in accordance with 
sections 751(b) of the Act (19 U.S.C. 1675(b)) and 19 CFR 351.216, 
351.221, and 351.222.

    Dated: July 24, 2000.
Troy H. Cribb,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.
[FR Doc. 00-19283 Filed 7-28-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P