[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 149 (Wednesday, August 2, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47407-47409]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-19545]



[[Page 47407]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[C-428-817]


Certain Corrosion-Resistant Carbon Steel Flat Products; Cold-
Rolled Carbon Steel Flat Products; and Cut-to-Length Carbon Steel Plate 
Products From Germany; Final Results of Full Sunset Reviews

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

ACTION: Notice of Final Results of Full Sunset Reviews: Certain 
Corrosion-Resistant Carbon Steel Flat Products; Cold-Rolled Carbon 
Steel Flat Products; and Cut-to-Length Carbon Steel Plate Products from 
Germany.

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SUMMARY: On March 27, 2000, the Department of Commerce (``the 
Department'') published a notice of preliminary results of the full 
sunset reviews of the countervailing duty orders on certain corrosion-
resistant carbon steel flat products, cold-rolled carbon steel flat 
products, and cut-to-length carbon steel plate products (collectively 
the ``steel products'') from Germany (65 FR 16176) pursuant to section 
751(c) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (``the Act''). We provided 
interested parties an opportunity to comment on our preliminary 
results. We received comments from both domestic and respondent 
interested parties. As a result of this review, the Department finds 
that revocation of these orders would be likely to lead to continuation 
or recurrence of a countervailiable subsidy.

Effective Date: August 2, 2000.

For Further Information Contact: Eun W. Cho or James Maeder, Office of 
Policy for Import Administration, International Trade Administration, 
U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW, 
Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-1698 or (202) 482-3330, 
respectively.

Statute and Regulations

    This review was conducted pursuant to sections 751(c) and 752 of 
the Act. The Department's procedures for the conduct of sunset reviews 
are set forth in Procedures for Conducting Five-year (``Sunset'') 
Reviews of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Orders, 63 FR 13516 
(March 20, 1998) (``Sunset Regulations''), and in 19 CFR Part 351 
(1999) in general. Guidance on methodological or analytical issues 
relevant to the Department's conduct of sunset reviews is set forth in 
the Department's Policy Bulletin 98:3--Policies Regarding the Conduct 
of Five-year (``Sunset'') Reviews of Antidumping and Countervailing 
Duty Orders; Policy Bulletin, 63 FR 18871 (April 16, 1998) (``Sunset 
Policy Bulletin'').

Background

    On March 27, 2000, the Department published in the Federal Register 
a notice of preliminary results of the full sunset reviews of the 
countervailing duty orders on steel products from Germany pursuant to 
the Act. In our preliminary results, we determined that revocation of 
the orders would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of a 
countervailiable subsidy. In addition, we preliminarily determined that 
the following net countervailable subsidies are likely to prevail for 
respective manufactures/exporters of steel products if the orders were 
revoked: for corrosion-resistant carbon steel flat products, a country-
wide rate of 0.54 percent ad valorem; for cold-rolled carbon steel flat 
products, country-wide rate of 0.55 percent ad valorem; for cut-to-
length steel plate products, 1.62 percent ad valorem for Salzgitter, 
0.51 percent ad valorem for TKS, and a 14.84 percent ad valorem 
country-wide rate (including Dillinger).
    On May 19, 2000, the Government of Germany (``GOG'') submitted its 
case brief, and the rest of the interested parties (both domestic and 
respondent) submitted their case briefs on May 22, 2000, within the 
deadline specified in 19 CFR 351.309(c)(1)(i). We also received 
rebuttal comments from the GOG on June 2, 2000, and from both domestic 
and respondent interested parties on June 5, 2000, within the deadline 
specified in a Department Memorandum dated May 26, 2000.\1\ The 
Department held a hearing on June 26, 2000.
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    \1\ On May 24, 2000, the domestic interested parties requested 
an extension of the deadline for filing rebuttal comments to 
respondents' case briefs. The Department extended the deadline until 
June 5, 2000 for all participants eligible to file rebuttal 
comments.
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Scope of Review

    The products covered by these reviews are certain corrosion-
resistant carbon steel flat products, cold-rolled carbon steel flat 
products, and cut-to-length steel plate products from Germany.
    (1) Certain corrosion-resistant carbon steel flat products: the 
scope of countervailing duty order of certain corrosion-resistant 
carbon steel flat products (``corrosion-resistant'') includes flat-
rolled carbon steel products, of rectangular shape, either clad, 
plated, or coated with corrosion-resistant metals such as zinc, 
aluminum, or zinc-, aluminum-, nickel-or iron-based alloys, whether or 
not corrugated or painted, varnished or coated with plastics or other 
nonmetallic substances in addition to the metallic coating, in coils 
(whether or not in successively superimposed layers) and of a width of 
0.5 inch or greater, or in straight lengths which, if of a thickness 
less than 4.75 millimeters, are of a width of 0.5 inch or greater and 
which measures at least 10 times the thickness or if of a thickness of 
4.75 millimeters or more are of a width which exceeds 150 millimeters 
and measures at least twice the thickness, as currently classifiable in 
the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (``HTS'') under item numbers 
7210.31.0000, 7210.39.0000, 7210.41.0000, 7210.49.0030, 7210.49.0090, 
7210.60.0000, 7210.70.6030, 7210.70.6060, 7210.70.6090, 7210.90.1000, 
7210.90.6000, 7210.90.9000, 7212.21.0000, 7212.29.0000, 7212.30.1030, 
7212.30.1090, 7212.30.3000, 7212.30.5000, 7212.40.1000, 7212.40.5000, 
7212.50.0000, 7212.60.0000, 7215.90.1000, 7215.90.5000, 7217.12.1000, 
7217.13.1000, 7217.19.1000, 7217.19.5000, 7217.22.5000, 7217.23.5000, 
7217.29.1000, 7217.29.5000, 7217.32.5000, 7217.33.5000, 7217.39.1000, 
and 7217.39.5000. Included in this scope are flat-rolled products of 
non-rectangular cross-section where such cross-section is achieved 
subsequent to the rolling process (i.e., products which have been 
worked after rolling)--for example, products which have been bevelled 
or rounded at the edges. Excluded from this scope are flat-rolled steel 
products either plated or coated with tin, lead, chromium, chromium 
oxides, both tin and lead (``terne plate''), or both chromium and 
chromium oxides (``tin-free steel''), whether or not painted, varnished 
or coated with plastics or other nonmetallic substances in addition to 
the metallic coating. Also excluded from this scope are clad products 
in straight lengths of 0.1875 inch or more in composite thickness and 
of a width which exceeds 150 millimeters and measures at least twice 
the thickness. Also excluded from this scope are certain clad stainless 
flat-rolled products, which are three-layered corrosion-resistant 
carbon steel flat-rolled products less than 4.75 millimeters in 
composite thickness that

[[Page 47408]]

consist of a carbon steel flat-rolled product clad on both sides with 
stainless steel in a ``20 percent-60 percent-20 percent'' ratio.
    On September 22, 1999, the Department issued the final results of a 
changed circumstances review and revoked the order with respect to 
certain corrosion-resistant steel.\2\
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    \2\ See Notice of Final Results of Changed Circumstances 
Antidumping Duty and Countervailing Duty Reviews and Revocation of 
Orders in Part: Certain Corrosion-Resistant Carbon Steel Flat 
Products From Germany, 64 FR 51292 (September 22, 1999). The 
Department noted that the affirmative statement of no interest by 
petitioners, combined with the lack of comments from interested 
parties, is sufficient to warrant partial revocation. This partial 
revocation applies to certain corrosion-resistant deep-drawing 
carbon steel strip, roll-clad on both sides with aluminum (AlSi) 
foils in accordance with St3 LG as to EN 10139/10140. The 
merchandise's chemical composition encompasses a core material of U 
St 23 (continuous casting) in which carbon is less than 0.08 
percent; manganese is less than 0.30 percent; phosphorous is less 
than 0.20 percent; sulfur is less than 0.015 percent; aluminum is 
less than 0.01 percent; and the cladding material is a minimum of 99 
percent aluminum with silicon/copper/iron of less than 1 percent. 
The products are in strips with thicknesses of 0.07mm to 4.0mm 
(inclusive) and widths of 5mm to 800mm (inclusive). The thickness 
ratio of aluminum on either side of steel may range from 3 percent/
94 percent/3 percent to 10 percent/80 percent/10 percent.
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    (2) Certain cold-rolled carbon steel flat products: the scope of 
countervailing duty order of certain cold-rolled carbon steel flat 
products includes cold-rolled (cold-reduced) carbon steel flat-rolled 
products, of rectangular shape, neither clad, plated nor coated with 
metal, whether or not painted, varnished or coated with plastics or 
other nonmetallic substances, in coils (whether or not in successively 
superimposed layers) and of a width of 0.5 inch or greater, or in 
straight lengths which, if of a thickness less than 4.75 millimeters, 
are of a width of 0.5 inch or greater and which measures at least 10 
times the thickness or if of a thickness of 4.75 millimeters or more 
are of a width which exceeds 150 millimeters and measures at least 
twice the thickness, as currently classifiable in the Harmonized Tariff 
Schedule (``HTS'') under item numbers 7209.11.0000, 7209.12.0030, 
7209.12.0090, 7209.13.0030, 7209.13.0090, 7209.14.0030, 7209.14.0090, 
7209.21.0000, 7209.22.0000, 7209.23.0000, 7209.24.1000, 7209.24.5000, 
7209.31.0000, 7209.32.0000, 7209.33.0000, 7209.34.0000, 7209.41.0000, 
7209.42.0000, 7209.43.0000, 7209.44.0000, 7209.90.0000, 7210.70.3000, 
7210.90.9000, 7211.30.1030, 7211.30.1090, 7211.30.3000, 7211.30.5000, 
7211.41.1000, 7211.41.3030, 7211.41.3090, 7211.41.5000, 7211.41.7030, 
7211.41.7060, 7211.41.7090, 7211.49.1030, 7211.49.1090, 7211.49.3000, 
7211.49.5030, 7211.49.5060, 7211.49.5090, 7211.90.0000, 7212.40.1000, 
7212.40.5000, 7212.50.0000, 7217.11.1000, 7217.11.2000, 7217.11.3000, 
7217.19.1000, 7217.19.5000, 7217.21.1000, 7217.29.1000, 7217.29.5000, 
7217.31.1000, 7217.39.1000, and 7217.39.5000. Included in this scope 
are flat-rolled products of non-rectangular cross-section where such 
cross-section is achieved subsequent to the rolling process (i.e., 
products which have been worked after rolling)-- for example, products 
which have been bevelled or rounded at the edges. Excluded from this 
scope is certain shadow mask steel; i.e., aluminum-killed, cold-rolled 
steel coil that is open-coil annealed, has a carbon content of less 
than 0.002 percent, is of 0.003 to 0.012 inch in thickness, 15 to 30 
inches in width, and has an ultra flat, isotropic surface.
    (3) Certain cut-to-length carbon steel plate products: the scope of 
countervailing duty order on certain cut-to-length carbon steel plate 
products (``cut-to-length steel'') includes hot-rolled carbon steel 
universal mill plates (i.e., flat-rolled products rolled on four faces 
or in a closed box pass, of a width exceeding 150 millimeters but not 
exceeding 1,250 millimeters and of a thickness of not less than 4 
millimeters, not in coils and without patterns in relief), of 
rectangular shape, neither clad, plated nor coated with metal, whether 
or not painted, varnished, or coated with plastics or other nonmetallic 
substances; and certain hot-rolled carbon steel flat-rolled products in 
straight lengths, of rectangular shape, hot rolled, neither clad, 
plated, nor coated with metal, whether or not painted, varnished, or 
coated with plastics or other nonmetallic substances, 4.75 millimeters 
or more in thickness and of a width which exceeds 150 millimeters and 
measures at least twice the thickness, as currently classifiable in the 
Harmonized Tariff Schedule (``HTS'') under item numbers 7208.40.3030, 
7208.40.3060, 7208.51.0030, 7208.51.0045, 7208.51.0060, 7208.52.0000, 
7208.53.0000, 7208.90.0000, 7210.70.3000, 7210.90.9000, 7211.13.0000, 
7211.14.0030, 7211.14.0045, 7211.90.0000, 7212.40.1000, 7212.40.5000, 
and 7212.50.0000. Included are flat-rolled products of non-rectangular 
cross-section where such cross-section is achieved subsequent to the 
rolling process (i.e., products which have been worked after rolling) 
for example, products which have been bevelled or rounded at the edges. 
Excluded is grade X-70 plate.
    On August 25, 1999, the Department issued the final results of a 
changed-circumstances review revoking the order in part, with respect 
to certain cut-to-length carbon steel plate with a maximum thickness of 
80 mm in steel grades BS 7191, 355 EM and 355 EMZ, as amended by Sable 
Offshore Energy Project Specification XB MOO Y 15 0001, types 1 and 
2.\3\
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    \3\ See Certain Cut-to-Length Carbon Steel Plate from Finland, 
Germany, and United Kingdom: Final Results of Changed Circumstances 
Antidumping Duty and Countervailing Duty Reviews, and Revocation of 
Orders in Part, 64 FR 46343 (August 25, 1999).
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    The HTS item numbers are provided for convenience and custom 
purposes. The written description remains dispositive.

Analysis of Comments Received: All issues raised in the case and 
rebuttal briefs by parties to this sunset review are addressed in the 
``Issues and Decision Memorandum'' (``Decision Memo'') from Jeffrey A. 
May, Director, Office of Policy, Import Administration, to Troy H. 
Cribb, Acting Assistant Secretary for Import Administration, dated July 
27, 2000, which is hereby adopted by this notice. The issues discussed 
in the attached Decision Memo include the likelihood of continuation or 
recurrence of a countervailiable subsidy and the magnitude of the net 
subsidy likely to prevail if the orders were revoked. Parties can find 
a complete discussion of all issues raised in these reviews and the 
corresponding recommendations in this public memorandum which is on 
file in the Central Records Unit, room B-099, of the main Commerce 
Building.
    In addition, a complete version of the Decision Memo can be 
accessed directly on the Web at http://www.ia.ita.doc.gov. The paper 
copy and electronic version of the Decision Memo are identical in 
content.
    Final Results of Review: We determine that revocation of the 
countervailing duty orders would be likely to lead to continuation or 
recurrence of countervailable subsidies at the following percentage 
weighted-average margins:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                Margin
                   Manufacturer/Exporters                     (percent)
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Corrosion-resistant carbon steel flat products:
    Country-wide rate......................................         0.54

[[Page 47409]]

 
Cold-rolled carbon steel flat products:
    Country-wide rate......................................         0.55
Cut-to-length steel plate products:*
    Ilsenburg..............................................         0.80
    Preussag...............................................         0.77
    TKS....................................................         0.51
    Country-wide (including Dillinger).....................       14.84
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* Although Salzgitter is a successor-in-interest for both Ilsenburg and
  Preussag, without an appropriate review, we cannot discern the
  appropriate rate for the successor. Therefore, for Ilsenburg and
  Preussag, we are reporting the rates from the original investigation,
  as adjusted. The country-wide rate applies to Dillinger, and TKS is
  the successor-in-interests of Thyssen.

    Nature of the Subsidy: The programs included in our calculation of 
the net countervailable subsidy likely to prevail if the orders were 
revoked do not fall within the definition of an export subsidy under 
Article 3.1(a) of the Subsidies Agreement.
    This notice also serves as the only reminder to parties subject to 
administrative protective orders (``APO'') of their responsibility 
concerning the return or destruction of proprietary information 
disclosed under APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305 of the 
Department's regulations. Timely notification of the return or 
destruction of APO materials or conversion to judicial protective order 
is hereby requested. Failure to comply with the regulations and terms 
of an APO is a violation which is subject to sanction.
    We are issuing and publishing this determination and notice in 
accordance with sections 751(c), 752, and 777(i) of the Act.

    Dated: July 27, 2000.
Troy H. Cribb,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.
[FR Doc. 00-19545 Filed 8-1-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P