[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 249 (Wednesday, December 27, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 81827-81830]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-32980]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-583-816]


Certain Stainless Steel Butt-Weld Pipe Fittings From Taiwan: 
Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review

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

ACTION: Notice of final results in the antidumping duty administrative 
review of certain stainless steel butt-weld pipe fittings from Taiwan 
and intent not to revoke in part.

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SUMMARY: On July 6, 2000, the Department of Commerce (``Department'') 
published the preliminary results of the administrative review of the 
antidumping duty order on certain stainless steel butt-weld pipe 
fittings from Taiwan. This review covers one manufacturer/exporter of 
the subject merchandise. The period of review (``POR'') is June 1, 1998 
through May 31, 1999.
    We gave interested parties an opportunity to comment on the 
preliminary results. Based upon our verification of the data and 
analysis of the comments received, we have made changes in the margin 
calculation. Therefore, the final results differ from the preliminary 
results of this review. The final weighted-average dumping margin is 
listed below in the section titled ``Final Results of the Review.''

EFFECTIVE DATE: December 27, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim Doyle or Alex Villanueva, 
Enforcement Group III, Office 9, Import Administration, International 
Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution 
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230, telephone 202-482-0159 (Doyle) or 
202-482-6412 (Villanueva), fax 202-482-1388.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Applicable Statute

    Unless otherwise indicated, all citations to the Tariff Act of 1930 
(``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's regulations are to the 
regulations at 19 CFR Part 351 (1999).

Background

    On June 16, 1993, the Department published the antidumping duty 
order

[[Page 81828]]

on certain stainless steel butt-weld pipe fittings from Taiwan. See 
Certain Welded Stainless Steel Butt-Weld Pipe Fittings From Taiwan: 
Final Determination and Antidumping Order, 58 FR 33250 (June 16, 1993). 
On June 9, 1999, the Department published a notice of opportunity to 
request administrative review of this order for the period June 1, 1998 
through May 31, 1999. See Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Order, 
Finding, or Suspended Investigation; Opportunity to Request 
Administrative Review, 64 FR 30962 (June 9, 1999). Both Ta Chen 
Stainless Steel Pipe Co., Ltd. (``Ta Chen''), a Taiwan producer and 
exporter of subject merchandise, and Petitioners, Markovitz 
Enterprises, Inc. (Flowline Division), Alloy Piping Products, Inc., 
Gerlin, Inc., and Taylor Forge, (collectively ``Petitioners''), timely 
requested that the Department conduct an administrative review of Ta 
Chen's sales. On July 29, 1999, in accordance with section 751(a) of 
the Act, the Department published in the Federal Register a notice of 
initiation of this antidumping duty administrative review for the 
period June 1, 1998 through May 31, 1999. See Initiation of Antidumping 
and Countervailing Duty Administrative Review and requests for 
revocation in part, 64 FR 41075 (July 29, 1999). On July 6, 2000, the 
Department published the preliminary results of the administrative 
review in the Federal Register. See Certain Stainless Steel Butt-Weld 
Pipe Fittings from Taiwan: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty 
Administrative Review and Intent to Not Revoke in Part, 65 FR 41629 
(July 6, 2000) (``Preliminary Results''). On September 11, 2000 through 
September 15, 2000, the Department conducted verification of Ta Chen's 
home market data at Ta Chen's headquarters in Tainan, Taiwan. On 
September 16, 2000 through September 17, 2000, the Department conducted 
verification of Ta Chen's U.S. sales data at the Long Beach, California 
office of Ta Chen's U.S. affiliate, Ta Chen International Corp. 
(``TCI''). We gave interested parties an opportunity to comment on our 
Preliminary Results. Ta Chen and Petitioners filed briefs on October 
16, 2000. On October 18, 2000, Ta Chen and Petitioners filed rebuttal 
briefs. No hearing was requested or held. The date for issuing the 
final results of the review was November 3, 2000. In order to provide 
parties an opportunity to comment on the issue of reimbursement, which 
arose late in the proceeding, the Department extended the time limit 
for the final results by 42 days in accordance with section 751 (a)(3) 
of the Act. See November 3, 2000 memorandum from Edward Yang to Joseph 
Spetrini: Extension of Time Limit for the Administrative Review of 
Certain Stainless Steel Butt-Weld Pipe Fittings from Taiwan. 
Accordingly, on November 9, 2000, the Department published a notice of 
postponement of the final results of antidumping duty administrative 
review in the Federal Register. See Certain Stainless Steel Butt-Weld 
Pipe Fittings from Taiwan: Notice of Postponement of Final Results of 
Antidumping Duty Adminstrative Review, 65 FR 67348 (November 9, 2000). 
The date for issuing the final results was moved from November 3, 2000 
to December 15, 2000. Interested parties were provided an opportunity 
to comment on the issue of reimbursement. On November 20, 2000 and 
again on November 30, 2000 the Department received comments from 
counsel for respondents and petitioners. The Department has conducted 
and completed the administrative review in accordance with section 751 
of the Act.

Scope of the Review

    The merchandise subject to this administrative review is certain 
stainless steel butt-weld pipe fittings (``SSBWPF'') whether finished 
or unfinished, under 14 inches inside diameter. Certain SSBWPF are used 
to connect pipe sections in piping systems where conditions require 
welded connections. The subject merchandise is used where one or more 
of the following conditions is a factor in designing the piping system: 
(1) Corrosion of the piping system will occur if material other than 
stainless steel is used; (2) contamination of the material in the 
system by the system itself must be prevented; (3) high temperatures 
are present; (4) extreme low temperatures are present; and (5) high 
pressures are contained within the system.
    Pipe fittings come in a variety of shapes, with the following five 
shapes the most basic: ``elbows'', ``tees'', ``reducers'', ``stub-
ends'', and ``caps.'' The edges of finished pipe fittings are beveled. 
Threaded, grooved, and bolted fittings are excluded from this review. 
The pipe fittings subject to this review are classifiable under 
subheading 7307.23.00 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 of the review is 
dispositive. Pipe fittings manufactured to American Society of Testing 
and Materials specification A774 are included in the scope of this 
order.

Analysis of Comments Received

    All issues raised in the case briefs, as well as the Department's 
findings, in this administrative review are addressed in the Issues and 
Decision Memorandum for the Administrative Review of Certain Stainless 
Steel Butt-Weld Pipe Fittings from Taiwan: June 1, 1998, through May 
31, 1999 (``Decision Memorandum''), from Joseph A. Spetrini, Deputy 
Assistant Secretary, Import Administration, to Troy H. Cribb, Assistant 
Secretary for Import Administration (December 15, 2000), which is 
hereby adopted by this notice. A list of the issues raised and to which 
we have responded, all of which are in the Decision Memorandum, and a 
list of our changes, is attached to this notice as an Appendix. Parties 
can find a complete discussion of all issues raised in this review and 
the corresponding recommendations in this public memorandum which is on 
file at the U.S. Department of Commerce, in the Central Records Unit, 
in room B-099. In addition, a complete version of the Decision 
Memorandum can be accessed directly on the Web at http://www.ita.doc.gov/import_admin/records/frn. The paper copy and electronic 
version of the public version of the Decision Memorandum are identical 
in content.

Sales Below Cost in the Home Market

    As discussed in more detail in the Preliminary Results, the 
Department disregarded home market below-cost sales that failed the 
cost test in the final results of review.

Level of Trade

    As discussed in more detail in the Preliminary Results, the 
Department determined that all sales in the home market and the U.S. 
market were made at the same level of trade. Therefore, we have not 
made a level of trade adjustment because all price comparisons are at 
the same level of trade and an adjustment pursuant to section 
773(a)(7)(A) of the Act is not appropriate.

Request for Revocation

    Under section 351.222(b) of the Department's regulations, the 
Department may partially revoke an order with respect to a company if 
that producer or exporter has sold the merchandise at not less than 
normal value for a period of at least three consecutive years and it is 
not likely that the producer or exporter will sell subject merchandise 
at less than normal value in the future. On June 30, 1999, Ta Chen 
submitted a request, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.222(e), that

[[Page 81829]]

the Department revoke the antidumping duty order on SSBWPF from Taiwan 
with respect to Ta Chen. In accordance with 19 CFR 351.222(e)(1), Ta 
Chen stated that it sold the subject merchandise at not less than 
normal value for a period of at least three years, including the 
current period under administrative review, and that it sold the 
subject merchandise in commercially significant quantities to the 
United States during each of these three years. Ta Chen also stated 
that it would not sell the subject merchandise at less than normal 
value to the United States in the future and agreed to reinstatement of 
the order against Ta Chen, as long as any exporter or producer is 
subject to the order, if the Department concludes that Ta Chen sold the 
subject merchandise at less than normal value, subsequent to the 
revocation.
    On May 26, 2000, the Department requested that Ta Chen provide 
volume and value data on its exports and sales of subject merchandise 
for the past three consecutive years. Ta Chen provided data in a June 
5, 2000 submission.
    The three review periods on which Ta Chen is basing its request for 
revocation consist of: (1) The period for 6/1/96 through 5/31/97, for 
which the Department found a de minimis margin of 0.34 percent; (2) the 
period for 6/1/97 through 5/31/98, for which no administrative review 
was conducted; and (3) the period for 6/1/98 through 5/31/99, for which 
the Department is currently conducting an administrative review.
    The Department considered Ta Chen's request for revocation and 
reviewed the relevant information. Because we did not find a de minimis 
margin for the final results, we conclude that the criteria for 
revocation have not been satisfied, and we are not revoking the order 
with regard to Ta Chen.

Changes Since the Preliminary Results

    Based on our verification and analysis of the comments received, we 
have made certain changes in the margin calculation, as discussed in 
the Decision Memorandum, accessible in B-099. The public version of 
this Decision Memorandum is also available on the Web at http://www.ita.doc.gov/import_admin/records/frn. In addition, we have 
corrected certain clerical errors in the margin calculation: (1) The 
incorrect formatting of the U.S. sales' date of entry (computer 
variable ENTRYDTU); and (2) an incorrect definition of constructed 
export price sales in the model match program as being sales within the 
window period (instead of within the POR).

Reimbursement

    As a result of the Sales and Cost Verification of Ta Chen and TCI 
on September 11, 2000 through September 19, 2000 and the submissions 
leading to verification, the Department has applied 19 CFR 
351.402(f)(1)(i)(B), which states that ``in calculating the export 
price (or constructed export price), the Secretary will deduct the 
amount of any antidumping duty or countervailing duty, which the 
exporter or producer * * * reimbursed to the importer.'' See Decision 
Memorandum at ``Changes since the Preliminary Results.'' Therefore, 
based on our findings of reimbursement of antidumping duties by Ta Chen 
to TCI in this administrative review, we have determined that the 
dumping margin should be doubled.

Final Results of the Review

    We determine that the following percentage weighted-average margin 
exists for the period June 1, 1998 through May 31, 1999 (this margin 
has been doubled to reflect the Department's reimbursement 
determination):

                   Certain Welded Stainless Steel Pipe
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                              Weighted-
                                                               average
               Producer/Manufacturer/Exporter                   margin
                                                              (percent)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ta Chen....................................................        12.84
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Department shall determine, and the U.S. Customs Service 
(``Customs'') shall assess, antidumping duties on all appropriate 
entries. In accordance with 19 CFR 351.212(b), we have calculated 
exporter/importer-specific assessment rates. With respect to the 
constructed export price sales, we divided the total dumping margins 
for the reviewed sales by the total entered value of those reviewed 
sales for each importer. We will direct Customs to assess any resulting 
non-de minimis percentage margins against the entered Customs values 
for the subject merchandise on each of that importer's entries during 
the review period.
    The Department's decision applies to all entries of subject 
merchandise produced and exported by Ta Chen, entered, or withdrawn 
from warehouse, for consumption on or after June 1, 1998 and before May 
31, 1999. The Department will order the suspension of liquidation ended 
for all such entries and will instruct Customs to release any cash 
deposits or bonds.

Cash Deposit Requirements

    The following deposit requirements will be effective upon 
publication of this notice of final results of administrative review 
for all shipments of certain SSBWPF from Taiwan entered, or withdrawn 
from warehouse, for consumption on or after the date of publication, as 
provided by section 751(a)(1) of the Act: (1) The cash deposit rate for 
Ta Chen will be the rate shown above; (2) for previously reviewed or 
investigated companies not listed above, the cash deposit rate will 
continue to be the company-specific rate published for the most recent 
period; (3) if the exporter is not a firm covered in this review, a 
prior review, or the original less-than-fair-value (LTFV) 
investigation, but the manufacturer is, the cash deposit rate will be 
the rate established for the most recent period for the manufacturer of 
the merchandise; and (4) if neither the exporter nor the manufacturer 
is a firm covered in these or any previous reviews conducted by the 
Department, the cash deposit rate will be the ``all others'' rate, 
which is 51.01 percent.
    The cash deposit rate has been determined on the basis of the 
selling price to the first unaffiliated U.S. customer. These deposit 
requirements shall remain in effect until publication of the final 
results of the next administrative review.
    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 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(a)(1) and 777(i) of the Act.

    Dated: December 15, 2000.
Troy H. Cribb,
Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.

Appendix

Changes Since The Preliminary Results

1. Reimbursement of Antidumping Duties
2. Treatment of U.S. Repacking Expense
3. Calculation of Constructed Export Price (``CEP'') Adjustments
4. Minor Corrections to Database from Verification
    a. Foreign Inland Freight
    b. Manufacturer
    c. U.S. Warehousing Expense
    d. U.S. Bank Charges

[[Page 81830]]

    e. Ocean Freight and U.S. Brokerage Charges
    f. U.S. Repacking Expense for Tampa Warehouse
5. Correction of Ministerial Errors in SAS Program
    a. Reformatting of Entry Date
    b. Definition of CEP Sales

Discussion of the Issues:

1. Resales of Purchased Fittings
2. CEP Profit Adjustment Calculation
3. Reclassification of Export Price Sales to CEP Sales
4. Short-Term Interest Rate Used in Calculation of U.S. Credit and 
Inventory Carrying Costs
5. U.S. Indirect Selling Expenses
6. Decision Not to Revoke the Order in Part
[FR Doc. 00-32980 Filed 12-26-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P