[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 76 (Friday, April 19, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 19394]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-9661]


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

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-823-812]


Investigation of Carbon and Certain Alloy Steel Wire Rod from 
Ukraine: Opportunity to Comment on the Status of Ukraine as a Non-
Market Economy Country

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

ACTION: Request for Comments.

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

DATES: April 19, 2002.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: George Smolik, Office of Policy, 
Import Administration, International Trade Administration, U.S. 
Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW., 
Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-1843.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

SUMMARY:

    The Department of Commerce is requesting comments on the status of 
Ukraine as a non-market economy country.

The Applicable Statute

    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 
(``Department's'') regulations are to 19 CFR part 351 (2001).

Background

    On October 17, 2001, the Ministry of Economy and for European 
Integration Issues of Ukraine submitted a request for, and information 
in support of, graduation to market economy status for Ukraine, within 
the context of the antidumping investigation of carbon and certain 
alloy steel wire rod from Ukraine (``steel wire rod from Ukraine''). On 
November 20, 2001, Krivorozhstal, the sole respondent in steel wire rod 
from Ukraine, requested that the Department issue to it a market 
economy questionnaire. The petitioners in this investigation are Co-
Steel Raritan, Inc., GS Industries, Keystone Consolidated Industries, 
Inc., and North Star Steel Texas, Inc. (``Petitioners''). On December 
21, 2001, and March 14, 2002, Petitioners submitted comments regarding 
Ukraine's request for market economy graduation. On March 1 and March 
18, 2002, Krivorozhstal responded to Petitioners' December 21, 2001 and 
March 14, 2002 submissions, respectively. On April 10, 2002, the 
Department placed on the record of this proceeding information that the 
Ministry of Economy and European Integration of Ukraine had presented 
to the Department on November 27, 2001 regarding its request for market 
economy graduation.
    As indicated above, the Government of Ukraine, Krivorozhstal, and 
Petitioners have filed extensive information on whether Ukraine should 
be granted market-economy status. As explained in the Notice of 
Preliminary Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value and 
Postponement of Final Determination: Carbon and Certain Alloy Steel 
Wire Rod from Ukraine, (67 FR 17367), the Department is currently 
analyzing the request for market economy graduation for Ukraine. For 
purposes of the preliminary determination, the Department treated 
Ukraine as a non-market economy (``NME'') country. See Id. at 67 FR 
17369.

Opportunity for Public Comment

    The Department invites public comment on Ukraine's economic reform 
to date, as they concern the factors listed in section 771(18)(B) of 
the Act, which the Department must take into account in making a non-
market economy country determination:
    (i) The extent to which the currency of the foreign country is 
convertible into the currency of other countries;
    (ii) the extent to which wage rates in the foreign country are 
determined by free bargaining between labor and management;
    (iii) the extent to which joint ventures or other investments by 
firms of other foreign countries are permitted in the foreign country;
    (iv) the extent of government ownership or control of the means of 
production;
    (v) the extent of government control over allocation of resources 
and over price and output decisions of enterprises; and
    (vi) such other factors as the administering authority considers 
appropriate.

Comments--Deadline, Format, and Number of Copies

    The deadline for submission of comments will be 45 days after the 
date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register. All 
comments should be filed at the Department of Commerce Central Records 
Unit located at the address listed below. Rebuttal comments may be 
submitted up to 30 days after the date initial comments are due.
    Each person submitting comments should include his or her name and 
address, and fully document or support all assertions and claims, using 
the following format: (1) Begin each comment on a separate page; (2) 
concisely state the issue identified and discussed in the comment and 
include any supporting documentation in exhibits or appendices; (3) 
provide a brief summary of the comment (a maximum of 3 sentences) and 
label this section ``summary of comment;'' (4) provide an index or 
table of contents; and (5) include the case number A-823-812 in the top 
right hand corner of the submission.
    To simplify the processing and distribution of comments, the 
Department encourages the submission of documents in electronic form 
accompanied by an original and 5 copies in paper form. We require that 
documents filed in electronic form be on DOS formatted 3.5'' diskettes 
and prepared in either WordPerfect 9 format or a format that the Word 
Perfect program can convert and import into Word Perfect 9. Please 
submit comments in separate files on the diskette.
    Comments received on diskette will be made available to the public 
on the Internet at Import Administration's website, http://ia.ita.doc.gov. Paper copies will be available for reading and 
photocopying in the Central Records Unit, Room B-099, U.S. Department 
of Commerce, Pennsylvania Avenue and 14th Street, NW., Washington, DC 
20230. Any questions concerning file formatting, document conversion, 
access on the Internet, or other file requirements should be addressed 
to Andrew Lee Beller, Import Administration Webmaster, (202) 482-0866.
    This determination is issued and published in accordance with 
section 771(18)(c)(ii).

    Dated: April 12, 2002.
Faryar Shirzad,
Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.
[FR Doc. 02-9661 Filed 4-18-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-S