[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 104 (Wednesday, June 1, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31531-31534]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-10885]


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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

[Invs. Nos. 731-TA-344, 391A, 392A, 392C, 393A, 394A, 396, and 399A 
(Second Review)]


Certain Bearings From China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, 
Singapore, and the United Kingdom

AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.

[[Page 31532]]


ACTION: Institution of five-year reviews concerning the antidumping 
duty orders on certain bearings from China, France, Germany, Italy, 
Japan, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.

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SUMMARY: The Commission hereby gives notice that it has instituted 
reviews pursuant to section 751(c) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 
1675(c)) (the Act) to determine whether revocation of the antidumping 
duty orders on certain bearings from China, France, Germany, Italy, 
Japan, Singapore, and the United Kingdom would be likely to lead to 
continuation or recurrence of material injury. Pursuant to section 
751(c)(2) of the Act, interested parties are requested to respond to 
this notice by submitting the information specified below to the 
Commission; \1\ to be assured of consideration, the deadline for 
responses is July 21, 2005. Comments on the adequacy of responses may 
be filed with the Commission by August 16, 2005. For further 
information concerning the conduct of these reviews and rules of 
general application, consult the Commission's Rules of Practice and 
Procedure, part 201, subparts A through E (19 CFR part 201), and part 
207, subparts A, D, E, and F (19 CFR part 207).
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    \1\ No response to this request for information is required if a 
currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) number is not 
displayed; the OMB number is 3117-0016/USITC No. 05-5-126, 
expiration date June 30, 2005. Public reporting burden for the 
request is estimated to average 10 hours per response. Please send 
comments regarding the accuracy of this burden estimate to the 
Office of Investigations, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E 
Street, SW., Washington, DC 20436.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: June 1, 2005.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Messer (202-205-3193), Office of 
Investigations, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW., 
Washington, DC 20436. Hearing-impaired persons can obtain information 
on this matter by contacting the Commission's TDD terminal on 202-205-
1810. Persons with mobility impairments who will need special 
assistance in gaining access to the Commission should contact the 
Office of the Secretary at 202-205-2000. General information concerning 
the Commission may also be obtained by accessing its internet server 
(http://www.usitc.gov). The public record for these reviews may be 
viewed on the Commission's electronic docket (EDIS) at http://edis.usitc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Background. On the dates listed below, antidumping duty orders were 
issued on the subject imports:

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         Order date               Product/country                Inv. No.                      FR cite
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6/15/87.....................  Tapered roller bearings/ 731-TA-344                    52 FR 22667
                               China.
5/15/89.....................  Ball bearings/Germany..  731-TA-391A                   54 FR 20900
5/15/89.....................  Ball bearings/France...  731-TA-392A                   54 FR 20902
5/15/89.....................  Spherical plain          731-TA-392C                   54 FR 20902
                               bearings/France.
5/15/89.....................  Ball bearings/Italy....  731-TA-393A                   54 FR 20903
5/15/89.....................  Ball bearings/Japan....  731-TA-394A                   54 FR 20904
5/15/89.....................  Ball bearings/Singapore  731-TA-396                    54 FR 20907
5/15/89.....................  Ball bearings/United     731-TA-399A                   54 FR 20910
                               Kingdom.
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    Following five-year reviews by Commerce and the Commission, 
effective July 11, 2000, Commerce issued a continuation of the 
antidumping duty orders on imports of certain bearings from China, 
France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and the United Kingdom (65 FR 
42665). The Commission is now conducting second reviews to determine 
whether revocation of the orders would be likely to lead to 
continuation or recurrence of material injury to the domestic industry 
within a reasonably foreseeable time. It will assess the adequacy of 
interested party responses to this notice of institution to determine 
whether to conduct full reviews or expedited reviews. The Commission's 
determinations in any expedited reviews will be based on the facts 
available, which may include information provided in response to this 
notice.
    Definitions. The following definitions apply to these reviews:
    (1) Subject Merchandise is the class or kind of merchandise that is 
within the scope of the five-year reviews, as defined by the Department 
of Commerce.
    (2) The Subject Countries in these reviews are China, France, 
Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and the United Kingdom.
    (3) The Domestic Like Product is the domestically produced product 
or products which are like, or in the absence of like, most similar in 
characteristics and uses with, the Subject Merchandise. In its original 
determination concerning tapered roller bearings from China (Inv. No. 
731-TA-344), the Commission found one Domestic Like Product: Tapered 
roller bearings and parts thereof--finished or unfinished; flange, 
take-up cartridge, and hanger units incorporating tapered roller 
bearings, and tapered roller housings (except pillow blocks) 
incorporating tapered rollers, with or without spindles, and whether or 
not for automotive use. In its original determinations concerning 
antifriction bearings (other than tapered roller bearings) and parts 
thereof from France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and the United 
Kingdom (Investigations Nos. 731-TA-391-394, 396, and 399), the 
Commission made affirmative determinations with respect to each of the 
following three Domestic Like Products: (1) Ball bearings, (2) 
cylindrical roller bearings, and (3) spherical plain bearings. One 
Commissioner defined the Domestic Like Product differently. In its full 
five-year review determinations, the Commission made affirmative 
determinations with respect to each of the following three Domestic 
Like Products, consistent with Commerce's scope definitions: (1) Ball 
bearings, (2) spherical plain bearings, and (3) tapered roller 
bearings. For purposes of this notice, you should report information 
separately on each of the following three Domestic Like Products: (1) 
Ball bearings, (2) spherical plain bearings, and (3) tapered roller 
bearings.
    (4) The Domestic Industry is the U.S. producers as a whole of the 
Domestic Like Product, or those producers whose collective output of 
the Domestic Like Product constitutes a major proportion of the total 
domestic production of the product. In its original determination 
concerning tapered roller bearings from China (Inv. No. 731-TA-344), 
the Commission found one Domestic Industry devoted to the production of 
the Domestic Like Product, as defined above. In its original 
determinations concerning antifriction bearings (other than tapered 
roller bearings) and parts

[[Page 31533]]

thereof from France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and the United 
Kingdom (Investigations Nos. 731-TA-391-394, 396, and 399), the 
Commission made affirmative determinations with respect to three 
Domestic Industries, each devoted to the production of one of the three 
Domestic Like Products, as defined above. One Commissioner defined the 
Domestic Industry differently. In its full five-year review 
determinations, the Commission made affirmative determinations with 
respect to three Domestic Industries, each devoted to the production of 
one of the three Domestic Like Products, as defined above. For purposes 
of this notice, you should report information on three Domestic 
Industries, each devoted to the production of one of the following 
three Domestic Like Products: (1) Ball bearings, (2) spherical plain 
bearings, and (3) tapered roller bearings.
    (5) An Importer is any person or firm engaged, either directly or 
through a parent company or subsidiary, in importing the Subject 
Merchandise into the United States from a foreign manufacturer or 
through its selling agent.
    Participation in the reviews and public service list. Persons, 
including industrial users of the Subject Merchandise and, if the 
merchandise is sold at the retail level, representative consumer 
organizations, wishing to participate in the reviews as parties must 
file an entry of appearance with the Secretary to the Commission, as 
provided in section 201.11(b)(4) of the Commission's rules, no later 
than 21 days after publication of this notice in the Federal Register. 
The Secretary will maintain a public service list containing the names 
and addresses of all persons, or their representatives, who are parties 
to the reviews.
    Former Commission employees who are seeking to appear in Commission 
five-year reviews are reminded that they are required, pursuant to 19 
CFR 201.15, to seek Commission approval if the matter in which they are 
seeking to appear was pending in any manner or form during their 
Commission employment. The Commission is seeking guidance as to whether 
a second transition five-year review is the ``same particular matter'' 
as the underlying original investigation for purposes of 19 CFR 201.15 
and 18 U.S.C. 207, the post employment statute for Federal employees. 
Former employees may seek informal advice from Commission ethics 
officials with respect to this and the related issue of whether the 
employee's participation was ``personal and substantial.'' However, any 
informal consultation will not relieve former employees of the 
obligation to seek approval to appear from the Commission under its 
rule 201.15. For ethics advice, contact Carol McCue Verratti, Deputy 
Agency Ethics Official, at 202-205-3088.
    Limited disclosure of business proprietary information (BPI) under 
an administrative protective order (APO) and APO service list. Pursuant 
to section 207.7(a) of the Commission's rules, the Secretary will make 
BPI submitted in these reviews available to authorized applicants under 
the APO issued in the reviews, provided that the application is made no 
later than 21 days after publication of this notice in the Federal 
Register. Authorized applicants must represent interested parties, as 
defined in 19 U.S.C. Sec.  1677(9), who are parties to the reviews. A 
separate service list will be maintained by the Secretary for those 
parties authorized to receive BPI under the APO.
    Certification. Pursuant to section 207.3 of the Commission's rules, 
any person submitting information to the Commission in connection with 
these reviews must certify that the information is accurate and 
complete to the best of the submitter's knowledge. In making the 
certification, the submitter will be deemed to consent, unless 
otherwise specified, for the Commission, its employees, and contract 
personnel to use the information provided in any other reviews or 
investigations of the same or comparable products which the Commission 
conducts under Title VII of the Act, or in internal audits and 
investigations relating to the programs and operations of the 
Commission pursuant to 5 U.S.C. Appendix 3.
    Written submissions. Pursuant to section 207.61 of the Commission's 
rules, each interested party response to this notice must provide the 
information specified below. The deadline for filing such responses is 
July 21, 2005. Pursuant to section 207.62(b) of the Commission's rules, 
eligible parties (as specified in Commission rule 207.62(b)(1)) may 
also file comments concerning the adequacy of responses to the notice 
of institution and whether the Commission should conduct expedited or 
full reviews. The deadline for filing such comments is August 16, 2005. 
All written submissions must conform with the provisions of sections 
201.8 and 207.3 of the Commission's rules and any submissions that 
contain BPI must also conform with the requirements of sections 201.6 
and 207.7 of the Commission's rules. The Commission's rules do not 
authorize filing of submissions with the Secretary by facsimile or 
electronic means, except to the extent permitted by section 201.8 of 
the Commission's rules, as amended, 67 FR 68036 (November 8, 2002). 
Also, in accordance with sections 201.16(c) and 207.3 of the 
Commission's rules, each document filed by a party to the reviews must 
be served on all other parties to the reviews (as identified by either 
the public or APO service list as appropriate), and a certificate of 
service must accompany the document (if you are not a party to the 
reviews you do not need to serve your response).
    Inability to provide requested information. Pursuant to section 
207.61(c) of the Commission's rules, any interested party that cannot 
furnish the information requested by this notice in the requested form 
and manner shall notify the Commission at the earliest possible time, 
provide a full explanation of why it cannot provide the requested 
information, and indicate alternative forms in which it can provide 
equivalent information. If an interested party does not provide this 
notification (or the Commission finds the explanation provided in the 
notification inadequate) and fails to provide a complete response to 
this notice, the Commission may take an adverse inference against the 
party pursuant to section 776(b) of the Act in making its 
determinations in the reviews.
    Information to be Provided in Response to this Notice of 
Institution: Please provide the requested information separately for 
each Domestic Like Product, as defined by the Commission in its review 
determinations, and for each of the products identified by Commerce as 
Subject Merchandise. If you are a domestic producer, union/worker 
group, or trade/business association; import/export Subject Merchandise 
from more than one Subject Country; or produce Subject Merchandise in 
more than one Subject Country, you may file a single response. If you 
do so, please ensure that your response to each question includes the 
information requested for each pertinent Subject Country. As used 
below, the term ``firm'' includes any related firms.
    (1) The name and address of your firm or entity (including World 
Wide Web address if available) and name, telephone number, fax number, 
and E-mail address of the certifying official.
    (2) A statement indicating whether your firm/entity is a U.S. 
producer of the Domestic Like Product, a U.S. union or worker group, a 
U.S. importer of the Subject Merchandise, a foreign producer or 
exporter of the Subject Merchandise, a U.S. or foreign trade or 
business association, or another interested party

[[Page 31534]]

(including an explanation). If you are a union/worker group or trade/
business association, identify the firms in which your workers are 
employed or which are members of your association.
    (3) A statement indicating whether your firm/entity is willing to 
participate in these reviews by providing information requested by the 
Commission.
    (4) A statement of the likely effects of the revocation of the 
antidumping duty orders on the Domestic Industries in general and/or 
your firm/entity specifically. In your response, please discuss the 
various factors specified in section 752(a) of the Act (19 U.S.C. 
1675a(a)) including the likely volume of subject imports, likely price 
effects of subject imports, and likely impact of imports of Subject 
Merchandise on the Domestic Industries.
    (5) A list of all known and currently operating U.S. producers of 
the Domestic Like Products. Identify any known related parties and the 
nature of the relationship as defined in section 771(4)(B) of the Act 
(19 U.S.C. 1677(4)(B)).
    (6) A list of all known and currently operating U.S. importers of 
the Subject Merchandise and producers of the Subject Merchandise in 
each Subject Country that currently export or have exported Subject 
Merchandise to the United States or other countries after 1998.
    (7) If you are a U.S. producer of the Domestic Like Product, 
provide the following information on your firm's operations on that 
product during calendar year 2004 (report quantity data in number of 
bearings and value data in U.S. dollars, f.o.b. plant). If you are a 
union/worker group or trade/business association, provide the 
information, on an aggregate basis, for the firms in which your workers 
are employed/which are members of your association.
    (a) Production (quantity) and, if known, an estimate of the 
percentage of total U.S. production of each Domestic Like Product 
accounted for by your firm's(s') production;
    (b) the quantity and value of U.S. commercial shipments of each 
Domestic Like Product produced in your U.S. plant(s); and
    (c) the quantity and value of U.S. internal consumption/company 
transfers of each Domestic Like Product produced in your U.S. plant(s).
    (8) If you are a U.S. importer or a trade/business association of 
U.S. importers of the Subject Merchandise from the Subject 
Country(ies), provide the following information on your firm's(s') 
operations on that product during calendar year 2004 (report quantity 
data in number of bearings and value data in U.S. dollars). If you are 
a trade/business association, provide the information, on an aggregate 
basis, for the firms which are members of your association.
    (a) The quantity and value (landed, duty-paid but not including 
antidumping duties) of U.S. imports and, if known, an estimate of the 
percentage of total U.S. imports of Subject Merchandise from each 
Subject Country accounted for by your firm's(s') imports;
    (b) the quantity and value (f.o.b. U.S. port, including antidumping 
duties) of U.S. commercial shipments of Subject Merchandise imported 
from each Subject Country; and
    (c) the quantity and value (f.o.b. U.S. port, including antidumping 
duties) of U.S. internal consumption/company transfers of Subject 
Merchandise imported from each Subject Country.
    (9) If you are a producer, an exporter, or a trade/business 
association of producers or exporters of the Subject Merchandise in the 
Subject Country(ies), provide the following information on your 
firm's(s') operations on that product during calendar year 2004 (report 
quantity data in number of bearings and value data in U.S. dollars, 
landed and duty-paid at the U.S. port but not including antidumping 
duties). If you are a trade/business association, provide the 
information, on an aggregate basis, for the firms which are members of 
your association.
    (a) Production (quantity) and, if known, an estimate of the 
percentage of total production of Subject Merchandise in each Subject 
Country accounted for by your firm's(s') production; and
    (b) the quantity and value of your firm's(s') exports to the United 
States of Subject Merchandise and, if known, an estimate of the 
percentage of total exports to the United States of Subject Merchandise 
from each Subject Country accounted for by your firm's(s') exports.
    (10) Identify significant changes, if any, in the supply and demand 
conditions or business cycle for each Domestic Like Product that have 
occurred in the United States or in the market for the Subject 
Merchandise in each Subject Country after 1998, and significant 
changes, if any, that are likely to occur within a reasonably 
foreseeable time. Supply conditions to consider include technology; 
production methods; development efforts; ability to increase production 
(including the shift of production facilities used for other products 
and the use, cost, or availability of major inputs into production); 
and factors related to the ability to shift supply among different 
national markets (including barriers to importation in foreign markets 
or changes in market demand abroad). Demand conditions to consider 
include end uses and applications; the existence and availability of 
substitute products; and the level of competition among each Domestic 
Like Product produced in the United States, Subject Merchandise 
produced in each Subject Country, and such merchandise from other 
countries.
    (11) (Optional) A statement of whether you agree with the above 
definitions of the Domestic Like Products and Domestic Industries; if 
you disagree with either or both of these definitions, please explain 
why and provide alternative definitions.

    Authority: These reviews are being conducted under authority of 
title VII of the Tariff Act of 1930; this notice is published 
pursuant to section 207.61 of the Commission's rules.

    By order of the Commission.

    Issued: May 23, 2005.
Marilyn R. Abbott,
Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. 05-10885 Filed 5-31-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020-02-P