[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 28 (Friday, February 10, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7017-7018]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-1874]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE.

International Trade Administration

[C-423-806, C-401-804, C-412-815]


Cut-to-Length Carbon Steel Plate from Belgium, Sweden, and the 
United Kingdom; Extension of Time Limits for Preliminary and Final 
Results of Full Five-year (``Sunset'') Reviews of Countervailing Duty 
Orders

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

EFFECTIVE DATE: February 10, 2006.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Martha Douthit or Dana Mermelstein, 
AD/CVD Operations, Office 6, Import Administration, International Trade 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street & Constitution 
Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20230; telephone: (202) 482-5050 or 
(202) 482-1391, respectively.

Background

    On November 1, 2005, the Department of Commerce (``the 
Department'') published in the Federal Register the notice of 
initiation of its sunset reviews of the countervailing duty orders on 
cut-to-length carbon steel plate (``CTL steel plate'') from Belgium, 
Sweden, and the United Kingdom (``UK''). See Initiation of Five-year 
(``Sunset'') Reviews, 70 FR 65884 (November 1, 2005). On November 16, 
2005, the domestic interested parties IPSCO Steel Inc., Mittal Steel 
USA ISG, Inc., Nucor Corporation, Oregon Steel Mills, Inc., the United 
Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied 
Industrial and Service Workers International Union, and AFL-CIO-CLC 
(``USW''), submitted letters indicating their intent to participate in 
the sunset reviews. On November 30, 2005 and December 1, 2005, domestic 
and respondent interested parties provided substantive responses as 
required under section 351.218 (d)(3)(i) of the Department's 
regulations. In all three cases, respondent interested parties (for 
Belgium, the Government of Belgium, the European Commission, Arcelor 
S.A., and Duferco Clabecq S.A.; for Sweden, the Government of Sweden, 
the European Commission, and SSAB Svenskt Stal; for the UK, the 
Government of the United Kingdom, the European Commission, Niagara 
LaSalle UK Limited, Spartan UK Ltd., and Corus Group, plc), included, 
in their substantive responses, arguments regarding the privatization 
or private-to-private changes in ownership which affected the 
respondent companies, and the effect of those transactions on 
previously bestowed subsidies.
    On December 21, 2005, the Department determined that the 
participation of the respondent interested parties was adequate, and 
that it was appropriate to conduct full sunset reviews. See Memoranda 
to Steven J. Claeys: Adequacy Determination; Sunset Review of the 
Countervailing Duty Order on Cut-to-Length Carbon Steel Plate from 
Belgium; Adequacy Determination; Sunset Review of the Countervailing 
Duty Order on Cut-to-Length Carbon Steel Plate from Sweden; Adequacy 
Determination; Sunset Review of the Countervailing Duty Order on Cut-
to-Length Carbon Steel Plate from the United Kingdom, dated December 
21, 2005, and on file in the Central Records Unit, Room B 099 of the 
Department of Commerce building.

Extension of Time Limits for Preliminary and Final Results of Reviews

    The Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (``the Act''), provides for the 
completion of a full sunset review within 240 days

[[Page 7018]]

of the publication of the initiation notice. See section 751(c)(5)(A) 
of the Act. The U.S. Department of Commerce, (``the Department'') may 
extend the period of time for issuing the final results of an expedited 
sunset review if it determines that the review is extraordinarily 
complicated. This deadline may be extended by 90 days under section 
751(c)(5)(B) of the Act if the Department determines that the review is 
extraordinarily complicated. We determine that these reviews are 
extraordinarily complicated under subsections 751(c)(5)(C) (i) (``there 
are a large number of issues''), (ii) (``the issues to be considered 
are complex'') and (v) (``it is a review of a transition order'') of 
the Act. Thus, it is appropriate to extend the final results of review 
by not more than 90 days. As such, our final results are now due on or 
before September 27, 2006.
    With respect to the preliminary results of these sunset reviews, 
the Department's regulations, at section 351.218(f)(3), provide that 
the Department normally will issue its preliminary results in a full 
sunset review not later than 110 days after the initiation, in these 
cases, by February 19, 2006. However, due to the reasons cited above, 
we require additional time to conduct the analysis required for the 
preliminary results. Therefore, we are extending the deadline for the 
preliminary results of these full sunset reviews of the countervailing 
duty orders on cut-to-length carbon steel plate from Belgium, Sweden, 
and the United Kingdom to no later than July 14, 2006.
    This notice is issued in accordance with sections 751(c)(5)(B) and 
751(c)(5)(C) of the Act.

    Dated: February 6, 2006.
Stephen J. Claeys,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.
[FR Doc. E6-1874 Filed 2-9-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-S