[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 199 (Monday, October 16, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60691-60692]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-17149]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-588-833]


Initiation of Antidumping Duty Changed-Circumstances Review: 
Stainless Steel Bar From Japan

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

SUMMARY: In accordance with section 751(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, 
as amended (the Act), and Sec.  351.216(b) of the Department of 
Commerce's (the Department's) regulations, TRW Fuji Valve, Inc. (TRW), 
a U.S. importer, filed a request for a changed-circumstances review of 
the antidumping duty order on stainless steel bar from Japan. The 
petitioners and domestic interested parties have affirmatively 
expressed a lack of interest in the continuation of the order with 
respect to 21-2N modified valve/stem stainless steel round bar.\1\ In 
response to this request, the Department is initiating a changed-
circumstances review of the order on stainless steel bar from Japan 
with respect to this product as described below.
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    \1\ The petitioners and domestic interested parties include 
Carpenter Technology Corp., Crucible Specialty Metals Division of 
Crucible Materials Corp., Electralloy Corp., North American 
Stainless, Universal Stainless and Alloy Products, Inc., and 
Valbruna Slater Stainless, Inc.

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EFFECTIVE DATE: October 16, 2006.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dmitry Vladimirov or Minoo Hatten, AD/
CVD Operations, Office 5, Import Administration, International Trade 
Administration, Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution 
Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-0665 or (202) 
482-1690.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On August 28, 2006, TRW \2\ requested that the Department conduct a 
changed-circumstances review of the order on stainless steel bar from 
Japan and exclude a product to which it referred as 21-2N modified 
valve/stem stainless steel round bar from the scope of the order. See 
TRW's letter to the Secretary, dated August 28, 2006. Specifically, TRW 
requested that the Department exclude imports meeting the following 
description from the order on stainless steel bar from Japan: certain 
valve/stem stainless steel round bar of 21-2N modified grade, having a 
diameter of 5.7 millimeters (with a tolerance of 0.025 millimeters), in 
length no greater than 15 meters, having a chemical composition 
consisting of a minimum of 0.50 percent and a maximum of 0.60 percent 
of carbon, a minimum of 7.50 percent and a maximum of 9.50 percent of 
manganese, a maximum of 0.25 percent of silicon, a maximum of 0.04 
percent of phosphorus, a maximum of 0.03 percent of sulfur, a minimum 
of 20.0 percent and a maximum of 22.00 percent of chromium, a minimum 
of 2.00 percent and a maximum of 3.00 percent of nickel, a minimum of 
0.20 percent and a maximum of 0.40 percent of nitrogen, a minimum of 
0.85 percent of the combined content of carbon and nitrogen, and a 
balance minimum of iron, having a maximum core hardness of 385 HB and a 
maximum surface hardness of 425 HB, with a minimum hardness of 270 HB 
for annealed material. See TRW's letter to the Secretary, dated August 
28, 2006. TRW requested that the Department revoke the order in part 
retroactively to February 1, 2006, the beginning of the anniversary 
month of the order. TRW stated that the steel product in question is 
not produced in commercial quantities in the United States.
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    \2\ In its August 28, 2006, request TRW did not identify the 
sub-section of the term ``interested party,'' as defined by section 
771(9) of the Act, which applies to TRW. In response to our 
September 21, 2006, request for clarification, in its September 25, 
2006, response TRW identified itself as a U.S. importer of the 
subject merchandise.
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    On September 18, 2006, the petitioners and domestic interested 
parties provided a letter attesting to

[[Page 60692]]

their expressed lack of interest in having this merchandise, as 
described above, continue to be subject to the antidumping duty order 
on stainless steel bar from Japan.

Scope of the Order

    The scope of the order covers stainless steel bar (SSB). The term 
SSB with respect to the order means articles of stainless steel in 
straight lengths that have been either hot-rolled, forged, turned, 
cold-drawn, cold-rolled or otherwise cold-finished, or ground, having a 
uniform solid cross section along their whole length in the shape of 
circles, segments of circles, ovals, rectangles (including squares), 
triangles, hexagons, octagons or other convex polygons. SSB includes 
cold-finished SSBs that are turned or ground in straight lengths, 
whether produced from hot-rolled bar or from straightened and cut rod 
or wire, and reinforcing bars that have indentations, ribs, grooves, or 
other deformations produced during the rolling process. Except as 
specified above, the term does not include stainless steel semi-
finished products, cut-length flat-rolled products (i.e., cut-length 
rolled products which if less than 4.75 mm in thickness have a width 
measuring at least 10 times the thickness, or if 4.75 mm or more in 
thickness having a width which exceeds 150 mm and measures at least 
twice the thickness), wire (i.e., cold-formed products in coils, of any 
uniform solid cross section along their whole length, which do not 
conform to the definition of flat-rolled products), and angles, shapes 
and sections. The SSB subject to this order is currently classifiable 
under subheadings 7222.10.0005, 7222.10.0050, 7222.20.0005, 
7222.20.0045, 7222.20.0075, and 7222.30.0000 of the Harmonized Tariff 
Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). Although the HTSUS subheadings 
are provided for convenience and customs purposes, our written 
description of the scope of this order is dispositive.

Initiation of Changed-Circumstances Review

    Pursuant to section 751(b)(1) of the Act, the Department will 
conduct a changed-circumstances review upon receipt of information 
concerning, or a request from an interested party for a review of, an 
antidumping duty order which shows changed circumstances sufficient to 
warrant a review of the order. As stated above, on August 28, 2006, TRW 
requested a determination by the Department in accordance with 19 CFR 
351.216(b) to exclude the product described above from the scope of the 
order. TRW also requested that the Department make the revocation 
effective February 1, 2006.
    Pursuant to section 751(b)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.216(b), we 
are initiating a changed-circumstances review. Although the petitioners 
and domestic interested parties have expressed a lack of interest in 
the order with respect to the product in question, they did not claim 
that they represent substantially all of the production of the domestic 
like product nor has the Department made such a determination. 
Interested parties are invited to comment on this initiation or to 
demonstrate that the petitioners and domestic interested parties 
account for substantially all of the production of the domestic like 
product.

Public Comment

    Interested parties may submit comments which the Department will 
take into account in the preliminary results of this review. The due 
date for filing any such comments is no later than 15 days after the 
date of publication of this notice. Responses to those comments may be 
submitted not later than 7 days following submission of the comments. 
All written comments must be submitted in accordance with 19 CFR 
351.303. The Department will publish in the Federal Register a notice 
of preliminary results of changed-circumstances review in accordance 
with 19 CFR 351.221(b)(4) and 351.221(c)(3)(i), which will set forth 
the Department's preliminary factual and legal conclusions. Pursuant to 
19 CFR 351.221(b)(4)(ii), interested parties will have an opportunity 
to comment on the preliminary results. The Department will issue its 
final results of review in accordance with the time limits set forth in 
19 CFR 351.216(e). This notice is published in accordance with sections 
751(b)(1) and 777(i)(1) of the Act and Sec.  351.221(b) of the 
Department's regulations.

    Dated: October 10, 2006.
David M. Spooner,
Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.
 [FR Doc. E6-17149 Filed 10-13-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P