[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 72 (Monday, April 14, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20021-20023]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-7892]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

A-570-865


Preliminary Rescission of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review: 
Certain Hot-Rolled Carbon Steel Flat Products From The People's 
Republic of China

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

EFFECTIVE DATE: April 14, 2008.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Quigley or Blaine Wiltse, AD/
CVD Operations, Office 9, Import Administration, International Trade 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and 
Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-
4047 and (202) 482-6345, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On November 1, 2007, the Department of Commerce (``Department'') 
published a notice of opportunity to request an administrative review 
of the antidumping duty order on certain hot-rolled carbon steel flat 
products from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'') for the period 
of review (``POR'') November 1, 2006, through October 31, 2007. See 
Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Order, Finding, or Suspended 
Investigation; Opportunity to Request Administrative Review, 72 FR 
61859 (November 1, 2007). On November 30, 2007, Nucor Corporation 
(``Petitioner''), a domestic producer of

[[Page 20022]]

certain hot-rolled carbon steel flat products, requested that the 
Department conduct an administrative review of Baosteel Group 
Corporation, Shanghai Baosteel International Economic & Trading Co., 
Ltd., and Baoshan Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. (collectively ``Baosteel''). 
On December 27, 2007, the Department published a notice of initiation 
of an antidumping duty administrative review on certain hot-rolled 
carbon steel flat products from the PRC. See Initiation of Antidumping 
and Countervailing Duty Administrative Reviews, (``Notice of 
Initiation''), 72 FR 73315 (December 27, 2007).
    On January 7, 2008, Baosteel submitted a letter stating that it had 
no sales of subject merchandise to the United States during the POR. On 
January 28, 2008, the Department sent an inquiry to U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection (``CBP'') requesting notification as to whether it 
had information indicating that there were shipments of subject 
merchandise into the United States during the POR by Baosteel. The 
Department has not to date received any notification from CBP 
indicating that there were shipments of subject merchandise by Baosteel 
during the POR. The Department has also reviewed CBP entry data for the 
POR, and found no evidence that there were entries of subject 
merchandise exported by Baosteel.

Scope of the Review

    For purposes of this review, the products covered are certain hot-
rolled carbon steel flat products of a rectangular shape, of a width of 
0.5 inch or greater, neither clad, plated, nor coated with metal and 
whether or not painted, varnished, or coated with plastics or other 
non-metallic substances, in coils (whether or not in successively 
superimposed layers), regardless of thickness, and in straight lengths 
of a thickness of less than 4.75 mm and of a width measuring at least 
10 times the thickness. Universal mill plate (i.e., flat-rolled 
products rolled on four faces or in a closed box pass, of a width 
exceeding 150 mm, but not exceeding 1250 mm, and of a thickness of not 
less than 4.0 mm, not in coils and without patterns in relief) of a 
thickness not less than 4.0 mm is not included within the scope of this 
review.Specifically included within the scope of this review are vacuum 
degassed, fully stabilized (commonly referred to as interstitial-free 
(``IF'')) steels, high strength low alloy (``HSLA'') steels, and the 
substrate for motor lamination steels. IF steels are recognized as low 
carbon steels with micro-alloying levels of elements such as titanium 
or niobium (also commonly referred to as columbium), or both, added to 
stabilize carbon and nitrogen elements. HSLA steels are recognized as 
steels with micro-alloying levels of elements such as chromium, copper, 
niobium, vanadium, and molybdenum. The substrate for motor lamination 
steels contains micro-alloying levels of elements such as silicon and 
aluminum.
    Steel products to be included in the scope of this review, 
regardless of definitions in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the 
United States (``HTSUS''), are products in which: i) iron predominates, 
by weight, over each of the other contained elements; ii) the carbon 
content is 2 percent or less, by weight; and, iii) none of the elements 
listed below exceeds the quantity, by weight, respectively indicated:
1.80 percent of manganese, or
2.25 percent of silicon, or
1.00 percent of copper, or
0.50 percent of aluminum, or
1.25 percent of chromium, or
0.30 percent of cobalt, or
0.40 percent of lead, or
1.25 percent of nickel, or
0.30 percent of tungsten, or0.10 percent of molybdenum, or
0.10 percent of niobium, or
0.15 percent of vanadium, or
0.15 percent of zirconium.
    All products that meet the physical and chemical description 
provided above are within the scope of this review unless otherwise 
excluded. The following products, by way of example, are outside or 
specifically excluded from the scope of this review:
 Alloy hot-rolled steel products in which at least one of the 
chemical elements exceeds those listed above (including, e.g., American 
Society for Testing and Materials (``ASTM'') specifications A543, A387, 
A514, A517, A506).
 Society of Automotive Engineers (``SAE'')/American Iron & 
Steel Institute (``AISI'') grades of series 2300 and higher.
 Ball bearing steels, as defined in the HTSUS.
 Tool steels, as defined in the HTSUS.
 Silico-manganese (as defined in the HTSUS) or silicon 
electrical steel with a silicon level exceeding 2.25 percent.
 ASTM specifications A710 and A736.
 USS abrasion-resistant steels (USS AR 400, USS AR 500).
 All products (proprietary or otherwise) based on an alloy ASTM 
specification (sample specifications: ASTM A506, A507).
 Non-rectangular shapes, not in coils, which are the result of 
having been processed by cutting or stamping and which have assumed the 
character of articles or products classified outside chapter 72 of the 
HTSUS.
    The merchandise subject to this review is classified in the HTSUS 
at subheadings: 7208.10.15.00, 7208.10.30.00, 7208.10.60.00, 
7208.25.30.00, 7208.25.60.00, 7208.26.00.30, 7208.26.00.60, 
7208.27.00.30, 7208.27.00.60, 7208.36.00.30, 7208.36.00.60, 
7208.37.00.30, 7208.37.00.60, 7208.38.00.15, 7208.38.00.30, 
7208.38.00.90, 7208.39.00.15, 7208.39.00.30, 7208.39.00.90, 
7208.40.60.30, 7208.40.60.60, 7208.53.00.00, 7208.54.00.00, 
7208.90.00.00, 7211.14.00.90, 7211.19.15.00, 7211.19.20.00, 
7211.19.30.00, 7211.19.45.00, 7211.19.60.00, 7211.19.75.30, 
7211.19.75.60, and 7211.19.75.90. Certain hot-rolled carbon steel flat 
products covered by this review, including: vacuum degassed fully 
stabilized; high strength low alloy; and the substrate for motor 
lamination steel may also enter under the following tariff numbers: 
7225.11.00.00, 7225.19.00.00, 7225.30.30.50, 7225.30.70.00, 
7225.40.70.00, 7225.99.00.90, 7226.11.10.00, 7226.11.90.30, 
7226.11.90.60, 7226.19.10.00, 7226.19.90.00, 7226.91.50.00, 
7226.91.70.00, 7226.91.80.00, and 7226.99.00.00. Subject merchandise 
may also enter under 7210.70.30.00, 7210.90.90.00, 7211.14.00.30, 
7212.40.10.00, 7212.40.50.00, and 7212.50.00.00. Although the HTSUS 
subheadings are provided for convenience and U.S. Customs purposes, the 
written description of the merchandise under review is dispositive.

Period of Review

    The POR is November 1, 2006, through October 31, 2007.

Preliminary Rescission of Review

    Because there is no information on the record which indicates that 
Baosteel made sales to the United States of subject merchandise during 
the POR, and because Baosteel is the only company subject to this 
administrative review, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.213(d)(3) and 
consistent with our practice, we are preliminarily rescinding this 
review of the antidumping duty order on certain hot-rolled carbon steel 
flat products from the PRC for the period of November 1, 2006, to 
October 31, 2007. If the rescission is confirmed in our final results, 
the cash deposit rate for Baosteel will continue to be the rate

[[Page 20023]]

established in the most recently completed segment of this proceeding.
    Interested parties may submit comments for consideration in the 
Department's final results not later than 30 days after publication of 
this notice. See 19 CFR 351.309(c). Responses to those comments may be 
submitted not later than five days following submission of the 
comments. See 19 CFR 351.309(d). All written comments must be submitted 
in accordance with 19 CFR 351.303, and must be served on interested 
parties on the Department's service list in accordance with 19 CFR 
351.303(f)(3). The Department will issue the final results of this 
administrative review, which will include the results of its analysis 
of issues raised in any such comments, within 120 days of publication 
of the preliminary results, and will publish these results in the 
Federal Register.
    This notice is in accordance with sections 751 and 777(i)(1) of the 
Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, and 19 CFR 351.213(d)(4).

    Dated: April 7, 2008.
Stephen J. Claeys,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.
[FR Doc. E8-7892 Filed 4-11-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-S