[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 53 (Friday, March 20, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 11910]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-6150]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[C-357-819, C-580-862]


Ni-Resist Piston Inserts From Argentina and the Republic of 
Korea: Notice of Postponement of Preliminary Determination in the 
Countervailing Duty Investigations

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

DATES: Effective Date: March 20, 2009.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Conniff (Republic of Korea) or 
Kristen Johnson (Argentina), AD/CVD Operations, Office 3, Import 
Administration, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 
20230; telephone 202-482-1009 and (202) 482-4793, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On February 23, 2009, the Department of Commerce (the Department) 
initiated the countervailing duty investigations of ni-resist piston 
inserts from Argentina and the Republic of Korea. See Ni-Resist Piston 
Inserts from Argentina and the Republic of Korea: Initiation of 
Countervailing Duty Investigations, 74 FR 8054, and (February 23, 
2009).

Postponement of Due Date for Preliminary Determination

    Section 703(b)(1) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), 
requires the Department to issue the preliminary determination in a 
countervailing duty investigation within 65 days after the date on 
which the Department initiated the investigation. However, the 
Department may postpone making the preliminary determination until no 
later than 130 days after the date on which the administering authority 
initiated the investigation if, pursuant to section 703(c)(1)(B)(i) of 
the Act, the Department concludes that the parties concerned in the 
investigation are cooperating and determines that the investigation is 
extraordinarily complicated or, pursuant to 703(c)(1)(B)(ii) of the 
Act, the Department finds that ``additional time is necessary to the 
make the preliminary determination.''
    In the Korean investigation, the Department is currently 
investigating a number of complex alleged subsidy programs including 
loans from state-owned banks and lending programs where state-owned 
banks are using commercial banks as a means of financing Korean 
manufacturers and exporters. In the Argentine investigation, on March 
5, 2009, petitioner submitted to the Department timely new subsidy 
allegations.\1\ In that submission, currently under review by the 
Department, petitioner alleges that Clorindo Appo SRL (Clorindo), the 
mandatory respondent, received various energy rate subsidies, technical 
business assistance from an enterprise development center, government 
financing subsidies in the form of pre-export and post-export loans, 
import financing, investment financing for small and medium-sized 
enterprises, and working capital credit from government banks.
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    \1\ Petitioner is Korff Holdings, LLC d/b/a Quaker City 
Castings.
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    Due to the number and complexity of the alleged subsidy programs at 
issue in the Korean investigation and in light of the new subsidy 
allegations at issue in the Argentine investigation, we find that we 
require additional time to complete the preliminary determinations in 
the respective investigations. Therefore, in accordance with section 
703(c)(1)(B)(ii) of the Act, we are fully extending the due date for 
the preliminary determinations to no later than 130 days after the day 
on which the investigations were initiated. The deadline for completion 
of the preliminary determinations is now June 29, 2009.
    This notice is issued and published pursuant to section 703(c)(2) 
of the Act.

    Dated: March 16, 2009.
John M. Andersen,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping and Countervailing 
Duty Operations.
[FR Doc. E9-6150 Filed 3-19-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P