[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 74 (Wednesday, April 17, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22843-22845]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-09059]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-570-929]


Small Diameter Graphite Electrodes From the People's Republic of 
China: Affirmative Preliminary Determination of Circumvention of the 
Antidumping Duty Order and Intent To Rescind Later-Developed 
Merchandise Circumvention Inquiry

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

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (``Department'') preliminarily 
determines that imports from the People's Republic of China (``PRC'') 
of

[[Page 22844]]

certain graphite electrodes, produced and/or exported by Sinosteel 
Jilin Carbon Co., Ltd. and Jilin Carbon Import & Export Company 
(collectively, ``Jilin Carbon''), with an actual or nominal diameter of 
17 inches, and otherwise meeting the description of in-scope 
merchandise, constitutes merchandise altered in form or appearance in 
such minor respects that it should be included within the scope of the 
Order.\1\
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    \1\ See Antidumping Duty Order: Small Diameter Graphite 
Electrodes from the People's Republic of China, 74 FR 8775 (February 
26, 2009) (``Order'').

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DATES: Effective Date: April 17, 2013.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Thomas Schauer, Office 1, Import 
Administration, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 
20230; telephone: (202) 482-0410.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Scope of the Antidumping Duty Order

    The merchandise covered by the order is small diameter graphite 
electrodes. Small diameter graphite electrodes subject to the order are 
currently classifiable in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United 
States (``HTSUS'') at subheading 8545.11.0010. The HTSUS subheadings 
are provided for convenience and customs purposes. A full description 
of the scope of the Order is contained in the memorandum from Christian 
Marsh, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping and Countervailing 
Duty Operations, to Paul Piquado, Assistant Secretary for Import 
Administration, ``Preliminary Analysis Memorandum for the Circumvention 
Inquiry of the Antidumping Duty Order on Small Diameter Graphite 
Electrodes from the People's Republic of China'' dated concurrently 
with this notice (``Preliminary Decision Memorandum''), which is hereby 
adopted by this notice. The written description is dispositive. The 
Preliminary Decision Memorandum is a proprietary document with a public 
version, and the public version is on file electronically via Import 
Administration's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized 
Electronic Service System (``IA ACCESS''). Access to IA ACCESS is 
available to registered users at http://iaaccess.trade.gov and is 
available to all parties in the Central Records Unit, room 7046 of the 
main Department of Commerce building. In addition, a complete version 
of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly on the 
Internet at http://www.trade.gov/ia/. The signed Preliminary Decision 
Memorandum and the electronic versions of the Preliminary Decision 
Memorandum are identical in content.

Scope of the Circumvention Inquiry

    The merchandise subject to this circumvention inquiry consists of 
graphite electrodes from the PRC, produced and/or exported by Jilin 
Carbon, Beijing Fangda Carbon-Tech Co., Ltd. and Fangda Carbon New 
Material Co., Ltd., and Fushun Jinly Petrochemical Carbon, with 
diameters larger than 16 inches but less than 18 inches, and otherwise 
meeting the description of the scope of the Order. We have limited the 
application of our affirmative preliminary determination to graphite 
electrodes from the PRC, produced and/or exported by Jilin Carbon, with 
an actual or nominal diameter of 17 inches because record evidence 
shows that, among the producers and merchandise subject to this 
inquiry, Jilin Carbon produced and/or exported 17-inch diameter 
graphite electrodes to the United States,\2\ and we have no record 
evidence at this time supporting a determination that any other 
producer in the PRC produces or exports graphite electrodes with 
diameters larger than 16 inches but less than 18 inches.
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    \2\ See Preliminary Decision Memorandum at 3-4.
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Methodology

    The Department has made this preliminary finding of circumvention 
in accordance with section 781(c) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended 
(``Act'') and 19 CFR 351.225(i). For a full description of the 
methodology underlying our conclusions, see the Preliminary Decision 
Memorandum.

Preliminary Determination

    As detailed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum, we 
preliminarily determine, pursuant to section 781(c) of the Act, that 
imports from the PRC of certain graphite electrodes, produced and/or 
exported by Jilin Carbon, with a diameter of 17 inches, and otherwise 
meeting the description of in-scope merchandise, constitutes 
merchandise altered in form or appearance in such minor respects that 
it should be subject to the Order. This preliminary determination 
applies only to merchandise produced and/or exported by Jilin Carbon. 
Because we are recommending an affirmative preliminary determination of 
circumvention with respect to minor alterations pursuant to section 
781(c) of the Act, we do not find it necessary to make a determination 
with respect to a later-developed merchandise circumvention inquiry 
pursuant to section 781(d) of the Act and we intend to rescind the 
later-developed merchandise circumvention inquiry.

Suspension of Liquidation

    In accordance with 19 CFR 351.225(l)(2), we are directing U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection (``CBP'') to suspend liquidation of 
entries of merchandise subject to this inquiry produced and/or exported 
by Jilin Carbon, and entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for 
consumption on or after June 25, 2012, the date of publication of the 
initiation of this inquiry. We will also instruct CBP to require a cash 
deposit of estimated duties at the applicable rates for each 
unliquidated entry of the product entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, 
for consumption on or after June 25, 2012, in accordance with 19 CFR 
351.225(l)(2).

Public Comment

    Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.309(c), interested parties may submit case 
briefs not later than 30 days after the date of publication of this 
notice. Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.309(d), rebuttal briefs, limited to 
issues raised in the case briefs, may be filed not later than five days 
after the date for filing case briefs. Parties who submit case briefs 
or rebuttal briefs in this proceeding are encouraged to submit with 
each argument: (1) A statement of the issue; (2) a brief summary of the 
argument; and (3) a table of authorities.
    Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.310(c), interested parties who wish to 
request a hearing, or to participate if one is requested, must submit a 
written request to the Assistant Secretary for Import Administration, 
filed electronically via IA ACCESS. An electronically filed document 
must be received successfully in its entirety by the Department's 
electronic records system, IA ACCESS, by 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time 
within 30 days after the date of publication of this notice. Requests 
should contain: (1) The party's name, address and telephone number; (2) 
the number of participants; and (3) a list of issues to be discussed. 
Issues raised in the hearing will be limited to those raised in the 
respective case briefs. We expect to issue our final determination of 
circumvention by September 13, 2013.
    This preliminary determination of circumvention is in accordance 
with section 781(c) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.225.


[[Page 22845]]


    Dated: April 11, 2013.
Paul Piquado,
Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.
[FR Doc. 2013-09059 Filed 4-16-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P