[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 126 (Tuesday, July 1, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37287-37289]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-15420]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-570-998]


1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane From the People's Republic of China: 
Antidumping Duty Investigation; Amended Affirmative Preliminary 
Determination of Critical Circumstances

AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, 
Department of Commerce.

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (``the Department'') is amending 
the preliminary determination of the less-than-fair-value (``LTFV'') 
investigation of 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane (``tetrafluoroethane'') from 
the People's Republic of China (``PRC'') to correct a significant 
ministerial error with respect to our preliminary critical 
circumstances determination. The period of investigation is April 1, 
2013, through September 30, 2013.

DATES: Effective July 1, 2014.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Frances Veith or Bob Palmer, AD/CVD 
Operations, Office V, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and 
Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-
4295 or (202) 482-9068, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On May 29, 2014, the Department published 
its Preliminary Determination.\1\ On May 22,

[[Page 37288]]

2014, the Department disclosed to interested parties its calculations 
for the Preliminary Determination. On May 27, 2014, we received 
ministerial error comments from Mexichem Fluor, Inc. (``Petitioner'') 
alleging that the Department made certain significant ministerial 
errors in the Preliminary Determination. No other party made an 
allegation of ministerial errors. On May 30, 2014, Weitron 
International Refrigeration Equipment (Kunshan) Co., Ltd. provided 
reply comments to Petitioner's allegation. After reviewing the 
allegations, we determine that the Preliminary Determination included a 
significant ministerial error with respect to our preliminary critical 
circumstances determination. Therefore, we made a change, as described 
below, to the Preliminary Determination.
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    \1\ See 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluroethane From the People's Republic of 
China: Antidumping Duty Investigation, Preliminary Determination of 
Sales at Less Than Fair Value, Affirmative Preliminary Determination 
of Critical Circumstances, in Part, and Postponement of Final 
Determination, 79 FR 30817 (May 29, 2014) (``Preliminary 
Determination'').
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Scope of the Investigation

    The product subject to this investigation is 1,1,1,2-
Tetrafluoroethane, R-134a, or its chemical equivalent, regardless of 
form, type, or purity level. The chemical formula for 1,1,1,2-
tetrafluoroethane is CF3-CH2F, and the Chemical 
Abstracts Service (``CAS'') registry number is CAS 811-97-2.
    1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane is sold under a number of trade names 
including Klea 134a and Zephex 134a (Mexichem Fluor); Genetron 134a 
(Honeywell); Suva 134a, Dymel 134a, and Dymel P134a (DuPont); Solkane 
134a (Solvay); and Forane 134a (Arkema). Generically, 1,1,1,2-
tetrafluoroethane has been sold as Fluorocarbon 134a, R-134a, HFC-134a, 
HF A-134a, Refrigerant 134a, and UN3159.
    Merchandise covered by the scope of this investigation is currently 
classified in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States 
(``HTSUS'') at subheading 2903.39.2020. Although the HTSUS subheading 
and CAS registry number are provided for convenience and customs 
purposes, the written description of the scope is dispositive.

Analysis of Significant Ministerial Error Allegation

    A ministerial error is defined in 19 CFR 351.224(f) as ``an error 
in addition, subtraction, or other arithmetic function, clerical error 
resulting from inaccurate copying, duplication, or the like, and any 
other similar type of unintentional error which the Secretary considers 
ministerial.'' With respect to preliminary determinations in 
investigations, 19 CFR 351.224(e) provides that the Department ``will 
analyze any comments received and, if appropriate, correct any 
significant ministerial error by amending the preliminary determination 
. . .'' A significant ministerial error is defined as an error, the 
correction of which, singly or in combination with other errors, would 
result in: (1) A change of at least five absolute percentage points in, 
but not less than 25 percent of, the antidumping duty rate calculated 
in the original (erroneous) preliminary determination; or (2) a 
difference between an antidumping duty rate of zero (or de minimis) and 
an antidumping duty rate of greater than de minimis or vice versa.\2\
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    \2\ See 19 CFR 351.224(g).
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    As explained further in the Ministerial Error Memorandum issued 
concurrently with this Notice,\3\ we determine that the Preliminary 
Determination contained an error with respect to our preliminary 
critical circumstances calculation. Correction of this error results in 
a determination that Bluestar's imports were ``massive'' during the 
comparison period and changes the preliminary critical circumstances 
determination from a negative to an affirmative determination for 
Bluestar.\4\ The Department considers this ministerial error to be 
significant warranting an amendment to our preliminary critical 
circumstances determination with respect to Bluestar. The Department 
does not consider any of the other alleged ministerial errors to be 
significant within the meaning of 19 CFR 351.224(g).\5\
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    \3\ See Memorandum to Paul Piquado, Assistant Secretary for 
Enforcement and Compliance, from James C. Doyle, Director, Office V, 
through Christian Marsh, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping 
and Countervailing Duty Operations, entitled, ``Antidumping Duty 
Investigation of 1,1,1,2-Tetrafluoroethane from the People's 
Republic of China: Allegation of a Significant Ministerial Error in 
the Preliminary Determination,'' dated concurrently with this notice 
for the analysis performed (``Ministerial Error Memorandum''). This 
memorandum is on file electronically via Enforcement and 
Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized 
Electronic Service System (``IA ACCESS''). IA ACCESS is available to 
registered users at http://iaaccess.trade.gov, and is available to 
all parties in the Department's Central Records Unit in Room 7046 of 
the Department of Commerce building.
    \4\ Id.
    \5\ See Ministerial Error Memorandum.
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Amended Affirmative Preliminary Determination of Critical Circumstances

    The Department determines that there was a significant ministerial 
error in the critical circumstances calculation for Bluestar in the 
Preliminary Determination. Consequently, we are amending the critical 
circumstances preliminary determination with respect to Bluestar 
pursuant to 19 CFR 351.224(e). Specifically, we found an unintentional 
error in our calculation under the statutory criteria involving massive 
imports over a relatively short period.\6\ In our corrected calculation 
of Bluestar's massive import analysis, we found that imports based on 
Bluestar's reported shipments of merchandise under consideration 
increased during the comparison period by more than 15 percent over its 
respective imports in the base period.\7\ Therefore, we amend our 
preliminarily determination and find there also to be massive imports 
for Bluestar, pursuant to section 733(e)(1)(B) of the Tariff Act of 
1930, as amended (the ``Act'') and 19 CFR 351.206(c)(2)(i). 
Accordingly, as both conditions under section 733(e)(1)(A)(ii) and 
733(e)(1)(B) of the Act have been satisfied, we find that critical 
circumstances exist with respect to Bluestar.
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    \6\ See section 733(e)(1)(B).
    \7\ See Ministerial Error Memorandum, Allegation 1 and 
Attachment.
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Suspension of Liquidation

    The collection of cash deposits and suspension of liquidation will 
be revised, in accordance with section 733(e)(2) of the Act because we 
have preliminarily found that critical circumstances exist with regard 
to imports exported by Bluestar. We will instruct U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection (``CBP'') to suspend liquidation of all entries \8\ 
of tetrafluoroethane from the PRC, that are entered, or withdrawn from 
warehouse, for consumption on or after the date which is 90 days before 
the date on which the suspension of liquidation was first ordered 
(i.e., May 29, 2014, the date of publication in the Federal Register of 
the notice of an affirmative preliminary determination that 
tetrafluoroethane is being, or is likely to be, sold in the United 
States at LTFV).
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    \8\ In the Preliminary Determination, we found that critical 
circumstances exist with respect to all exporters except for 
Bluestar. See Preliminary Determination, 79 FR at 30818. We note 
that we inadvertently omitted language in the ``Suspension of 
Liquidation'' section indicating that we will instruct CBP to 
suspend liquidation on the applicable entries on or after the date 
which is 90 days before the date on which the suspension of 
liquidation was first ordered. The correct suspension of liquidation 
language for all entries is provided here.
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    We will also instruct CBP to require a cash deposit equal to the 
estimated preliminary antidumping duty rate reflected in the 
Preliminary Determination. This suspension of liquidation will remain 
in effect until further notice.

[[Page 37289]]

International Trade Commission Notification

    In accordance with section 733(f) of the Act, we will notify the 
International Trade Commission (``ITC'') of our determination. In 
addition, we are making available to the ITC all non-privileged and 
non-proprietary information relating to this investigation. We will 
allow the ITC access to all privileged and business proprietary 
information in our files, provided the ITC confirms that it will not 
disclose such information, either publicly or under an administrative 
protective order, without the written consent of the Assistant 
Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.
    This determination is issued and published pursuant to sections 
733(f) and 777(i)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.224(e).

     Dated: June 24, 2014.
Paul Piquado,
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2014-15420 Filed 6-30-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P