[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 130 (Wednesday, July 8, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39058-39059]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-16722]



[[Page 39058]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-405-803]


Purified Carboxymethylcellulose From Finland: Initiation and 
Preliminary Results of Changed Circumstances Review and Consideration 
of Revocation of the Antidumping Duty Order

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

SUMMARY: In response to a request by Ashland Specialty Ingredients, 
G.P. (Ashland), and pursuant to section 782(h)(2) of the Tariff Act of 
1930, as amended (the Act), 19 CFR 351.222(g)(1)(i) and 19 CFR 
351.221(c)(3)(ii), the Department of Commerce (the Department) is 
initiating a changed circumstances review (CCR) of the antidumping duty 
(AD) order on purified carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) from Finland. Based 
on the information received, we preliminarily intend to revoke the 
Order.\1\ Interested parties are invited to comment on these 
preliminary results.
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    \1\ See Notice of Antidumping Duty Orders: Purified 
Carboxymethylcellulose from Finland, Mexico, the Netherlands and 
Sweden, 70 FR 39734 (July 11, 2005) (the Order).

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DATES: Effective Date: July 8, 2015.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Victoria Cho, or Robert James, AD/CVD 
Operations, Office VI, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and 
Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-
5075 or (202) 482-0649, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On July 11, 2005, the Department published in the Federal Register 
the AD order on CMC from Finland.\2\ On May 15, 2015, in accordance 
with sections 751(b) and 751(d)(1) of the Act, 19 CFR 351.216(b), and 
19 CFR 351.222(g)(1), Ashland, the petitioner and sole domestic 
producer of CMC, requested revocation of the Order with respect to 
Finland as part of a CCR. Ashland requested that the Department conduct 
the CCR on an expedited basis pursuant to 19 CFR 351.221(c)(3)(ii). On 
June 8, 2015, CP Kelco Oy and its U.S. affiliate, CP Kelco U.S. Inc., 
(collectively, CP Kelco), interested parties as a U.S. importer of CMC 
and sole manufacturer of CMC in Finland, also requested that the 
outcome of Ashland's CCR request should be the revocation of the AD 
order on CMC from Finland, due to the lack of interest in continuation 
of the Order.
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    \2\ Id.
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Scope of the Order

    The merchandise covered by these orders is all purified CMC, 
sometimes also referred to as purified sodium CMC, polyanionic 
cellulose, or cellulose gum, which is a white to off-white, non-toxic, 
odorless, biodegradable powder, comprising sodium CMC that has been 
refined and purified to a minimum assay of 90 percent. Purified CMC 
does not include unpurified or crude CMC, CMC Fluidized Polymer 
Suspensions, and CMC that is cross-linked through heat treatment. 
Purified CMC is CMC that has undergone one or more purification 
operations which, at a minimum, reduce the remaining salt and other by-
product portion of the product to less than ten percent.
    The merchandise subject to this order is classified in the 
Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States at subheading 
3912.31.00. This tariff classification is provided for convenience and 
customs purposes; however, the written description of the scope of the 
order is dispositive.

Initiation and Preliminary Results of Changed Circumstances Review

    Section 782(h)(2) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.222(g)(1)(i) provide 
that the Department may revoke an order (in whole or in part) if it 
determines that producers accounting for substantially all of the 
production of the domestic like product have no further interest in the 
order, in whole or in part. In addition, in the event the Department 
determines that expedited action is warranted, 19 CFR 351.221(c)(3)(ii) 
permits the Department to combine the notices of initiation and 
preliminary results.
    On May 15, 2015, Ashland requested that the Department conduct the 
CCR on an expedited basis. On June 8, 2015, CP Kelco filed a letter in 
support of Ashland's CCR request. Ashland stated that, as the sole U.S. 
producer of CMC, it accounts for substantially all of the production of 
the domestic like product. Ashland also stated that it has no interest 
in the continuation of the Order.\3\
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    \3\ See Ashland's May 15, 2015, submission to the Department.
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    Therefore, at the request of Ashland and in accordance with 
sections 751(b)(1) and 751(d)(1) of the Act, 19 CFR 351.216, 19 CFR 
351.222(g)(1), and 19 CFR 351.221(c)(3)(ii), we are initiating this CCR 
on CMC from Finland to determine whether revocation of the Order is 
warranted with respect to this product. In addition, we determine that 
expedited action is warranted. In accordance with 19 CFR 351.222(g)(1), 
we find that the petitioner's affirmative statement of no interest 
constitutes good cause to conduct this review. Additionally, our 
decision to expedite this review by combining the notice of initiation 
and the preliminary results in a single notice pursuant to 19 CFR 
351.221(c)(3)(ii), stems from the domestic industry's lack of interest 
in applying the Order. If the final results of this changed 
circumstances review result in the revocation of the Order, the 
Department intends that such revocation will be effective the first day 
of the most recent period not subject to administrative review, which 
is currently July 1, 2014.

Public Comment

    Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.310(c), any interested party may request a 
hearing within 14 days of publication of this notice.\4\ Parties will 
be notified of the time and date of any hearing if requested. 
Interested parties may submit case briefs and/or written comments not 
later than 14 days after the publication of this notice. Rebuttal 
briefs, and rebuttals to written comments, which must be limited to 
issues raised in such briefs or comments, may be filed not later than 
21 days after the date of publication of this notice. Parties who 
submit case briefs or rebuttal briefs in this changed circumstance 
review are requested to submit with each argument: (1) A statement of 
the issue; and (2) a brief summary of the argument; and (3) a table of 
authorities. Interested parties who wish to comment on the preliminary 
results must file briefs electronically using Enforcement and 
Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic 
Service System (ACCESS). ACCESS is available to registered users at 
http://access.trade.gov. An electronically-filed document must be 
received successfully in its entirety by ACCESS by 5 p.m. Eastern Time 
on the date the document is due.
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    \4\ See 19 CFR 351.303 for general filing requirements.
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    If final revocation occurs, we will instruct U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection to end the suspension of liquidation for the 
merchandise covered by the revocation on the effective date of the 
notice of revocation and to release any cash deposit or bond. The 
current requirement for a cash deposit of estimated AD duties on all 
subject merchandise will continue unless and

[[Page 39059]]

until it is modified pursuant to the final results of this changed 
circumstances review.
    This initiation and preliminary results of review notice is 
published in accordance with sections 751(b)(1) and 777(i)(1) of the 
Act and 19 CFR 351.216, 351.221(b)(1), (4), and 351.222(g).

    Dated: July 1, 2015.
Paul Piquado,
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2015-16722 Filed 7-7-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P