[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 70 (Tuesday, April 12, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21537-21538]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-08387]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[C-570-938]


Citric Acid and Certain Citrate Salts From the People's Republic 
of China: Notice of Court Decision Not in Harmony With Final Results of 
Countervailing Duty Administrative Review and Notice of Amended Final 
Results Pursuant to Court Decision; 2011

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

SUMMARY: On March 30, 2016, the United States Court of International 
Trade (CIT) sustained the Department of Commerce's (Department's) final 
results of redetermination,\1\ which recalculated the subsidy rate for 
RZBC Group Shareholding Co., Ltd., RZBC Co., Ltd., RZBC Imp. & Exp. 
Co., Ltd., and RZBC (Juxian) Co., Ltd. (collectively, RZBC Companies) 
in the administrative review of the countervailing duty (CVD) order on 
citric acid and certain citrate salts (citric acid) from the People's 
Republic of China for the period January 1, 2011, through December 31, 
2011,\2\ pursuant to the CIT's remand order in RZBC Companies v. United 
States.\3\ Consistent with the decision of the United States Court of 
Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) in Timken,\4\ as clarified by 
Diamond Sawblades,\5\ the Department is notifying the public that the 
Court's final judgment in this case is not in harmony with the Final 
Results and that the Department is amending the Final Results with 
respect to the RZBC Companies.
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    \1\ See RZBC Group Shareholding Co., Ltd., RZBC Co., Ltd., RZBC 
Imp. & Exp. Co., Ltd., and RZBC (Juxian) Co., Ltd. v. United States, 
Court No. 14-00041 (CIT March 30, 2016) (Court Order affirming 
remand redetermination) (RZBC Companies v. United States II).
    \2\ See Citric Acid and Certain Citrate Salts From the People's 
Republic of China: Final Results of Countervailing Duty 
Administrative Review; 2011, 79 FR 108 (January 2, 2014) (Final 
Results) and accompanying Issues and Decision Memorandum (Final 
IDM).
    \3\ See RZBC Group Shareholding Co., Ltd., RZBC Co., Ltd., RZBC 
Imp. & Exp. Co., Ltd., and RZBC (Juxian) Co., Ltd. v. United States, 
Court No. 14-00041, Slip Op. 15-83 (August 5, 2015) (RZBC Companies 
v. United States).
    \4\ See Timken Co. v. United States, 893 F.2d 337 (Fed. Cir. 
1990) (Timken).
    \5\ See Diamond Sawblades Mfrs. Coalition v. United States, 626 
F.3d 1374 (Fed. Cir. 2010) (Diamond Sawblades).

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DATES: Effective Date: April 9, 2016.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia M. Tran, AD/CVD Operations, 
Office III, Enforcement and Compliance, U.S. Department of Commerce, 
14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230; 
telephone (202) 482-1503.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    In the Final Results, the Department elected to simple-average all 
available benchmark data for steam coal, sulfuric acid, and calcium 
carbonate because they were not reported in a uniform manner.\6\ The 
CIT remanded for the Department to reevaluate the world benchmarks for 
steam coal, sulfuric acid, and calcium carbonate subsidies. 
Specifically, the CIT instructed the Department to consider whether to 
calculate world-average prices using weighted or simple-averages in 
light of small-quantity, high-price transactions in the underlying 
data, and to comply with the mandate to measure the adequacy of 
remuneration in light of prevailing market conditions in the country 
subject to review.\7\ The CIT also directed the Department to 
recalculate the respondents' countervailing duty rate consistent with 
any reevaluated benchmark prices for steam coal, sulfuric acid, and 
calcium carbonate.\8\
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    \6\ See Final Results and Final IDM at Comment 13E.
    \7\ See RZBC Companies v. United States, Slip Op. at 40.
    \8\ Id.
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    In its final results of redetermination pursuant to RZBC Companies 
v. United States, the Department reopened and placed on the record in 
the remand proceeding world benchmark information for steam coal, 
sulfuric acid, and calcium carbonate. The Department then calculated 
weighted-average monthly world benchmarks for sulfuric acid and calcium 
carbonate. For steam coal, we weight-averaged the weightable data \9\ 
on the record while continuing to utilize the data from other 
unweightable \10\ sources.
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    \9\ Weightable data contains benchmark prices and quantity.
    \10\ Unweightable data contains only benchmark prices.
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    On March 30, 2016, the CIT sustained the Department's final results 
of redetermination pursuant to remand.\11\
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    \11\ See RZBC Companies v. United States II.
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Timken Notice

    In its decision in Timken, as clarified by Diamond Sawblades, the 
CAFC held that, pursuant to section 516A(e) of the Tariff Act of 1930, 
as amended (the Act), the Department must publish a notice of a court 
decision that is not ``in

[[Page 21538]]

harmony'' with a Department determination and must suspend liquidation 
of entries pending a ``conclusive'' court decision. The CIT's opinion 
in RZBC Companies v. United States II, issued on March 30, 2016, 
sustaining the Department's final results of redetermination 
constitutes a final decision of the court that is not in harmony with 
the Department's Final Results. This notice is published in fulfillment 
of the publication requirements of Timken. Accordingly, the Department 
will continue the suspension of liquidation of the subject merchandise 
pending the expiration of the period of appeal or, if appealed, pending 
a final and conclusive court decision.

Amended Final Results of Review

    Because there is now a final court decision with respect to the 
Final Results, the Department amends its Final Results. The Department 
finds that the following revised net countervailable subsidy rate is:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                             Net countervailable subsidy
                  Company                               rate
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RZBC Group Shareholding Co., Ltd., RZBC     18.28 percent ad valorem.
 Co., Ltd., RZBC Imp. & Exp. Co., Ltd.,
 and RZBC (Juxian) Co., Ltd.
 (collectively, RZBC Companies).
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    Since the Final Results, the Department established a new cash 
deposit rate for RZBC Companies.\12\ Therefore, the cash deposit rate 
for RZBC Companies does not need to be updated as a result of these 
amended final results. In the event that the CIT's ruling is not 
appealed, or if appealed, upheld by the CAFC, the Department will 
instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to liquidate entries of 
subject merchandise that were exported by RZBC Companies, and which 
were entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption during the 
period January 1, 2011, through December 31, 2011, at the revised rate 
of 18.28 percent ad valorem.
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    \12\ See Citric Acid and Certain Citrate Salts: Final Results of 
Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; 2013, 80 FR 77318 
(December 14, 2015).
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    This notice is issued and published in accordance with sections 
516A(e)(l), 75l(a)(l), and 777(i)(l) of the Act.

    Dated: April 5, 2016.
Ronald K. Lorentzen,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2016-08387 Filed 4-11-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P