[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 110 (Wednesday, June 8, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36867-36870]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-13481]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-535-903]


Circular Welded Carbon-Quality Steel Pipe From Pakistan: 
Affirmative Preliminary Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value 
and Postponement of Final Determination and Extension of Provisional 
Measures

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

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Commerce (the Department) preliminarily 
determines that circular welded carbon-quality steel pipe (circular 
welded pipe) from Pakistan is being, or is likely to be, sold in the 
United States at less than fair value (LTFV), as provided in section 
733(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). The period of 
investigation is October 1, 2014, through September 30, 2015. The 
estimated weighted-average dumping margins of sales at LTFV are shown 
in the ``Preliminary Determination'' section of this notice. Interested 
parties are invited to comment on this preliminary determination.

DATES: Effective: June 8, 2016.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Lindgren, AD/CVD Operations, 
Office VII, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and 
Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-
3870.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Department initiated this investigation on November 17, 
2015.\1\ For a complete description of the events that followed the 
initiation of this investigation, see the Preliminary Decision 
Memorandum.\2\ The Preliminary Decision Memorandum is a public document 
and is on file electronically via Enforcement and Compliance's 
Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service 
System (ACCESS). ACCESS is available to registered users at https://access.trade.gov and to all parties in the Central Records Unit, room 
B8024 of the main Department of Commerce building. In addition, a 
complete version of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum can be found at 
http://enforcement.trade.gov/frn/. The signed Preliminary Decision 
Memorandum and the electronic version of the Preliminary Decision 
Memorandum are identical in content.
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    \1\ See Circular Welded Carbon-Quality Steel Pipe From the 
Sultanate of Oman, Pakistan, the Philippines, the United Arab 
Emirates, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Initiation of Less 
Than Fair Value Investigations, 80 FR 73708 (November 25, 2015) 
(Initiation Notice).
    \2\ See Memorandum to Paul Piquado, Assistant Secretary for 
Enforcement and Compliance, From Gary Taverman, Associate Deputy 
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance, ``Circular 
Welded Carbon-Quality Steel Pipe from Pakistan: Affirmative 
Preliminary Less Than Fair Value Determination Decision 
Memorandum,'' dated concurrently with and hereby adopted by this 
notice (Preliminary Decision Memorandum).
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Scope of the Investigation

    The product covered by this investigation is circular welded pipe 
from Pakistan. Interested parties filed comments regarding the scope of 
the investigation, which resulted in one clarification to the scope 
language and are addressed, in detail, in the Department's Preliminary 
Scope Decision Memorandum.\3\ For a full

[[Page 36868]]

description of the scope of this investigation, see Appendix I to this 
notice.
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    \3\ See Memorandum to Gary Taverman, Associate Deputy Assistant 
Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance, ``Antidumping Duty 
Investigations of Circular Welded Carbon-Quality Steel Pipe from the 
Sultanate of Oman, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, and the 
Socialist Republic of Vietnam and Countervailing Duty Investigation 
of Circular Welded Carbon-Quality Steel Pipe from Pakistan; Scope 
Comments Decision Memorandum for the Preliminary Determinations,'' 
April 1, 2016 (Preliminary Scope Decision Memorandum).
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Methodology

    The Department is conducting this investigation in accordance with 
section 731 of the Act. Pursuant to section 776(a)-(b) of the Act, the 
Department has preliminarily relied upon facts otherwise available, 
with adverse inferences, to assign an estimated weighted-average 
dumping margin to the sole mandatory respondent International 
Industries Limited (IIL). For a full description of the methodology 
underlying our preliminary determination, see the Preliminary Decision 
Memorandum.

All-Others Rate

    Section 735(c)(5)(A) of the Act provides that the estimated ``all-
others'' rate shall be an amount equal to the weighted-average of the 
estimated weighted-average dumping margins established for exporters 
and producers individually investigated, excluding any rates that are 
zero, de minimis, or determined entirely under section 776 of the Act. 
We cannot apply the methodology described in section 735(c)(5)(A) of 
the Act to calculate the ``all-others'' rate, as the only margin in 
this preliminary determination was calculated under section 776 of the 
Act. In cases where no weighted-average dumping margins besides zero, 
de minimis, or those determined entirely under section 776 of the Act 
have been established for individually examined entities, in accordance 
with section 735(c)(5)(B) of the Act, the Department averages the 
margins calculated in the petition and applies the result to ``all-
other'' entities not individually examined. In this case, however, only 
one margin was calculated in the petition. Therefore, we assigned as 
the ``all-others'' rate the only margin in the Petition, which is 11.80 
percent.\4\
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    \4\ See Certain Oil Country Tubular Goods From Thailand: 
Preliminary Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value, and 
Postponement of Final Determination, 79 FR 10487, 10488 (February 
25, 2014), and accompanying Preliminary Decision Memorandum, 
unchanged in Certain Oil Country Tubular Goods From Thailand: Final 
Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value, 79 FR 41978, 41979 
(July 18, 2014).
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Preliminary Determination

    The Department preliminarily determines that the following 
weighted-average dumping margins exist:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                               Weighted-
                                                                average
                     Exporter/ producer                         margin
                                                               (percent)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
International Industries Limited............................       11.80
All-Others..................................................       11.80
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Suspension of Liquidation

    In accordance with section 733(d)(2) of the Act, we will direct 
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to suspend liquidation of all 
entries of subject merchandise from Pakistan, as described in the 
``Scope of the Investigation'' section, which are entered, or withdrawn 
from warehouse, for consumption on or after the date of publication of 
this notice in the Federal Register.
    Pursuant to section 733(d)(1)(B) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.205(d), 
we will instruct CBP to require a cash deposit equal to the weighted-
average margin, as indicated in the chart above.\5\ These suspension of 
liquidation instructions will remain in effect until further notice.
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    \5\ See Modification of Regulations Regarding the Practice of 
Accepting Bonds During the Provisional Measures Period in 
Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Investigations, 76 FR 61042 
(October 3, 2011).
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Public Comment

    Interested parties are invited to comment on this preliminary 
determination. Case briefs may be submitted no later than 30 days from 
the publication of this preliminary determination in the Federal 
Register.\6\ Rebuttal briefs, limited to issues raised in the case 
briefs, may be submitted no later than five days after the deadline for 
case briefs.\7\ Parties submitting case briefs and/or rebuttal briefs 
in this proceeding are encouraged to submit the following in regard to 
each argument: (1) A statement of the issue, (2) a brief (i.e., no 
longer than five pages) summary of the argument, and (3) a table of 
authorities.\8\
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    \6\ See 19 CFR 351.309(c)(1)(i); see also 19 CFR 351.303 (for 
general filing requirements).
    \7\ See 19 CFR 351.309(d)(1)-(2).
    \8\ See 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2).
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    The Department also invites parties to comment on the Preliminary 
Scope Decision Memorandum. Written comments concerning scope issues may 
be submitted no later than 30 days from the publication of this 
preliminary determination and should be submitted separately from the 
briefs. Scope-related comments must be filed on the record of this 
investigation, as well as the companion antidumping duty investigations 
of circular welded pipe from the Sultanate of Oman, the United Arab 
Emirates, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the countervailing 
duty investigation of circular welded pipe from Pakistan.\9\
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    \9\ See Preliminary Scope Decision Memorandum.
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    Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.310(c), interested parties who wish to 
request a hearing must submit a written request within 30 days of the 
publication of the preliminary determination in the Federal 
Register.\10\ Such requests should include the party's name, address, 
and telephone number, as well as the number of participants and a list 
of the issues to be discussed. If a request for a hearing is made, the 
Department intends to hold the hearing at the U.S. Department of 
Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 
20230, at a date, time, and location to be determined. Parties will be 
notified of the date, time, and location of any hearing.
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    \10\ See 19 CFR 351.310(c).
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    Parties must file their case briefs and rebuttal briefs, as well as 
any requests for a hearing, electronically, using ACCESS.\11\ 
Electronically-filed documents must be successfully received in their 
entirety via ACCESS no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time by the 
abovementioned deadlines.\12\
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    \11\ See 19 CFR 351.303(b)(2)(i).
    \12\ See 19 CFR 351.303(b)(1).
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Postponement of Final Determination and Extension of Provisional 
Measures

    Section 735(a)(2) of the Act provides that a final determination 
may be postponed until not later than 135 days after the date of the 
publication of the preliminary determination if, in the event of an 
affirmative preliminary determination, a request for such postponement 
is made by exporters who account for a significant proportion of 
exports of the subject merchandise. 19 CFR 351.210(e)(2) requires that 
requests by respondents for postponement of a final determination be 
accompanied by a request for extension of provisional measures from a 
four-month period to a period not more than six months in duration.
    IIL, the mandatory respondent, requested that, in the event of an 
affirmative preliminary determination in this investigation, the 
Department postpone its final determination by 60 days (i.e., to 135 
days after publication of the preliminary determination) and agreed to 
extend the application of the provisional measures prescribed under 
section 733(d) of the Act and 19 CFR

[[Page 36869]]

351.210(e)(2), from a four-month period to a period not to exceed six 
months.\13\
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    \13\ See Letter from IIL, ``CWP from Pakistan--Request to 
Postpone the Final Determination,'' May 28, 2016.
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    In accordance with section 735(a)(2)(A) of the Act and 19 CFR 
351.210(b)(2)(ii), because (1) our preliminary determination is 
affirmative, (2) the requesting exporter accounts for a significant 
proportion of exports of the subject merchandise, (3) the requesting 
exporter has requested extension of provisional measures to a period 
not more than six months, and (4) no compelling reasons for denial 
exist, we are postponing the final determination until no later than 
135 days after publication of this notice in the Federal Register and 
extending the provisional measures from a four-month period to a period 
not greater than six months. Accordingly, we will issue our final 
determination no later than 135 days after the date of publication of 
this preliminary determination, pursuant to section 735(a)(2) of the 
Act.\14\
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    \14\ See 19 CFR 351.210(b)(2) and (e).
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International Trade Commission Notification

    In accordance with section 733(f) of the Act, we will notify the 
U.S. International Trade Commission (the ITC) of our affirmative 
preliminary determination of sales at LTFV. If our final determination 
is affirmative, the ITC will determine whether or not imports of the 
subject merchandise are materially injuring, or threaten material 
injury to, the U.S. industry within 120 days of publication of this 
preliminary determination or 45 days of publication of our final 
determination, whichever is later.
    This determination is issued and published in accordance with 
sections 733(f) and 777(i)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.205(c).

    Dated: May 31, 2016.
Paul Piquado,
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.

Appendix I--Scope of the Investigation

    This investigation covers welded carbon-quality steel pipes and 
tube, of circular cross-section, with an outside diameter (O.D.) not 
more than nominal 16 inches (406.4 mm), regardless of wall 
thickness, surface finish (e.g., black, galvanized, or painted), end 
finish (plain end, beveled end, grooved, threaded, or threaded and 
coupled), or industry specification (e.g., American Society for 
Testing and Materials International (ASTM), proprietary, or other), 
generally known as standard pipe, fence pipe and tube, sprinkler 
pipe, and structural pipe (although subject product may also be 
referred to as mechanical tubing). Specifically, the term ``carbon 
quality'' includes products in which:
    (a) Iron predominates, by weight, over each of the other 
contained elements;
    (b) the carbon content is 2 percent or less, by weight; and
    (c) none of the elements listed below exceeds the quantity, by 
weight, as indicated:
    (i) 1.80 percent of manganese;
    (ii) 2.25 percent of silicon;
    (iii) 1.00 percent of copper;
    (iv) 0.50 percent of aluminum;
    (v) 1.25 percent of chromium;
    (vi) 0.30 percent of cobalt;
    (vii) 0.40 percent of lead;
    (viii) 1.25 percent of nickel;
    (ix) 0.30 percent of tungsten;
    (x) 0.15 percent of molybdenum;
    (xi) 0.10 percent of niobium;
    (xii) 0.41 percent of titanium;
    (xiii) 0.15 percent of vanadium; or
    (xiv) 0.15 percent of zirconium.
    Covered products are generally made to standard O.D. and wall 
thickness combinations. Pipe multi-stenciled to a standard and/or 
structural specification and to other specifications, such as 
American Petroleum Institute (API) API-5L specification, may also be 
covered by the scope of these investigations. In particular, such 
multi-stenciled merchandise is covered when it meets the physical 
description set forth above, and also has one or more of the 
following characteristics: Is 32 feet in length or less; is less 
than 2.0 inches (50 mm) in outside diameter; has a galvanized and/or 
painted (e.g., polyester coated) surface finish; or has a threaded 
and/or coupled end finish.
    Standard pipe is ordinarily made to ASTM specifications A53, 
A135, and A795, but can also be made to other specifications. 
Structural pipe is made primarily to ASTM specifications A252 and 
A500. Standard and structural pipe may also be produced to 
proprietary specifications rather than to industry specifications.
    Sprinkler pipe is designed for sprinkler fire suppression 
systems and may be made to industry specifications such as ASTM A53 
or to proprietary specifications.
    Fence tubing is included in the scope regardless of 
certification to a specification listed in the exclusions below, and 
can also be made to the ASTM A513 specification. Products that meet 
the physical description set forth above but are made to the 
following nominal outside diameter and wall thickness combinations, 
which are recognized by the industry as typical for fence tubing, 
are included despite being certified to ASTM mechanical tubing 
specifications:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                          Wall thickness
        O.D. in inches (nominal)             in inches         Gage
                                             (nominal)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.315...................................           0.035              20
1.315...................................           0.047              18
1.315...................................           0.055              17
1.315...................................           0.065              16
1.315...................................           0.072              15
1.315...................................           0.083              14
1.315...................................           0.095              13
1.660...................................           0.055              17
1.660...................................           0.065              16
1.660...................................           0.083              14
1.660...................................           0.095              13
1.660...................................           0.109              12
1.900...................................           0.047              18
1.900...................................           0.055              17
1.900...................................           0.065              16
1.900...................................           0.072              15
1.900...................................           0.095              13
1.900...................................           0.109              12
2.375...................................           0.047              18
2.375...................................           0.055              17
2.375...................................           0.065              16
2.375...................................           0.072              15
2.375...................................           0.095              13
2.375...................................           0.109              12
2.375...................................           0.120              11
2.875...................................           0.109              12
2.875...................................           0.165               8
3.500...................................           0.109              12
3.500...................................           0.165               8
4.000...................................           0.148               9
4.000...................................           0.165               8
4.500...................................           0.203               7
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The scope of this investigation does not include:
    (a) Pipe suitable for use in boilers, superheaters, heat 
exchangers, refining furnaces and feedwater heaters, whether or not 
cold drawn, which are defined by standards such as ASTM A178 or ASTM 
A192;
    (b) finished electrical conduit, i.e., Electrical Rigid Steel 
Conduit (also known as Electrical Rigid Metal Conduit and Electrical 
Rigid Metal Steel Conduit), Finished Electrical Metallic Tubing, and 
Electrical Intermediate Metal Conduit, which are defined by 
specifications such as American National Standard (ANSI) C80.1-2005, 
ANSI C80.3-2005, or ANSI C80.6-2005, and Underwriters Laboratories 
Inc. (UL) UL-6, UL-797, or UL-1242;
    (c) finished scaffolding, i.e., component parts of final, 
finished scaffolding that enter the United States unassembled as a 
``kit.'' A kit is understood to mean a packaged combination of 
component parts that contains, at the time of importation, all of 
the necessary component parts to fully assemble final, finished 
scaffolding;
    (d) tube and pipe hollows for redrawing;
    (e) oil country tubular goods produced to API specifications;
    (f) line pipe produced to only API specifications, such as API 
5L, and not multi-stenciled; and
    (g) mechanical tubing, whether or not cold-drawn, other than 
what is included in the above paragraphs.
    The products subject to this investigation are currently 
classifiable in Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States 
(HTSUS) statistical reporting numbers 7306.19.1010, 7306.19.1050, 
7306.19.5110, 7306.19.5150, 7306.30.1000, 7306.30.5015, 
7306.30.5020, 7306.30.5025, 7306.30.5032, 7306.30.5040, 
7306.30.5055, 7306.30.5085, 7306.30.5090, 7306.50.1000, 
7306.50.5030, 7306.50.5050, and 7306.50.5070. The HTSUS subheadings 
above are provided for convenience and U.S. Customs purposes only. 
The written

[[Page 36870]]

description of the scope of the investigation is dispositive.

Appendix II--List of Topics Discussed in the Preliminary Decision 
Memorandum

I. Summary
II. Background
III. Period of Investigation
IV. Postponement of Final Determination and Extension of Provisional 
Measures
V. Scope Comments
VI. Use of Facts Available With Adverse Inferences
    A. Application of Facts Available
    B. Use of Adverse Inference
    C. Selection of the Adverse Facts Available Rate
    D. Corroboration of Secondary Information
VII. All-Others Rate
VIII. Adjustments to Cash Deposit Rates for Export Subsidies in 
Companion Countervailing Duty Investigation
IX. Verification
X. Conclusion

[FR Doc. 2016-13481 Filed 6-7-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P