[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 191 (Monday, October 3, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68046-68049]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-23717]


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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

[Investigation No. 731-TA-696 (Fourth Review)]


Pure Magnesium From China; Institution of a Five-Year Review

AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Commission hereby gives notice that it has instituted a 
review pursuant to the Tariff Act of 1930 (``the Act''), as amended, to 
determine whether revocation of the antidumping duty order on pure 
magnesium from China would be likely to lead to continuation or 
recurrence of material injury. Pursuant to the Act, interested parties 
are requested to respond to this notice by submitting the information 
specified below to the Commission.

DATES: Effective October 3, 2016. To be assured of consideration, the 
deadline for responses is November 2, 2016. Comments on the adequacy of 
responses may be filed with the Commission December 15, 2016.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Messer (202-205-3193), Office of 
Investigations, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW., 
Washington, DC 20436. Hearing-impaired persons can obtain information 
on this matter by contacting the Commission's TDD terminal on 202-205-
1810. Persons with mobility impairments who will need special 
assistance in gaining access to the Commission should contact the 
Office of the Secretary at 202-205-2000. General information concerning 
the Commission may also be obtained by accessing its internet server 
(https://www.usitc.gov). The public record for this proceeding may be 
viewed on the Commission's electronic docket (EDIS) at https://edis.usitc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Background.--On May 12, 1995, the Department of Commerce issued an 
antidumping duty order on imports of pure magnesium from China (60 FR 
25691). Following first five-year reviews by Commerce and the 
Commission, effective October 27, 2000, Commerce issued a continuation 
of the antidumping duty order on imports of pure magnesium from China 
(65 FR 64422). Following second five-year reviews by Commerce and the 
Commission, effective July 10, 2006, Commerce issued a continuation of 
the antidumping duty order on imports of pure magnesium from China (71 
FR 38860). Following the third five-year reviews by Commerce and the 
Commission, effective November 22, 2011, Commerce issued a continuation 
of the antidumping duty order on imports of pure magnesium from China 
(76 FR 72172). The Commission is now conducting a fourth review 
pursuant to section 751(c) of the Act, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1675(c)), 
to determine whether revocation of the order would be likely to lead to 
continuation or recurrence of material injury to the domestic industry 
within a reasonably foreseeable time. Provisions concerning the conduct 
of this proceeding may be found in the Commission's Rules of

[[Page 68047]]

Practice and Procedure at 19 CFR parts 201, subparts A and B and 19 CFR 
part 207, subparts A and F. The Commission will assess the adequacy of 
interested party responses to this notice of institution to determine 
whether to conduct a full review or an expedited review. The 
Commission's determination in any expedited review will be based on the 
facts available, which may include information provided in response to 
this notice.
    Definitions.--The following definitions apply to this review:
    (1) Subject Merchandise is the class or kind of merchandise that is 
within the scope of the five-year review, as defined by the Department 
of Commerce.
    (2) The Subject Country in this review is China.
    (3) The Domestic Like Product is the domestically produced product 
or products which are like, or in the absence of like, most similar in 
characteristics and uses with, the Subject Merchandise. In the original 
determinations underlying this review, the Commission found pure and 
alloy magnesium to be separate Domestic Like Products. In the first 
five-year review of this order, the Commission continued to define the 
Domestic Like Product as pure magnesium. In the second five-year review 
of this order, the Commission was evenly divided on the question of 
whether pure and alloy magnesium were one or two Domestic Like 
Products. The three Commissioners that found a single Domestic Like 
Product also found that primary and secondary magnesium, and cast and 
granular magnesium, were part of a single domestic like product, i.e., 
they expanded the domestic like product to encompass secondary 
magnesium and granular magnesium. For the other three Commissioners 
that found two Domestic Like Products, the question of whether to 
include secondary magnesium in the like product affected only the alloy 
magnesium like product, and they expanded that Domestic Like Product to 
include secondary magnesium but declined to expand the Domestic Like 
Product to encompass granular magnesium. In the third five-year review 
of this order, the Commission defined the Domestic Like Product as 
consisting of pure and alloy magnesium, including primary and secondary 
magnesium and cast and granular magnesium. For purposes of responding 
to the items in this notice, please provide the requested information 
separately for the following two Domestic Like Product definitions: (1) 
All pure magnesium ingot, including off-spec pure magnesium \1\ and (2) 
pure and alloy magnesium, including primary and secondary magnesium, 
and magnesium in ingot and granular form.
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    \1\ Off-spec pure magnesium is magnesium containing between 50 
percent and 99.8 percent primary magnesium, by weight, that does not 
conform to ASTM specifications for alloy magnesium. Off-spec pure 
magnesium is pure primary magnesium containing magnesium scrap, 
secondary magnesium, oxidized magnesium, or impurities (whether or 
not intentionally added) that cause the primary magnesium content to 
fall below 99.8 percent by weight. It generally does not contain, 
individually or in combination, 1.5 percent or more, by weight, of 
the following alloying elements: aluminum, manganese, zinc, silicon, 
thorium, zirconium, and rare earths.
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    (4) The Domestic Industry is the U.S. producers as a whole of the 
Domestic Like Product, or those producers whose collective output of 
the Domestic Like Product constitutes a major proportion of the total 
domestic production of the product. In the original determination and 
the first five-year review determination, the Commission defined the 
Domestic Industry as consisting of all domestic producers of pure 
magnesium. In the second five-year review, those Commissioners who 
defined the Domestic Like Product as including pure and alloy magnesium 
defined the Domestic Industry as consisting of the domestic producers 
of pure and alloy magnesium, including primary and secondary magnesium, 
and magnesium in ingot and granular form, including grinders. Those 
Commissioners who found pure and alloy magnesium to be separate 
Domestic Like Products defined the Domestic Industry producing pure 
magnesium as consisting of the sole domestic producer of pure magnesium 
at that time, U.S. Magnesium. In the third five-year review of this 
order, the Commission defined the Domestic Industry as consisting of 
all domestic producers of pure and alloy magnesium, including primary 
and secondary magnesium, and magnesium in ingot and granular form.\2\ 
For purposes of responding to the items in this notice, please provide 
the requested information separately for the following two Domestic 
Industry definitions: (1) All producers of pure magnesium ingot, 
including off-spec pure magnesium and (2) all producers of pure and 
alloy magnesium, including primary and secondary magnesium, and 
magnesium in ingot and granular form.
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    \2\ At that time, 10 producers of the Domestic Like Product were 
identified: U.S. Magnesium, MagPro, AMACOR, MagReTech, Rossborough, 
ESM Group, Hart Metals, Reade Advanced Materials, Meridian 
Technologies, and Spartan.
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    (5) An Importer is any person or firm engaged, either directly or 
through a parent company or subsidiary, in importing the Subject 
Merchandise into the United States from a foreign manufacturer or 
through its selling agent.
    Participation in the proceeding and public service list.--Persons, 
including industrial users of the Subject Merchandise and, if the 
merchandise is sold at the retail level, representative consumer 
organizations, wishing to participate in the proceeding as parties must 
file an entry of appearance with the Secretary to the Commission, as 
provided in section 201.11(b)(4) of the Commission's rules, no later 
than 21 days after publication of this notice in the Federal Register. 
The Secretary will maintain a public service list containing the names 
and addresses of all persons, or their representatives, who are parties 
to the proceeding.
    Former Commission employees who are seeking to appear in Commission 
five-year reviews are advised that they may appear in a review even if 
they participated personally and substantially in the corresponding 
underlying original investigation or an earlier review of the same 
underlying investigation. The Commission's designated agency ethics 
official has advised that a five-year review is not the same particular 
matter as the underlying original investigation, and a five-year review 
is not the same particular matter as an earlier review of the same 
underlying investigation for purposes of 18 U.S.C. 207, the post 
employment statute for Federal employees, and Commission rule 201.15(b) 
(19 CFR 201.15(b)), 79 FR 3246 (Jan. 17, 2014), 73 FR 24609 (May 5, 
2008). Consequently, former employees are not required to seek 
Commission approval to appear in a review under Commission rule 19 CFR 
201.15, even if the corresponding underlying original investigation or 
an earlier review of the same underlying investigation was pending when 
they were Commission employees. For further ethics advice on this 
matter, contact Carol McCue Verratti, Deputy Agency Ethics Official, at 
202-205-3088.
    Limited disclosure of business proprietary information (BPI) under 
an administrative protective order (APO) and APO service list.--
Pursuant to section 207.7(a) of the Commission's rules, the Secretary 
will make BPI submitted in this proceeding available to authorized 
applicants under the APO issued in the proceeding, provided that the 
application is made no later than 21 days after publication of this 
notice in the Federal Register. Authorized applicants must represent 
interested parties, as defined in 19 U.S.C. 1677(9), who are parties to 
the proceeding. A

[[Page 68048]]

separate service list will be maintained by the Secretary for those 
parties authorized to receive BPI under the APO.
    Certification.--Pursuant to section 207.3 of the Commission's 
rules, any person submitting information to the Commission in 
connection with this proceeding must certify that the information is 
accurate and complete to the best of the submitter's knowledge. In 
making the certification, the submitter will acknowledge that 
information submitted in response to this request for information and 
throughout this proceeding or other proceeding may be disclosed to and 
used: (i) By the Commission, its employees and Offices, and contract 
personnel (a) for developing or maintaining the records of this or a 
related proceeding, or (b) in internal investigations, audits, reviews, 
and evaluations relating to the programs, personnel, and operations of 
the Commission including under 5 U.S.C. Appendix 3; or (ii) by U.S. 
government employees and contract personnel, solely for cybersecurity 
purposes. All contract personnel will sign appropriate nondisclosure 
agreements.
    Written submissions.--Pursuant to section 207.61 of the 
Commission's rules, each interested party response to this notice must 
provide the information specified below. The deadline for filing such 
responses is November 2, 2016. Pursuant to section 207.62(b) of the 
Commission's rules, eligible parties (as specified in Commission rule 
207.62(b)(1)) may also file comments concerning the adequacy of 
responses to the notice of institution and whether the Commission 
should conduct an expedited or full review. The deadline for filing 
such comments is December 15, 2016. All written submissions must 
conform with the provisions of section 201.8 of the Commission's rules; 
any submissions that contain BPI must also conform with the 
requirements of sections 201.6, 207.3, and 207.7 of the Commission's 
rules. The Commission's Handbook on E-Filing, available on the 
Commission's Web site at https://edis.usitc.gov, elaborates upon the 
Commission's rules with respect to electronic filing. Also, in 
accordance with sections 201.16(c) and 207.3 of the Commission's rules, 
each document filed by a party to the proceeding must be served on all 
other parties to the proceeding (as identified by either the public or 
APO service list as appropriate), and a certificate of service must 
accompany the document (if you are not a party to the proceeding you do 
not need to serve your response).
    No response to this request for information is required if a 
currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) number is not 
displayed; the OMB number is 3117 0016/USITC No. 16-5-368, expiration 
date June 30, 2017. Public reporting burden for the request is 
estimated to average 15 hours per response. Please send comments 
regarding the accuracy of this burden estimate to the Office of 
Investigations, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW., 
Washington, DC 20436.
    Inability to provide requested information.--Pursuant to section 
207.61(c) of the Commission's rules, any interested party that cannot 
furnish the information requested by this notice in the requested form 
and manner shall notify the Commission at the earliest possible time, 
provide a full explanation of why it cannot provide the requested 
information, and indicate alternative forms in which it can provide 
equivalent information. If an interested party does not provide this 
notification (or the Commission finds the explanation provided in the 
notification inadequate) and fails to provide a complete response to 
this notice, the Commission may take an adverse inference against the 
party pursuant to section 776(b) of the Act (19 U.S.C. 1677e(b)) in 
making its determination in the review.
    Information to be Provided in Response to This Notice of 
Institution: Please provide the requested information separately for 
each of the following Domestic Like Product, definitions: (1) All pure 
magnesium ingot, including off-spec pure magnesium and (2) pure and 
alloy magnesium, including primary and secondary magnesium, and 
magnesium in ingot and granular form. As used below, the term ``firm'' 
includes any related firms.
    (1) The name and address of your firm or entity (including World 
Wide Web address) and name, telephone number, fax number, and Email 
address of the certifying official.
    (2) A statement indicating whether your firm/entity is an 
interested party under 19 U.S.C. 1677(9) and if so, how, including 
whether your firm/entity is a U.S. producer of the Domestic Like 
Product, a U.S. union or worker group, a U.S. importer of the Subject 
Merchandise, a foreign producer or exporter of the Subject Merchandise, 
a U.S. or foreign trade or business association (a majority of whose 
members are interested parties under the statute), or another 
interested party (including an explanation). If you are a union/worker 
group or trade/business association, identify the firms in which your 
workers are employed or which are members of your association.
    (3) A statement indicating whether your firm/entity is willing to 
participate in this proceeding by providing information requested by 
the Commission.
    (4) A statement of the likely effects of the revocation of the 
antidumping duty order on the Domestic Industry in general and/or your 
firm/entity specifically. In your response, please discuss the various 
factors specified in section 752(a) of the Act (19 U.S.C. 1675a(a)) 
including the likely volume of subject imports, likely price effects of 
subject imports, and likely impact of imports of Subject Merchandise on 
the Domestic Industry.
    (5) A list of all known and currently operating U.S. producers of 
the Domestic Like Product. Identify any known related parties and the 
nature of the relationship as defined in section 771(4)(B) of the Act 
(19 U.S.C. 1677(4)(B)).
    (6) A list of all known and currently operating U.S. importers of 
the Subject Merchandise and producers of the Subject Merchandise in the 
Subject Country that currently export or have exported Subject 
Merchandise to the United States or other countries after 2010.
    (7) A list of 3-5 leading purchasers in the U.S. market for the 
Domestic Like Product and the Subject Merchandise (including street 
address, World Wide Web address, and the name, telephone number, fax 
number, and Email address of a responsible official at each firm).
    (8) A list of known sources of information on national or regional 
prices for the Domestic Like Product or the Subject Merchandise in the 
U.S. or other markets.
    (9) If you are a U.S. producer of the Domestic Like Product, 
provide the following information on your firm's operations on that 
product during calendar year 2015, except as noted (report quantity 
data in metric tons and value data in U.S. dollars, f.o.b. plant). If 
you are a union/worker group or trade/business association, provide the 
information, on an aggregate basis, for the firms in which your workers 
are employed/which are members of your association.
    (a) Production (quantity) and, if known, an estimate of the 
percentage of total U.S. production of the Domestic Like Product 
accounted for by your firm's(s') production;
    (b) Capacity (quantity) of your firm to produce the Domestic Like 
Product (i.e., the level of production that your establishment(s) could 
reasonably have

[[Page 68049]]

expected to attain during the year, assuming normal operating 
conditions (using equipment and machinery in place and ready to 
operate), normal operating levels (hours per week/weeks per year), time 
for downtime, maintenance, repair, and cleanup, and a typical or 
representative product mix);
    (c) the quantity and value of U.S. commercial shipments of the 
Domestic Like Product produced in your U.S. plant(s);
    (d) the quantity and value of U.S. internal consumption/company 
transfers of the Domestic Like Product produced in your U.S. plant(s); 
and
    (e) the value of (i) net sales, (ii) cost of goods sold (COGS), 
(iii) gross profit, (iv) selling, general and administrative (SG&A) 
expenses, and (v) operating income of the Domestic Like Product 
produced in your U.S. plant(s) (include both U.S. and export commercial 
sales, internal consumption, and company transfers) for your most 
recently completed fiscal year (identify the date on which your fiscal 
year ends).
    (10) If you are a U.S. importer or a trade/business association of 
U.S. importers of the Subject Merchandise from the Subject Country, 
provide the following information on your firm's(s') operations on that 
product during calendar year 2015 (report quantity data in metric tons 
and value data in U.S. dollars). If you are a trade/business 
association, provide the information, on an aggregate basis, for the 
firms which are members of your association.
    (a) The quantity and value (landed, duty-paid but not including 
antidumping duties) of U.S. imports and, if known, an estimate of the 
percentage of total U.S. imports of Subject Merchandise from the 
Subject Country accounted for by your firm's(s') imports;
    (b) the quantity and value (f.o.b. U.S. port, including antidumping 
duties) of U.S. commercial shipments of Subject Merchandise imported 
from the Subject Country; and
    (c) the quantity and value (f.o.b. U.S. port, including antidumping 
duties) of U.S. internal consumption/company transfers of Subject 
Merchandise imported from the Subject Country.
    (11) If you are a producer, an exporter, or a trade/business 
association of producers or exporters of the Subject Merchandise in the 
Subject Country, provide the following information on your firm's(s') 
operations on that product during calendar year 2015 (report quantity 
data in metric tons and value data in U.S. dollars, landed and duty-
paid at the U.S. port but not including antidumping duties). If you are 
a trade/business association, provide the information, on an aggregate 
basis, for the firms which are members of your association.
    (a) Production (quantity) and, if known, an estimate of the 
percentage of total production of Subject Merchandise in the Subject 
Country accounted for by your firm's(s') production;
    (b) Capacity (quantity) of your firm(s) to produce the Subject 
Merchandise in the Subject Country (i.e., the level of production that 
your establishment(s) could reasonably have expected to attain during 
the year, assuming normal operating conditions (using equipment and 
machinery in place and ready to operate), normal operating levels 
(hours per week/weeks per year), time for downtime, maintenance, 
repair, and cleanup, and a typical or representative product mix); and
    (c) the quantity and value of your firm's(s') exports to the United 
States of Subject Merchandise and, if known, an estimate of the 
percentage of total exports to the United States of Subject Merchandise 
from the Subject Country accounted for by your firm's(s') exports.
    (12) Identify significant changes, if any, in the supply and demand 
conditions or business cycle for the Domestic Like Product that have 
occurred in the United States or in the market for the Subject 
Merchandise in the Subject Country after 2010, and significant changes, 
if any, that are likely to occur within a reasonably foreseeable time. 
Supply conditions to consider include technology; production methods; 
development efforts; ability to increase production (including the 
shift of production facilities used for other products and the use, 
cost, or availability of major inputs into production); and factors 
related to the ability to shift supply among different national markets 
(including barriers to importation in foreign markets or changes in 
market demand abroad). Demand conditions to consider include end uses 
and applications; the existence and availability of substitute 
products; and the level of competition among the Domestic Like Product 
produced in the United States, Subject Merchandise produced in the 
Subject Country, and such merchandise from other countries.
    (13) (OPTIONAL) A statement of whether you agree with the above 
definitions of the Domestic Like Product and Domestic Industry; if you 
disagree with either or both of these definitions, please explain why 
and provide alternative definitions.

    Authority: This proceeding is being conducted under authority of 
title VII of the Tariff Act of 1930; this notice is published 
pursuant to section 207.61 of the Commission's rules.

    By order of the Commission.

    Issued: September 27, 2016.
Katherine M. Hiner,
Acting Supervisory Attorney.
[FR Doc. 2016-23717 Filed 9-30-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7020-02-P