[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 74 (Wednesday, April 19, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18428-18432]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-07900]



[[Page 18428]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-357-820, A-560-830]


Biodiesel From Argentina and Indonesia: Initiation of Less-Than-
Fair-Value Investigations

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


DATES: Effective April 12, 2017.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Lindgren at (202) 482-3870, AD/
CVD Operations, Enforcement and Compliance, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Petitions

    On March 23, 2017, the Department of Commerce (the Department) 
received antidumping duty (AD) petitions \1\ concerning imports of 
biodiesel from Argentina and Indonesia, filed in proper form on behalf 
of the National Biodiesel Board Fair Trade Coalition (the petitioner), 
which is an ad hoc association comprised of domestic producers of 
biodiesel, as well as one trade association.\2\ The Petitions were 
accompanied by countervailing duty (CVD) petitions on biodiesel from 
Argentina and Indonesia.\3\
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    \1\ See Biodiesel from Argentina and Indonesia; Antidumping and 
Countervailing Duty Petitions (the Petitions).
    \2\ See Volume I of the Petitions, at 3 and Exhibit GEN-03; see 
also Biodiesel from Argentina and Indonesia: Amendment of Petitions, 
April 10, 2017 (April 17, 2017, Amendment), at 1 and Exhibit GEN-
SUPP-08.
    \3\ See the Petitions.
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    On March 28 and 29, 2017, and April 3, 2017, the Department 
requested additional information and clarification of certain areas of 
the Petitions.\4\ The petitioner filed responses to these requests on 
March 31, 2017, and April 4, 2017.\5\ On April 7, 2017, in 
consultations the Department held with respect to the companion CVD 
petition, the Government of Indonesia (GOI) provided comments on 
industry support and requested the Department poll the industry to 
determine industry support.\6\ On April 10, 2017, C[aacute]mara 
Argentina de Biocombustibles (CARBIO) and certain individual Argentine 
exporters \7\ submitted comments regarding industry support and 
requested the Department extend its initiation decision by 20 days to 
poll the industry.\8\ On April 10, 2017, the petitioner filed an 
amendment to the Petitions.\9\
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    \4\ See Letter from the Department, ``Petition for the 
Imposition of Antidumping and Countervailing Duties on Imports of 
Biodiesel from Argentina and Indonesia: Supplemental Questions,'' 
March 28, 2017 (General Issues Supplemental Questionnaire); see also 
Letter from the Department, ``Petition for the Imposition of 
Antidumping Duties on Imports of Biodiesel from Argentina: 
Supplemental Questions,'' March 28, 2017; Letter from the 
Department, ``Petition for the Imposition of Antidumping Duties on 
Imports of Biodiesel from Indonesia: Supplemental Questions,'' March 
28, 2017; see also Memorandum to the File from David Lindgren, 
Senior International Trade Analyst, ``Antidumping Duty Petition on 
Biodiesel from Argentina: Additional Supplemental Questions,'' March 
29, 2017; Memorandum to the File from David Lindgren, Senior 
International Trade Analyst, ``Antidumping Duty Petition on 
Biodiesel from Indonesia: Additional Supplemental Question,'' April 
4, 2017.
    \5\ See Letter from the petitioner, ``Re: Biodiesel from 
Argentina and Indonesia: Amendement of Petitions and Response to the 
Department's Supplemental Questionnaires,'' March 31, 2017 (Petition 
Supplement); see also Letter from the petitioner, ``Re: Biodiesel 
from Argentina and Indonesia: Errata to the Response of National 
Biodiesel Board Fair Trade Coalition to the Department's March 29, 
2017 Supplemental Questionnaire,'' April 4, 2017 (Indonesia AD 
Supplement). On April 11, 2017, the petitioner filed company 
certifications relating to the Petition Supplement. See Letter from 
the petitioner, ``Biodiesel from Argentina and Indonesia: Company 
Certifications of March 31, 2017 Petition Amendment,'' April 11, 
2017.
    \6\ See Memorandum from the Department, ``Countervailing Duty 
Petition on Biodiesel from Indonesia'' Consultations with the 
Government of Indonesia,'' April 10, 2017 (Consultation Memorandum), 
which references the GOI comments.
    \7\ The individual Argentine exporters are Aceitera General 
Deheza S.A., Bunge Argentina S.A., Cargill S.A.C.I, COFCO Argentina 
S.A., LDC Argentina S.A., Oleaginosa Moreno Hermanos S.A., Molinos 
Agro S.A., Renova S.A., and Vicentin S.A.I.C.
    \8\ See CARBIO's Request to Postpone Initiation, April 10, 2017 
(CARBIO Letter).
    \9\ See April 10, 2017, Amendment.
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    In accordance with section 732(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as 
amended (the Act), the petitioner alleges that imports of biodiesel 
from Argentina and Indonesia are being, or are likely to be, sold in 
the United States at less-than-fair value, within the meaning of 
section 731 of the Act, and that such imports are materially injuring, 
or threatening material injury to, an industry in the United States. 
Also, consistent with section 732(b)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 
351.202(b), the petitioner states that the Petitions are accompanied by 
information reasonably available to the petitioner supporting its 
allegations.
    The Department finds that the petitioner filed these Petitions on 
behalf of the domestic industry because the petitioner is an interested 
party as defined in section 771(9)(F) of the Act. The Department also 
finds that the petitioner demonstrated sufficient industry support with 
respect to the initiation of the AD investigations that the petitioner 
is requesting.\10\
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    \10\ See ``Determination of Industry Support for the Petitions'' 
section below.
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Period of Investigation

    Because the Petitions were filed on March 23, 2017, the period of 
investigation (POI) for each investigation is, pursuant to 19 CFR 
351.204(b)(1), January 1, 2016, through December 31, 2016.

Scope of the Investigations

    The product covered by these investigations is biodiesel from 
Argentina and Indonesia. For a full description of the scope of these 
investigations, see the ``Scope of the Investigations,'' at Appendix I 
of this notice.

Comments on Scope of the Investigations

    During our review of the Petitions, the Department issued questions 
to, and received responses from, the petitioner pertaining to the 
proposed scope to ensure that the scope language in the Petitions would 
be an accurate reflection of the products for which the domestic 
industry is seeking relief.\11\
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    \11\ See General Issues Supplemental Questionnaire; see also 
Petition Supplement.
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    As discussed in the preamble to the Department's regulations,\12\ 
we are setting aside a period for interested parties to raise issues 
regarding product coverage (i.e., scope). The Department will consider 
all comments received from parties and, if necessary, will consult with 
parties prior to the issuance of the preliminary determinations. If 
scope comments include factual information,\13\ all such factual 
information should be limited to public information. In order to 
facilitate preparation of its questionnaires, the Department requests 
all interested parties to submit such comments by 5:00 p.m. Eastern 
Time (ET) on May 2, 2017, which is 20 calendar days from the signature 
date of this notice. Any rebuttal comments, which may include public 
factual information, must be filed by 5:00 p.m. ET on May 12, 2017, 
which is 10 calendar days after the initial comments. All such comments 
must be filed on the records of each of the concurrent AD and CVD 
investigations.
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    \12\ See Antidumping Duties; Countervailing Duties, 62 FR 27296, 
27323 (May 19, 1997).
    \13\ See 19 CFR 351.102(b)(21).
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    The Department requests that any factual information the parties 
consider relevant to the scope of the investigations be submitted 
during this time period. However, if a party subsequently finds that 
additional

[[Page 18429]]

factual information pertaining to the scope of the investigations may 
be relevant, the party may contact the Department and request 
permission to submit the additional information. As stated above, all 
such comments must be filed on the records of each of the concurrent AD 
and CVD investigations.

Filing Requirements

    All submissions to the Department must be filed electronically 
using Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty 
Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS).\14\ An electronically 
filed document must be received successfully in its entirety by the 
time and date when it is due. Documents excepted from the electronic 
submission requirements must be filed manually (i.e., in paper form) 
with Enforcement and Compliance's APO/Dockets Unit, Room 18022, U.S. 
Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 
20230, and stamped with the date and time of receipt by the applicable 
deadlines.
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    \14\ See 19 CFR 351.303 (describing general filing 
requirements); see also Antidumping and Countervailing Duty 
Proceedings: Electronic Filing Procedures; Administrative Protective 
Order Procedures, 76 FR 39263 (July 6, 2011) (providing details of 
the Department's electronic filing requirements, which went into 
effect on August 5, 2011); Enforcement and Compliance; Change of 
Electronic Filing System Name, 79 FR 69046 (November 20, 2014). 
Information on help using ACCESS can be found at https://access.trade.gov/help.aspx and a handbook can be found at https://access.trade.gov/help/Handbook%20on%20Electronic%20Filling%20Procedures.pdf.
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Comments on Product Characteristics for AD Questionnaires

    The Department requests comments from interested parties on the 
appropriate physical characteristics of biodiesel to be reported in 
response to the Department's AD questionnaires. This information will 
be used to identify the key physical characteristics of the merchandise 
under consideration in order to report the relevant costs of production 
accurately as well as to develop appropriate product-comparison 
criteria.
    Interested parties may provide any information or comments that 
they feel are relevant to the development of an accurate list of 
physical characteristics. Specifically, they may provide comments as to 
which characteristics are appropriate to use as: (1) General product 
characteristics and (2) product-comparison criteria. We note that it is 
not always appropriate to use all product characteristics as product-
comparison criteria. We base product-comparison criteria on meaningful 
commercial differences among products. In other words, although there 
may be some physical product characteristics utilized by manufacturers 
to describe biodiesel, it may be that only a select few product 
characteristics take into account commercially meaningful physical 
characteristics. In addition, interested parties may comment on the 
order in which the physical characteristics should be used in matching 
products. Generally, the Department attempts to list the most important 
physical characteristics first and the least important characteristics 
last.
    In order to consider the suggestions of interested parties in 
developing and issuing the AD questionnaires, all product 
characteristics comments must be filed by 5:00 p.m. ET on May 2, 2017, 
which is 20 calendar days from the signature date of this notice. Any 
rebuttal comments must be filed by 5:00 p.m. ET on May 12, 2017. All 
comments and submissions to the Department must be filed electronically 
using ACCESS, as explained above, on the records of each of the 
concurrent AD investigations.

Determination of Industry Support for the Petitions

    Section 732(b)(1) of the Act requires that a petition be filed on 
behalf of the domestic industry. Section 732(c)(4)(A) of the Act 
provides that a petition meets this requirement if the domestic 
producers or workers who support the petition account for: (i) At least 
25 percent of the total production of the domestic like product; and 
(ii) more than 50 percent of the production of the domestic like 
product produced by that portion of the industry expressing support 
for, or opposition to, the petition. Moreover, section 732(c)(4)(D) of 
the Act provides that, if the petition does not establish support of 
domestic producers or workers accounting for more than 50 percent of 
the total production of the domestic like product, the Department 
shall: (i) Poll the industry or rely on other information in order to 
determine if there is support for the petition, as required by 
subparagraph (A); or (ii) determine industry support using a 
statistically valid sampling method to poll the ``industry.''
    Section 771(4)(A) of the Act defines the ``industry'' as the 
producers as a whole of a domestic like product. Thus, to determine 
whether a petition has the requisite industry support, the statute 
directs the Department to look to producers and workers who produce the 
domestic like product. The International Trade Commission (ITC), which 
is responsible for determining whether ``the domestic industry'' has 
been injured, must also determine what constitutes a domestic like 
product in order to define the industry. While both the Department and 
the ITC must apply the same statutory definition regarding the domestic 
like product,\15\ they do so for different purposes and pursuant to a 
separate and distinct authority. In addition, the Department's 
determination is subject to limitations of time and information. 
Although this may result in different definitions of the like product, 
such differences do not render the decision of either agency contrary 
to law.\16\
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    \15\ See section 771(10) of the Act.
    \16\ See USEC, Inc. v. United States, 132 F. Supp. 2d 1, 8 (CIT 
2001) (citing Algoma Steel Corp., Ltd. v. United States, 688 F. 
Supp. 639, 644 (CIT 1988), aff'd 865 F.2d 240 (Fed. Cir. 1989)).
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    Section 771(10) of the Act defines the domestic like product as ``a 
product which is like, or in the absence of like, most similar in 
characteristics and uses with, the article subject to an investigation 
under this title.'' Thus, the reference point from which the domestic 
like product analysis begins is ``the article subject to an 
investigation'' (i.e., the class or kind of merchandise to be 
investigated, which normally will be the scope as defined in the 
Petitions).
    With regard to the domestic like product, the petitioner does not 
offer a definition of the domestic like product distinct from the scope 
of the investigations. Based on our analysis of the information 
submitted on the record, we have determined that biodiesel, as defined 
in the scope, constitutes a single domestic like product and we have 
analyzed industry support in terms of that domestic like product.\17\
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    \17\ For a discussion of the domestic like product analysis in 
this case, see Antidumping Duty Investigation Initiation Checklist: 
Biodiesel from Argentina (Argentina AD Initiation Checklist), at 
Attachment II, Analysis of Industry Support for the Antidumping and 
Countervailing Duty Petitions Covering Biodiesel from Argentina and 
Indonesia, (Attachment II); and Antidumping Duty Investigation 
Initiation Checklist: Biodiesel from Indonesia (Indonesia AD 
Initiation Checklist), at Attachment II. These checklists are dated 
concurrently with, and hereby adopted by, this notice and on file 
electronically via ACCESS. Access to documents filed via ACCESS is 
also available in the Central Records Unit, Room B8024 of the main 
Department of Commerce building.
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    In determining whether the petitioner has standing under section 
732(c)(4)(A) of the Act, we considered the industry support data 
contained in the Petitions with reference to the domestic like product 
as defined in the ``Scope of the Investigations,'' in Appendix I of 
this notice. The petitioner provided 2016 domestic like product 
production data for U.S. producers that are known to

[[Page 18430]]

support the Petitions. To establish total production of the domestic 
like product in 2016, the petitioner provided data from the February 
2017 Monthly Biodiesel Production report (which included total 2016 
production of biodiesel in the United States) published by the U.S. 
Energy Information Administration (the statistical and analytical 
agency within the U.S. Department of Energy). To establish industry 
support, the petitioner compared the production of companies supporting 
the Petitions to the total 2016 production of the domestic like product 
for the entire domestic industry.\18\ We relied on data the petitioner 
provided for purposes of measuring industry support.\19\
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    \18\ See Volume I of the Petitions, at 5-7, and Volume II of the 
Petitions, at Exhibits GEN-05--GEN-07.
    \19\ Id. For further discussion, see Argentina AD Initiation 
Checklist and Indonesia AD Initiation Checklist, at Attachment II.
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    On April 7, 2017, we received comments on industry support from the 
GOI.\20\ On April 10, 2017, we received comments from CARBIO and 
certain individual Argentine exporters.\21\ For further discussion of 
these comments, see the Indonesia AD Initiation Checklist and the 
Argentina AD Initiation Checklist, at Attachment II.
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    \20\ See Consultation Memorandum.
    \21\ See CARBIO Letter.
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    Our review of the data provided in the Petitions, Petition 
Supplement, letter from the GOI, letter from CARBIO and certain 
individual Argentine exporters, and other information readily available 
to the Department indicates that the petitioner has established 
industry support for the Petitions.\22\ First, the Petitions 
established support from domestic producers (or workers) accounting for 
more than 50 percent of the total production of the domestic like 
product and, as such, the Department is not required to take further 
action in order to evaluate industry support (e.g., polling).\23\ 
Second, the domestic producers (or workers) have met the statutory 
criteria for industry support under section 732(c)(4)(A)(i) of the Act 
because the domestic producers (or workers) who support the Petitions 
account for at least 25 percent of the total production of the domestic 
like product.\24\ Finally, the domestic producers (or workers) have met 
the statutory criteria for industry support under section 
732(c)(4)(A)(ii) of the Act because the domestic producers (or workers) 
who support the Petitions account for more than 50 percent of the 
production of the domestic like product produced by that portion of the 
industry expressing support for, or opposition to, the Petitions.\25\ 
Accordingly, the Department determines that the Petitions were filed on 
behalf of the domestic industry within the meaning of section 732(b)(1) 
of the Act.
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    \22\ See Argentina AD Initiation Checklist and Indonesia AD 
Initiation Checklist, at Attachment II.
    \23\ See section 732(c)(4)(D) of the Act; see also Argentina AD 
Initiation Checklist and Indonesia AD Initiation Checklist, at 
Attachment II.
    \24\ See Argentina AD Initiation Checklist and Indonesia AD 
Initiation Checklist, at Attachment II.
    \25\ Id.
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    The Department finds that the petitioner filed the Petitions on 
behalf of the domestic industry because it is an interested party as 
defined in section 771(9)(F) of the Act and it has demonstrated 
sufficient industry support with respect to the AD investigations that 
it is requesting that the Department initiate.\26\
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    \26\ Id.
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Allegations and Evidence of Material Injury and Causation

    The petitioner alleges that the U.S. industry producing the 
domestic like product is being materially injured, or is threatened 
with material injury, by reason of the imports of the subject 
merchandise sold at less than normal value (NV). In addition, the 
petitioner alleges that subject imports exceed the negligibility 
threshold provided for under section 771(24)(A) of the Act.\27\
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    \27\ See Volume I of the Petitions, at 97-98; see also Volume I 
of the Petition Supplement, at 5-8 and Volume II of the Petition 
Supplement, at Exhibits GEN-SUPP-04 and GEN-SUPP-7.
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    The petitioner contends that the industry's injured condition is 
illustrated by reduced market share; underselling and price suppression 
or depression; lost sales and revenues; negative impact on the domestic 
industry's operations and performance; and decline in financial 
performance.\28\ We have assessed the allegations and supporting 
evidence regarding material injury, threat of material injury, and 
causation, and we have determined that these allegations are properly 
supported by adequate evidence, and meet the statutory requirements for 
initiation.\29\
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    \28\ See Volume I of the Petitions, at 1-3, 92-117 and Volume II 
of the Petitions, at Exhibits GEN-05, GEN-08 through GEN-10, GEN-12, 
and GEN-20 through GEN-32; see also Biodiesel from Argentina and 
Indonesia; Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Petition Amendment, 
dated March 24, 2017 (Lost Sales and Revenues Exhibit), at Exhibit 
A; Volume I of the Petition Supplement, at 5-8; Volume II of the 
Petition Supplement, at Exhibits GEN-SUPP-04 through GEN-SUPP-07.
    \29\ See Argentina AD Initiation Checklist, at Attachment III, 
Analysis of Allegations and Evidence of Material Injury and 
Causation for the Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Petitions 
Covering Biodiesel from Argentina and Indonesia (Attachment III); 
see also Indonesia AD Initiation Checklist, at Attachment III.
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Allegations of Sales at Less-Than-Fair Value

    The following is a description of the allegations of sales at less-
than-fair value upon which the Department based its decision to 
initiate investigations of imports of biodiesel from Argentina and 
Indonesia. The sources of data for the deductions and adjustments 
relating to U.S. price and NV are discussed in greater detail in the 
country-specific initiation checklists.

Export Price

    For both Argentina and Indonesia, the petitioner based export price 
(EP) on average unit values (AUVs) calculated using publicly available 
import statistics from the ITC's Dataweb for the Harmonized Tariff 
Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) subheading 3826.00.1000, 
representing shipments of pure biodiesel (i.e., B100) from both 
respective countries to the United States during the POI.\30\ No 
adjustments were made to the calculated AUVs used for U.S. price.
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    \30\ See Argentina AD Initiation Checklist; see also Indonesia 
AD Initiation Checklist.
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Normal Value Based on Constructed Value

    For Argentina and Indonesia, the petitioner provided home market 
price information based on the prices set by each government during the 
POI.\31\ As the provided prices were the government-established sale 
prices, they reflect FOB prices. Accordingly, the petitioner made no 
adjustments for movement expenses.\32\ Based on these price data for 
both countries, the petitioner submitted information indicating that 
sales of biodiesel in the home markets of both Argentina and Indonesia 
were made at prices below the cost of production (COP) and, as a 
result, the petitioner also calculated NV based on constructed value 
(CV).\33\ Pursuant to section 773(e) of the Act, CV consists of the 
cost of manufacturing (COM), selling, general and administrative (SG&A) 
expenses, financial expenses, and packing expenses, and profit. The 
petitioner calculated COM based on a U.S. producer of biodiesel's (U.S. 
surrogate's)

[[Page 18431]]

experience, adjusted for known differences between producing in the 
United States and producing in the respective country (i.e., Argentina 
and Indonesia), during the proposed POI.\34\ Using publicly-available 
price data, where available, the petitioner multiplied the surrogate 
usage quantities by the submitted value of the inputs used to 
manufacture biodiesel in each country.\35\ In those instances where the 
petitioner was not aware of any differences in input prices, it 
submitted values from the surrogate.\36\ For Argentina and Indonesia, 
labor and energy prices were derived from publicly-available sources 
multiplied by the U.S. surrogate's product-specific usage 
quantities.\37\ For Argentina and Indonesia, because the petitioner was 
not aware of any differences in factory overhead costs, it submitted 
values from the surrogate.\38\ Further, for both countries, to 
determine the SG&A and profit, the petitioner relied on the audited 
financial statements of companies that are producers of identical or 
comparable merchandise operating in the respective country.\39\
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    \31\ Id.
    \32\ Id.
    \33\ Id. In accordance with section 505(a) of the Trade 
Preferences Extension Act of 2015, amending section 773(b)(2) of the 
Act, for all of the investigations, the Department will request 
information necessary to calculate the cost of production (COP) and 
CV to determine whether there are reasonable grounds to believe or 
suspect that sales of the foreign like product have been made at 
prices that represent less than the COP of the product. The 
Department will no longer require a COP allegation to conduct this 
analysis.
    \34\ See Argentina AD Checklist; see also Indonesia AD 
Checklist.
    \35\ Id.
    \36\ Id.
    \37\ Id.
    \38\ Id.
    \39\ Id.
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Fair Value Comparisons

    Based on the data provided by the petitioner, there is reason to 
believe that imports of biodiesel from Argentina and Indonesia, are 
being, or are likely to be, sold in the United States at less-than-fair 
value. Based on comparisons of EP to NV (based on CV) in accordance 
with sections 772 and 773 of the Act, the estimated dumping margins for 
biodiesel are as follows: (1) Argentina, 26.54 percent; \40\ and (2) 
Indonesia, 28.11 percent.\41\
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    \40\ See Argentina AD Initiation Checklist.
    \41\ See Indonesia AD Supplement, at Exhibit AD-IND-SUPP-20; see 
also Indonesia AD Initiation Checklist.
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Initiation of Less-Than-Fair-Value Investigations

    Based upon the examination of the AD Petitions on biodiesel from 
Argentina and Indonesia, we find that the Petitions meet the 
requirements of section 732 of the Act. Therefore, we are initiating AD 
investigations to determine whether imports of biodiesel from Argentina 
and Indonesia are being, or are likely to be, sold in the United States 
at less-than-fair value. In accordance with section 733(b)(1)(A) of the 
Act and 19 CFR 351.205(b)(1), unless postponed, we intend to make our 
preliminary determinations no later than 140 days after the date of 
this initiation.
    Under the Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015, numerous 
amendments to the AD and CVD laws were made.\42\ The 2015 law does not 
specify dates of application for those amendments. On August 6, 2015, 
the Department published an interpretative rule, in which it announced 
the applicability dates for each amendment to the Act, except for 
amendments contained in section 771(7) of the Act, which relate to 
determinations of material injury by the ITC.\43\ The amendments to 
sections 771(15), 773, 776, and 782 of the Act are applicable to all 
determinations made on or after August 6, 2015, and, therefore, apply 
to these AD investigations.\44\
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    \42\ See Trade Preferences Extension Act of 2015, Pub. L. 114-
27, 129 Stat. 362 (2015).
    \43\ See Dates of Application of Amendments to the Antidumping 
and Countervailing Duty Laws Made by the Trade Preferences Extension 
Act of 2015, 80 FR 46793 (August 6, 2015) (Applicability Notice). 
The 2015 amendments may be found at https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/1295/text/pl.
    \44\ See Applicability Notice, 80 FR at 46794-95.
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Respondent Selection

    The petitioner identified 16 companies in Argentina and five 
companies in Indonesia, as producers/exporters of biodiesel.\45\ 
Following standard practice in AD investigations involving market 
economy countries, in the event the Department determines that the 
number of companies subject to each investigation is large, the 
Department intends to review U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 
data for U.S. imports under the appropriate HTSUS numbers listed with 
the ``Scope of the Investigations,'' in Appendix I, below, and if it 
determines that it cannot individually examine each company based upon 
the Department's resources, then the Department will select respondents 
based on that data. We also intend to release the CBP data under 
Administrative Protective Order (APO) to all parties with access to 
information protected by APO on the record within five business days of 
publication of this Federal Register notice. Comments regarding the CBP 
data and respondent selection should be submitted seven calendar days 
after the placement of the CBP data on the record of each respective 
investigation. Parties wishing to submit rebuttal comments should 
submit those comments five calendar days after the deadline for the 
initial comments.
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    \45\ See Volume I of the Petition, at 14-15; see also Volume II 
of the Petition, at Exhibits GEN-17, GEN-18.
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    Comments for the above-referenced investigations must be filed 
electronically using ACCESS. An electronically-filed document must be 
received successfully in its entirety by ACCESS no later than 5:00 p.m. 
ET on the date noted above. We intend to make our decision regarding 
respondent selection within 20 days of publication of this notice. 
Interested parties must submit applications for disclosure under APO in 
accordance with 19 CFR 351.305(b). Instructions for filing such 
applications may be found on the Department's Web site at http://enforcement.trade.gov/apo.

Distribution of Copies of the Petitions

    In accordance with section 732(b)(3)(A) of the Act and 19 CFR 
351.202(f), copies of the public version of the Petitions have been 
provided to the governments of Argentina and Indonesia via ACCESS. To 
the extent practicable, we will attempt to provide a copy of the public 
version of the Petitions to each known exporter named in the Petitions, 
as provided under 19 CFR 351.203(c)(2).

ITC Notification

    We will notify the ITC of our initiation, as required by section 
732(d) of the Act.

Preliminary Determinations by the ITC

    The ITC will preliminarily determine, within 45 days after the date 
on which the Petitions were filed, whether there is a reasonable 
indication that imports of biodiesel from Argentina and/or Indonesia 
are materially injuring or threatening material injury to a U.S. 
industry.\46\ A negative ITC determination for any country will result 
in the investigation being terminated with respect to that country; 
\47\ otherwise, these investigations will proceed according to 
statutory and regulatory time limits.
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    \46\ See section 733(a)(1) of the Act.
    \47\ See section 733(a)(2) of the Act.
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Submission of Factual Information

    Factual information is defined in 19 CFR 351.102(b)(21) as: (i) 
Evidence submitted in response to questionnaires; (ii) evidence 
submitted in support of allegations; (iii) publicly available 
information to value factors under 19 CFR 351.408(c) or to measure the 
adequacy of remuneration under 19 CFR 351.511(a)(2); (iv) evidence 
placed on the record by the Department; and (v) evidence other than 
factual information described in (i)-(iv). Any party, when

[[Page 18432]]

submitting factual information, must specify under which subsection of 
19 CFR 351.102(b)(21) the information is being submitted and, if the 
information is submitted to rebut, clarify, or correct factual 
information already on the record, to provide an explanation 
identifying the information already on the record that the factual 
information seeks to rebut, clarify, or correct. Time limits for the 
submission of factual information are addressed in 19 CFR 351.301, 
which provides specific time limits based on the type of factual 
information being submitted. Parties should review the regulations 
prior to submitting factual information in these investigations.

Extensions of Time Limits

    Parties may request an extension of time limits before the 
expiration of a time limit established under Part 351, or as otherwise 
specified by the Secretary. In general, an extension request will be 
considered untimely if it is filed after the expiration of the time 
limit established under Part 351 expires. For submissions that are due 
from multiple parties simultaneously, an extension request will be 
considered untimely if it is filed after 10:00 a.m. on the due date. 
Under certain circumstances, we may elect to specify a different time 
limit by which extension requests will be considered untimely for 
submissions which are due from multiple parties simultaneously. In such 
a case, we will inform parties in the letter or memorandum setting 
forth the deadline (including a specified time) by which extension 
requests must be filed to be considered timely. An extension request 
must be made in a separate, stand-alone submission; under limited 
circumstances we will grant untimely-filed requests for the extension 
of time limits. Review Extension of Time Limits; Final Rule, 78 FR 
57790 (September 20, 2013), available at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-09-20/html/2013-22853.htm, prior to submitting factual 
information in these investigations.

Certification Requirements

    Any party submitting factual information in an AD or CVD proceeding 
must certify to the accuracy and completeness of that information.\48\ 
Parties are hereby reminded that revised certification requirements are 
in effect for company/government officials, as well as their 
representatives. Investigations initiated on the basis of Petitions 
filed on or after August 16, 2013, and other segments of any AD or CVD 
proceedings initiated on or after August 16, 2013, should use the 
formats for the revised certifications provided at the end of the Final 
Rule.\49\ The Department intends to reject factual submissions if the 
submitting party does not comply with applicable revised certification 
requirements.
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    \48\ See section 782(b) of the Act.
    \49\ See Certification of Factual Information to Import 
Administration during Antidumping and Countervailing Duty 
Proceedings, 78 FR 42678 (July 17, 2013) (Final Rule); see also 
frequently asked questions regarding the Final Rule, available at 
http://enforcement.trade.gov/tlei/notices/factual_info_final_rule_FAQ_07172013.pdf.
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Notification to Interested Parties

    Interested parties must submit applications for disclosure under 
APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305. On January 22, 2008, the 
Department published Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Proceedings: 
Documents Submission Procedures; APO Procedures, 73 FR 3634 (January 
22, 2008). Parties wishing to participate in these investigations 
should ensure that they meet the requirements of these procedures 
(e.g., the filing of letters of appearance as discussed in 19 CFR 
351.103(d)).
    This notice is issued and published pursuant to sections 732 and 
777(i) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.203(c).

    Dated: April 12, 2017.
Ronald K. Lorentzen,
Acting Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.

Appendix I

Scope of the Investigations

    The product covered by these investigations is biodiesel, which 
is a fuel comprised of mono-alkyl esters of long chain fatty acids 
derived from vegetable oils or animal fats, including biologically-
based waste oils or greases, and other biologically-based oil or fat 
sources. The investigations cover biodiesel in pure form (B100) as 
well as fuel mixtures containing at least 99 percent biodiesel by 
volume (B99). For fuel mixtures containing less than 99 percent 
biodiesel by volume, only the biodiesel component of the mixture is 
covered by the scope of the investigations.
    Biodiesel is generally produced to American Society for Testing 
and Materials International (ASTM) D6751 specifications, but it can 
also be made to other specifications. Biodiesel commonly has one of 
the following Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) numbers, generally 
depending upon the feedstock used: 67784-80-9 (soybean oil methyl 
esters); 91051-34-2 (palm oil methyl esters); 91051-32-0 (palm 
kernel oil methyl esters); 73891-99-3 (rapeseed oil methyl esters); 
61788-61-2 (tallow methyl esters); 68990-52-3 (vegetable oil methyl 
esters); 129828-16-6 (canola oil methyl esters); 67762-26-9 
(unsaturated alkylcarboxylic acid methyl ester); or 68937-84-8 
(fatty acids, C12-C18, methyl ester).
    The B100 product subject to the investigations is currently 
classifiable under subheading 3826.00.1000 of the Harmonized Tariff 
Schedule of the United States (HTSUS), while the B99 product is 
currently classifiable under HTSUS subheading 3826.00.3000. Although 
the HTSUS subheadings, ASTM specifications, and CAS numbers are 
provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written 
description of the scope is dispositive.

[FR Doc. 2017-07900 Filed 4-18-17; 8:45 a.m.]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P