[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 139 (Thursday, July 19, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34113-34114]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-15435]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[C-489-823]


Welded Line Pipe From the Republic of Turkey: Final Results of 
Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; 2015

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

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that Borusan 
Istikbal Ticaret and Borusan Mannesmann Boru Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. 
(collectively, Borusan), an exporter/producer of welded line pipe from 
the Republic of Turkey (Turkey), received countervailable subsidies 
during the period of review (POR) March 20, 2015, through December 31, 
2015.

DATES: Applicable July 19, 2018.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Whitley Herndon and Andrew Medley, AD/
CVD Operations, Office II, Enforcement and Compliance, International 
Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution 
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: 202-482-6274 and 202-482-
4987, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Commerce published the Preliminary Results of this administrative 
review in the Federal Register on January 10, 2018.\1\ We invited 
interested parties to comment on the Preliminary Results. On January 
23, 2018, Commerce exercised its discretion to toll all deadlines 
affected by the closure of the Federal Government from January 20 
through 22, 2018.\2\ On February 12, 2018, we received timely case 
briefs from the Government of Turkey and from Borusan. On May 2, 2018, 
Commerce postponed the final results of review until July 12, 2018.\3\
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    \1\ See Welded Line Pipe from the Republic of Turkey: 
Preliminary Results of Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; 
2015, 83 FR 1237 (January 10, 2018) (Preliminary Results), and 
accompanying Preliminary Decision Memorandum (PDM).
    \2\ See Memorandum, ``Deadlines Affected by the Shutdown of the 
Federal Government,'' dated January 23, 2018. All deadlines in this 
segment of the proceeding have been extended by three days.
    \3\ See Memorandum, ``Welded Line Pipe from Turkey: Extension of 
Deadline for the Final Results of 2015 Countervailing Duty 
Administrative Review,'' dated May 2, 2018.
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Scope of the Order

    The merchandise covered by the order is welded line pipe, which is 
carbon and alloy steel pipe of a kind used for oil or gas pipelines, 
not more than 24 inches in nominal outside diameter. A full description 
of the scope of the order is contained in the Issues and Decision 
Memorandum, which is hereby adopted by this notice.\4\
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    \4\ See Memorandum, ``Decision Memorandum for the Final Results 
of 2015 Countervailing Duty Administrative Review: Welded Line Pipe 
from Turkey,'' dated concurrently with this notice (Issues and 
Decision Memorandum).
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Analysis of Comments Received

    All issues raised in interested parties' briefs are addressed in 
the Issues and Decision Memorandum accompanying this notice. A list of 
the issues raised by interested parties and to which we responded in 
the Issues and Decision Memorandum is provided in the Appendix to this 
notice. The Issues and 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 
in the Central Records Unit, room B8024 of the main Department of 
Commerce building. In addition, a complete version of the Issues and 
Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly at http://enforcement.trade.gov/frn/. The signed and electronic versions of the 
Issues and Decision Memorandum are identical in content.

Changes Since the Preliminary Results

    We made no changes to our subsidy rate calculation.

Methodology

    Commerce conducted this review in accordance with section 
751(a)(1)(A) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). For each 
of the subsidy programs found to be countervailable, we find that there 
is a subsidy, i.e., a financial contribution from a government or 
public entity that gives rise to a benefit to the recipient, and that 
the subsidy is specific.\5\ For a full description of the methodology 
underlying all of Commerce's conclusions, see the Issues and Decision 
Memorandum.
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    \5\ See sections 771(5)(B) and (D) of the Act regarding 
financial contribution; section 771(5)(E) of the Act regarding 
benefit; and section 771(5A) of the Act regarding specificity.
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Final Results of Administrative Review

    In accordance with section 777A(e) of the Act and 19 CFR 
351.221(b)(5), we determine the total net countervailable subsidy rate 
for the period January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2015, to be:

[[Page 34114]]



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                Company                       Subsidy rate (percent)
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Borusan Istikbal Ticaret and Borusan     0.78 ad valorem.
 Mannesmann Boru Sanayi ve Ticaret
 A.S.\6\.
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Assessment Rates

    In accordance with 19 CFR 351.212(b)(2), Commerce intends to issue 
appropriate instructions to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) 15 
days after the date of publication of the final results of this review. 
Commerce will instruct CBP to liquidate shipments of subject 
merchandise produced and/or exported by the company listed above, 
entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption, from March 20, 
2015, through December 31, 2015, at the ad valorem rate listed above.
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    \6\ For the Borusan Companies, we initiated on the following: 
Borusan Istikbal Ticaret (Istikbal) and Borusan Mannesmann Boru 
Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. (BMB). As explained in the PDM, we found 
Istikbal and BMB to be cross-owned under Borusan Holding, A.S. No 
party has provided argument to the contrary; thus, for these final 
results, we continue to find all three companies to be cross-owned, 
though only BMB received countervailable subsidies in this review 
period.
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Cash Deposit Requirements

    Commerce also intends to instruct CBP to collect cash deposits of 
estimated countervailing duties in the amount shown above for Borusan, 
on shipments of subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from 
warehouse, for consumption on or after the date of publication of the 
final results of this review. For all non-reviewed firms, Commerce will 
instruct CBP to continue to collect cash deposits at the most recent 
company-specific or all-others rate applicable to the company, as 
appropriate. Accordingly, the cash deposit requirements that will be 
applied to companies covered by this order, but not examined in this 
administrative review, are those established in the most recently 
completed segment of the proceeding for each company. These cash 
deposit requirements, when imposed, shall remain in effect until 
further notice.

Administrative Protective Orders

    This notice also serves as a reminder to parties subject to 
administrative protective order (APO) of their responsibility 
concerning the destruction of proprietary information disclosed under 
APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305(a)(3). Timely written 
notification of the return or destruction of APO materials or 
conversion to judicial protective order is hereby requested. Failure to 
comply with the regulations and terms of an APO is a sanctionable 
violation.
    These final results are issued and published in accordance with 
sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.221(b)(5).

    Dated: July 12, 2018.
Gary Taverman,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty 
Operations, performing the non-exclusive functions and duties of the 
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.

Appendix

List of Topics Discussed in the Issues and Decision Memorandum

I. Summary
II. Background
III. Scope of the Order
IV. Subsidies Valuation
    A. Allocation Period
    B. Attribution of Subsides
    C. Benchmark Interest Rates
V. Programs Determined To Be Countervailable
VI. Programs Determined Not To Be Used During the POR
VII. Analysis of Comments
    Comment 1: Treatment of the Investment Encouragement Program 
(IEP): Customs and Value Added Tax (VAT) Exemption Program
    Comment 2: Whether To Include Borusan's Exchange Variation 
Income in the Total Value of Sales and Total Value of Export Sales
VIII. Recommendation

[FR Doc. 2018-15435 Filed 7-18-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P