[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 22 (Friday, February 1, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1051-1052]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-00745]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[C-122-858]


Certain Softwood Lumber Products From Canada: Preliminary Results 
of Countervailing Duty Expedited Review

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

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (Commerce) is conducting an 
expedited review of the countervailing duty (CVD) order on certain 
softwood lumber products (softwood lumber) from Canada for the 
producers/exporters that requested a review. Interested parties are 
invited to comment on these preliminary results.

DATES: Applicable February 1, 2019.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristen Johnson or Nicholas 
Czajkowski, AD/CVD Operations, Enforcement and Compliance, 
International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 
Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-4793 
and (202) 482-1395, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    On January 3, 2018, Commerce published the CVD order on softwood 
lumber from Canada.\1\ On March 1, 2018, in accordance with 19 CFR 
351.214(k), Commerce initiated an expedited review of the Order for 34 
companies that requested a review.\2\ Subsequently, 25 companies 
withdrew their requests for a review, and Commerce published a notice 
of partial rescission of this expedited review on March 21, 2018.\3\ 
For a listing of the companies for which a review is being conducted, 
see the ``Preliminary Results of Review'' section of this notice below. 
The period of review is January 1, 2015, through December 31, 2015.
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    \1\ See Certain Softwood Lumber Products from Canada: Amended 
Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination and 
Countervailing Duty Order, 83 FR 347 (January 3, 2018) (Order).
    \2\ See Certain Softwood Lumber Products from Canada: Initiation 
of Expedited Review of the Countervailing Duty Order, 83 FR 9833 
(March 8, 2018) (Initiation Notice).
    \3\ See Certain Softwood Lumber Products from Canada: Partial 
Rescission of Expedited Review of the Countervailing Duty Order, 83 
FR 23424 (May 21, 2018).
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    For a complete description of the events that followed the 
initiation of this expedited review, see the Preliminary Decision 
Memorandum.\4\ 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 is available 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 accessed directly at http://enforcement.trade.gov/frn/. The 
signed and electronic versions of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum 
are identical in content.
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    \4\ See Memorandum, ``Decision Memorandum for the Preliminary 
Results of Expedited Review of the Countervailing Duty Order on 
Certain Softwood Lumber Products from Canada,'' dated concurrently 
with, and hereby adopted by, this notice (Preliminary Decision 
Memorandum).
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Scope of the Order

    The product covered by this Order is certain softwood lumber from 
Canada. A full description of the scope of the Order is contained in 
the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.

Methodology

    Commerce is conducting this expedited review in accordance with 19 
CFR 351.214(k). For each subsidy program found countervailable, we 
preliminarily find that there is a subsidy, i.e. , a financial 
contribution by an ``authority'' that gives rise to a benefit to the 
recipient, and that the subsidy is specific.\5\ For a full description 
of the methodology underlying the preliminary conclusions, see the 
Preliminary Decision Memorandum. A list of topics discussed in the 
Preliminary Decision Memorandum is provided in the Appendix to this 
notice. We calculated a CVD rate for each producer/exporter of the 
subject merchandise that requested an expedited review.
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    \5\ See sections 771(5)(B) and (D) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as 
amended (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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Preliminary Results of Review

    We preliminarily determine that the following estimated net 
countervailable subsidy rates exist for the following producers/
exporters for which this expedited review is being conducted:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           Subsidy rate
                    Producer/exporter                        (percent)
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Fontaine Inc. and its cross-owned affiliates \6\........            1.28
Les Produits Forestiers D&G Lt[eacute]e and its cross-             *0.21
 owned affiliates \7\...................................
Marcel Lauzon Inc. and its cross-owned affiliates \8\...           *0.42
Mobilier Rustique (Beauce) Inc. and its cross-owned                 1.99
 affiliates \9\.........................................
North American Forest Products Ltd. and its cross-owned            *0.26
 affiliates \10\........................................
Produits Matra Inc. and Sechoirs de Beauce Inc. and                 5.80
 their cross-owned affiliate \11\.......................
Roland Boulanger & Cie Lt[eacute]e and its cross-owned             *0.31
 affiliates \12\........................................
Scierie Alexandre Lemay & Fils Inc. and its cross-owned            *0.05
 affiliates \13\........................................
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* De minimis subsidy rate.

Cash Deposit Instructions
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    \6\ Commerce preliminarily finds the following companies to be 
cross-owned with Fontaine Inc.: Gestion Natanis Inc., Les Placements 
Jean-Paul Fontaine Ltee, and Placements Nicolas Fontaine Inc.
    \7\ Commerce preliminarily finds the following companies to be 
cross-owned with Les Produits Forestiers D&G Lt[eacute]e: Le Groupe 
Gesco-Star Lt[eacute]e, Les Produits Forestiers Portbec Lt[eacute]e, 
and Les Produits Forestiers Startrees Lt[eacute]e.
    \8\ Commerce preliminarily finds the following companies to be 
cross-owned with Marcel Lauzon Inc.: Placements Marcel Lauzon Ltee 
and Investissements LRC Inc.
    \9\ Commerce preliminarily finds the following companies to be 
cross-owned with Mobilier Rustique (Beauce) Inc.: J.F.S.R. Inc., 
Gestion C.A. Rancourt Inc., Gestion J.F. Rancourt Inc., Gestion 
Suzie Rancourt Inc., Gestion P.H.Q. Inc., 9331-3419 Quebec Inc., 
9331-3468 Quebec Inc., and SPQ Inc.
    \10\ Commerce preliminarily finds the following companies to be 
cross-owned with North American Forest Products Ltd.: Parent-
Violette Gestion Lt[eacute]e and Le Groupe Parent Lt[eacute]e.
    \11\ Commerce preliminarily finds Bois Ouvre de Beauceville 
(1992), Inc. to be cross-owned with Produits Matra, Inc. and 
Sechoirs de Beauce Inc. Produits Matra Inc. and Sechoirs de Beauce 
Inc. submitted separate requests for the expedited review; however, 
based on record evidence, we found them to be cross-owned, and 
therefore are calculating a single countervailing duty rate for 
both.
    \12\ Commerce preliminarily finds the following companies to be 
cross-owned with Roland Boulanger & Cie Lt[eacute]e: Industries 
Daveluyville, Inc. and Les Manufacturiers Warwick Lt[eacute]e.
    \13\ Commerce preliminarily finds the following companies to be 
cross-owned with Scierie Alexandre Lemay & Fils Inc.: Bois Lemay 
Inc. and Industrie Lemay Inc.
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    Pursuant to section 19 CFR 351.214(k)(3)(iii), the final results of 
this

[[Page 1052]]

expedited review will not be the basis for the assessment of 
countervailing duties. Upon issuing the final results, Commerce intends 
to instruct Customs and Border Protection to collect cash deposits of 
estimated countervailing duties for the companies subject to this 
expedited review, at the rates shown above, 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 expedited 
review. These cash deposit requirements, when imposed, shall remain in 
effect until further notice. Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.214(k)(3)(iv), 
however, if a company has a final net countervailable subsidy rate of 
zero or de minimis, it will be excluded from the Order.

Disclosure and Public Comment

    Commerce will disclose to the parties in this proceeding the 
calculations performed in reaching the preliminary results within five 
days of the date of publication of this notice.\14\ Interested parties 
may submit written arguments (case briefs) on the preliminary results 
no later than 30 days from the date of publication of this Federal 
Register notice, and rebuttal comments (rebuttal briefs) within five 
days after the time limit for filing case briefs.\15\ Pursuant to 19 
CFR 351.309(d)(2), rebuttal briefs must be limited to issues raised in 
the case briefs. Parties who submit arguments are requested to submit 
with the argument: (1) Statement of the issue, (2) a brief summary of 
the argument, and (3) a table of authorities.
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    \14\ See 19 CFR 351.224(b).
    \15\ See 19 CFR 351.309(c)(1)(ii); 351.309(d)(1); and 19 CFR 
351.303 (for general filing requirements).
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    Interested parties who wish to request a hearing must submit a 
written request within 30 days after the date of publication of this 
notice.\16\ Requests should contain the party's name, address, and 
telephone number, the number of participants, and a list of the issues 
to be discussed. If Commerce receives a request for a hearing, we will 
inform parties of the scheduled date for the hearing, which will be 
held at the main Department of Commerce building at a time and location 
to be determined.\17\ Parties should confirm by telephone the date, 
time, and location of the hearing. Briefs and hearing requests are to 
be filed electronically using ACCESS and must be received successfully 
in their entirety by 5:00 pm Eastern Time on the due date.
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    \16\ See 19 CFR 351.310(c).
    \17\ See 19 CFR 351.310.
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    Unless the deadline is extended pursuant to 19 CFR 351.214(h), 
Commerce intends to issue the final results of this expedited review, 
including the results of its analysis of the issues raised in any 
written briefs, within 90 days after the date on which these 
preliminary results are issued.

Notification to Interested Parties

    These preliminary results of review are issued and published in 
accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 
351.214(k).

    Dated: December 21, 2018.
P. Lee Smith,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Negotiations.

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

I. Summary
II. Background
III. Scope of the Order
IV. Subsidies Valuation
V. Analysis of Programs
VI. Conclusion

 [FR Doc. 2019-00745 Filed 1-31-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P