[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 100 (Thursday, May 23, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Page 23767]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-10801]



[[Page 23767]]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration


Subsidy Programs Provided by Countries Exporting Softwood Lumber 
and Softwood Lumber Products to the United States; Request for Comment

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

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (Commerce) seeks public comment on 
any subsidies, including stumpage subsidies, provided by certain 
countries exporting softwood lumber or softwood lumber products to the 
United States during the period July 1, 2018, through December 31, 
2018.

DATES: Comments must be submitted by June 10, 2019.

ADDRESSES: See the Submission of Comments section below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristen Johnson, 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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Pursuant to section 805 of Title VIII of the Tariff Act of 1930 
(the Softwood Lumber Act of 2008), the Secretary of Commerce is 
mandated to submit to the appropriate Congressional committees a report 
every 180 days on any subsidy provided by countries exporting softwood 
lumber or softwood lumber products to the United States, including 
stumpage subsidies. Commerce submitted its last subsidy report on 
December 20, 2018. As part of its newest report, Commerce intends to 
include a list of subsidy programs identified with sufficient clarity 
by the public in response to this notice.

Request for Comments

    Given the large number of countries that export softwood lumber and 
softwood lumber products to the United States, we are soliciting public 
comment only on subsidies provided by countries which had exports 
accounting for at least one percent of total U.S. imports of softwood 
lumber by quantity, as classified under Harmonized Tariff Schedule of 
the United States (HTSUS) codes 4407.1001, 4407.1100, 4407.1200, 
4407.1905, 4407.1906, 4407.1910,\1\ during the period July 1, 2018, 
through December 31, 2018. Official U.S. import data published by the 
United States International Trade Commission's DataWeb indicate that 
four countries (Brazil, Canada, Germany, and Sweden) exported softwood 
lumber to the United States during that time period in amounts 
sufficient to account for at least one percent of U.S. imports of 
softwood lumber products. We intend to rely on similar previous six-
month periods to identify the countries subject to future reports on 
softwood lumber subsidies. For example, we will rely on U.S. imports of 
softwood lumber and softwood lumber products during the period January 
1, 2019, through June 30, 2019, to select the countries subject to the 
next report.
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    \1\ For previous lumber subsidies reports, Commerce relied 
solely on HTSUS code 4407.1001 (coniferous wood sawn or chipped 
lengthwise, sliced or peeled, of a thickness exceeding 6 mm), which 
accounted for the vast majority of subject imports. In October 2018, 
HTSUS code 4407.1001 became obsolete and was replaced by HTSUS codes 
4407.1100 (pine wood sawn or chipped lengthwise, sliced or peeled, 
over 6 mm thick), 4407.1200 (fir and spruce wood sawn or chipped 
lengthwise, sliced or peeled, over 6 mm thick), 4407.1905 (mixtures 
of spruce, pine and fir (SPF) wood sawn or chipped lengthwise, 
sliced or peeled, over 6 mm thick, not treated with preservatives), 
4407.1906 (mixtures of hemlock and fir (hem-fir) wood sawn or 
chipped lengthwise, sliced or peeled, over 6 mm thick, not treated 
with preservatives), and 4407.1910 (other coniferous wood, nesoi, 
sawn or chipped lengthwise, sliced or peeled, over 6 mm thick, 
whether or not treated with preservatives).
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    Under U.S. trade law, a subsidy exists where an authority: (i) 
Provides a financial contribution; (ii) provides any form of income or 
price support within the meaning of Article XVI of the GATT 1994; or 
(iii) makes a payment to a funding mechanism to provide a financial 
contribution to a person, or entrusts or directs a private entity to 
make a financial contribution, if providing the contribution would 
normally be vested in the government and the practice does not differ 
in substance from practices normally followed by governments, and a 
benefit is thereby conferred.\2\
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    \2\ See section 771(5)(B) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended.
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    Parties should include in their comments: (1) The country which 
provided the subsidy; (2) the name of the subsidy program; (3) a brief 
description (no more than 3-4 sentences) of the subsidy program; and 
(4) the government body or authority that provided the subsidy.

Submission of Comments

    As specified above, to be assured of consideration, comments must 
be received no later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, on Monday, 
June 10, 2019. All comments must be submitted through the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov, Docket No. ITA-2019-
0001, unless the commenter does not have access to the internet. The 
materials in the docket will not be edited to remove identifying or 
contact information, and Commerce cautions against including any 
information in an electronic submission that the submitter does not 
want publicly disclosed. Attachments to electronic comments will be 
accepted in Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF formats only.
    Commenters who do not have access to the internet may submit the 
original and one electronic copy of each set of comments by mail or 
hand delivery/courier.
    All comments should be addressed to James Maeder, Associate Deputy 
Assistant Secretary for Antidumping and Countervailing Duties, at U.S. 
Department of Commerce, Room 18022, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, 
Washington, DC 20230.

    Dated: May 16, 2019.
Gary Taverman,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty 
Investigations.
[FR Doc. 2019-10801 Filed 5-22-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P