[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 203 (Monday, October 21, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56162-56164]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-22866]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-549-840]


Carbon and Alloy Steel Threaded Rod From Thailand: Final 
Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value and Final 
Affirmative Determination of Critical Circumstances

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

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that carbon 
and alloy steel threaded rod (steel threaded rod) from Thailand is 
being, or is likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair 
value (LTFV) during the period of investigation (POI) January 1, 2018 
through December 31, 2018. The final estimated dumping margins of sales 
at LTFV are shown in the ``Final Determination'' section of this 
notice.

DATES: Applicable October 21, 2019.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eliza Siordia or Robert Scully AD/CVD 
Operations, Office V, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue 
NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-3878 or (202) 482-0572, 
respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    On August 7, 2019, Commerce published the Preliminary Determination 
of this LTFV investigation in which Commerce found that steel threaded 
rod from Thailand was sold at LTFV.\1\ In the Preliminary 
Determination, Commerce also found that critical circumstances exist 
for imports of steel threaded rod from Thailand.\2\ We invited 
interested parties to comment on the Preliminary Determination. We 
received no comments from interested parties.
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    \1\ See Carbon and Alloy Steel Threaded Rod from Thailand: 
Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair 
Value, Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Critical 
Circumstances, 84 FR 38597 (August 7, 2019) (Preliminary 
Determination), and accompanying Preliminary Decision Memorandum 
(PDM).
    \2\ Id.
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Period of Investigation

    The POI is January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2018. This period 
corresponds to the four most recent fiscal quarters prior to the month 
of the filing of the petition, which was February 2019.\3\
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    \3\ See 19 CFR 351.204(b)(1).
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Scope of the Investigation

    The product covered by this investigation is steel threaded rod 
from Thailand. For a complete description of the scope of this 
investigation, see Appendix.

Scope Comments

    On July 22, 2019, we issued a Preliminary Scope Memorandum.\4\ The 
scope case briefs were due on August 28, 2019.\5\ We received no scope 
case briefs from interested parties. Therefore, Commerce has made no 
changes to the scope of this investigation since the Preliminary 
Determination.
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    \4\ See Memorandum, ``Carbon and Alloy Steel Threaded Rod from 
India, Taiwan, Thailand, and the People's Republic of China: Scope 
Comments Decision Memorandum for the Preliminary Determinations,'' 
dated July 22, 2019 (Preliminary Scope Memorandum).
    \5\ The scope case briefs were due 30 days after the publication 
of Carbon and Alloy Steel Threaded Rod From India: Preliminary 
Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination and Alignment of Final 
Determination With Final Antidumping Duty Determination, 84 FR 36570 
(July 29, 2019). See Preliminary Scope Memorandum at 3. The deadline 
for scope rebuttal briefs was Monday, September 2, 2019.
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Verification

    Because the mandatory respondent in this investigation did not 
provide the information requested, Commerce did not conduct 
verification.\6\
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    \6\ See Preliminary Determination, 84 FR at 38599.
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Analysis of Comments Received

    As noted above, we received no comments in response to the 
Preliminary Determination. For the final determination, Commerce has 
made no changes to the Preliminary Determination.

[[Page 56163]]

Methodology

    We continue to find, as stated in the Preliminary Determination, 
that the mandatory respondent, Tycoons Worldwide Group (Thailand) Co. 
Ltd. (Tycoons), withheld requested information, failed to provide 
information by the specified deadlines, and significantly impeded the 
proceeding, pursuant to section 776(a) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as 
amended (the Act).\7\ Further, we continue to find that Tycoons failed 
to cooperate to the best of its ability to comply with our requests for 
information, and, accordingly, we continue to apply an adverse 
inference when selecting from among the facts otherwise available to 
determine the relevant dumping margin, in accordance with section 
776(b) of the Act.\8\ We further continue to select the only dumping 
margin alleged in the Petition as the rate applicable to Tycoons.\9\
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    \7\ See Preliminary Determination, and accompanying PDM at 4-5.
    \8\ Id.
    \9\ See Petitioner's Letter, ``Petitions for the Imposition of 
Antidumping and Countervailing Duties: Carbon and Alloy Steel 
Threaded Rod from China, India, Taiwan, and Thailand,'' dated 
February 21, 2019 (Petition); see also Preliminary Determination, 
and accompanying PDM at 5-6.
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Final Affirmative Determination of Critical Circumstances

    In accordance with section 733(e) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.206, 
Commerce preliminarily determined that critical circumstances exist for 
Tycoons, and for all other producers and/or exporters.\10\ As stated 
above, we received no comments with respect to the Preliminary 
Determination. Therefore, for this final determination, we continue to 
find that, in accordance with section 735(a)(3) of the Act, and 19 CFR 
351.206, critical circumstances exist with respect to subject 
merchandise exported by Tycoons and for all other producers and/or 
exporters.
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    \10\ For a full description of the methodology and results of 
Commerce's critical circumstances analysis, see Preliminary 
Determination, and accompanying PDM at 8-11.
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All-Others Rate

    As discussed in the Preliminary Determination, we continue to 
assign the dumping margin alleged in the Petition and selected as the 
dumping margin for the sole mandatory respondent, Tycoons, as the all-
others rate applicable to all exporters and/or producers not 
individually examined.\11\
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    \11\ See Preliminary Determination, and accompanying PDM at 8.
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Final Determination

    Commerce determines that the following estimated weighted-average 
dumping margins exist:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                               Weighted-
                                                                average
                      Exporter/producer                         dumping
                                                                margin
                                                               (percent)
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Tycoons Worldwide Group (Thailand) Co. Ltd..................       20.83
All Others..................................................       20.83
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Continuation of Suspension of Liquidation

    In accordance with section 735(c)(4)(A) of the Act, because we 
continue to find that critical circumstances exist with respect to 
Tycoons and all other producers and/or exporters, we will instruct U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to continue to suspend liquidation 
of any entries of shipments of subject merchandise which were entered, 
or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after May 9, 2019, 
which is 90 days prior to publication of the Preliminary Determination.
    Pursuant to section 735(c)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.210(d), 
Commerce will instruct CBP to require a cash deposit equal to the 
estimated weighted-average dumping margin or the estimated all-others 
rate, as follows: (1) The cash deposit rate for the respondent listed 
above will be equal to the company-specific estimated weighted-average 
dumping margins determined in this final determination; (2) if the 
exporter is not a respondent identified above, but the producer is, 
then the cash deposit rate will be equal to the company-specific 
estimated weighted-average dumping margin established for that producer 
of the subject merchandise; and (3) the cash deposit rate for all other 
producers and exporters will be 20.83 percent, the all-others estimated 
weighted-average dumping margin. These suspension of liquidation and 
cash deposit instructions will remain in effect until further notice.

Disclosure

    Normally, Commerce discloses to interested parties the calculations 
performed in connection with a final determination within five days of 
any public announcement or, if there is no public announcement, within 
five days of the date of publication of the notice of preliminary 
determination in the Federal Register, in accordance with 19 CFR 
351.224(b). However, because Commerce preliminarily applied adverse 
facts available (AFA) to the individually examined company, Tycoons, in 
this investigation, in accordance with section 776 of the Act, and the 
applied AFA rate is based solely on the Petition, there are no 
calculations to disclose.

International Trade Commission Notification

    In accordance with section 735(d) of the Act, we will notify the 
U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) of the final affirmative 
determination of sales at LTFV. Because the final determination in this 
proceeding is affirmative, in accordance with section 735(b)(2) of the 
Act, the ITC will make its final determination as to whether the 
domestic industry in the United States is materially injured, or 
threatened with material injury, by reason of imports of steel threaded 
rod from Thailand no later than 45 days after this final determination. 
If the ITC determines that material injury, or threat of material 
injury, does not exist, the proceeding will be terminated, and all cash 
deposits will be refunded. If the ITC determines that such injury does 
exist, Commerce will issue an antidumping duty order directing CBP to 
assess, upon further instruction by Commerce, antidumping duties on all 
imports of the subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from 
warehouse, for consumption on or after the effective date of the 
suspension of liquidation.

Notification Regarding Administrative Protective Order

    This notice serves as a reminder to parties subject to 
administrative protective order (APO) of their responsibility 
concerning the disposition of proprietary information disclosed under 
APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305(a)(3). Timely 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 the terms of an APO is a sanctionable violation.

Notification to Interested Parties

    This determination is issued and published in accordance with 
sections 735(d) and 777(i)(1) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.210(c).

    Dated: October 15, 2019.
Jeffrey I. Kessler,
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.

Appendix

Scope of the Investigation

    The merchandise covered by the scope of this investigation is 
carbon and alloy steel

[[Page 56164]]

threaded rod. Steel threaded rod is certain threaded rod, bar, or 
studs, of carbon or alloy steel, having a solid, circular cross 
section of any diameter, in any straight length. Steel threaded rod 
is normally drawn, cold-rolled, threaded, and straightened, or it 
may be hot-rolled. In addition, the steel threaded rod, bar, or 
studs subject to this investigation are non-headed and threaded 
along greater than 25 percent of their total actual length. A 
variety of finishes or coatings, such as plain oil finish as a 
temporary rust protectant, zinc coating (i.e., galvanized, whether 
by electroplating or hot-dipping), paint, and other similar finishes 
and coatings, may be applied to the merchandise.
    Steel threaded rod is normally produced to American Society for 
Testing and Materials (ASTM) specifications ASTM A36, ASTM A193 B7/
B7m, ASTM A193 B16, ASTM A307, ASTM A320 L7/L7M, ASTM A320 L43, ASTM 
A354 BC and BD, ASTM A449, ASTM F1554-36, ASTM F1554-55, ASTM F1554 
Grade 105, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) 
specification ASME B18.31.3, and American Petroleum Institute (API) 
specification API 20E. All steel threaded rod meeting the physical 
description set forth above is covered by the scope of this 
investigation, whether or not produced according to a particular 
standard.
    Subject merchandise includes material matching the above 
description that has been finished, assembled, or packaged in a 
third country, including by cutting, chamfering, coating, or 
painting the threaded rod, by attaching the threaded rod to, or 
packaging it with, another product, or any other finishing, 
assembly, or packaging operation that would not otherwise remove the 
merchandise from the scope of the investigations if performed in the 
country of manufacture of the threaded rod.
    Carbon and alloy steel threaded rod are also included in the 
scope of this investigation whether or not imported attached to, or 
in conjunction with, other parts and accessories such as nuts and 
washers. If carbon and alloy steel threaded rod are imported 
attached to, or in conjunction with, such non-subject merchandise, 
only the threaded rod is included in the scope.
    Excluded from the scope of this investigations are: (1) Threaded 
rod, bar, or studs which are threaded only on one or both ends and 
the threading covers 25 percent or less of the total actual length; 
and (2) stainless steel threaded rod, defined as steel threaded rod 
containing, by weight, 1.2 percent or less of carbon and 10.5 
percent or more of chromium, with our without other elements.
    Excluded from the scope of the antidumping investigation on 
steel threaded rod from the People's Republic of China is any 
merchandise covered by the existing antidumping order on Certain 
Steel Threaded Rod from the People's Republic of China. See Certain 
Steel Threaded Rod from the People's Republic of China: Notice of 
Antidumping Duty Order, 74 FR 17154 (April 14, 2009).
    Specifically excluded from the scope of this investigation is 
threaded rod that is imported as part of a package of hardware in 
conjunction with a ready-to-assemble piece of furniture.
    Steel threaded rod is currently classifiable under subheadings 
7318.15.5051, 7318.15.5056, and 7318.15.5090 of the Harmonized 
Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). Subject merchandise 
may also enter under subheading 7318.15.2095 and 7318.19.0000 of the 
HTSUS. The HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and U.S. 
Customs purposes only. The written description of the scope is 
dispositive.

[FR Doc. 2019-22866 Filed 10-18-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P