[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 40 (Friday, February 28, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11951-11953]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-04118]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-570-900]


Diamond Sawblades and Parts Thereof From the People's Republic of 
China: Notice of Covered Merchandise Referral and Initiation of Scope 
Inquiry

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

SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Enforce and Protect Act of 2015 (EAPA), the 
Department of Commerce (Commerce) received a covered merchandise 
referral from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in connection 
with a CBP EAPA investigation concerning the antidumping duty order on 
diamond sawblades and parts thereof (diamond sawblades) from the 
People's Republic of China (China). In accordance with EAPA, Commerce 
intends to determine whether the merchandise subject to the referral is 
covered by the scope of this order and promptly transmit its 
determination to CBP. Commerce is providing notice of the referral and 
inviting participation from interested parties.

DATES: Applicable February 28, 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Yang Jin Chun, AD/CVD Operations, 
Office I, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue 
NW, Washington, DC 20230, telephone: (202) 482-5760.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On February 24, 2016, the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement 
Act of 2015 was signed into law, which contains Title IV--Prevention of 
Evasion of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Orders (short title 
``Enforce and Protect Act of 2015'' or ``EAPA'') (Pub. L. 114-125, 130 
Stat. 122, 155, Feb. 24, 2016). Effective August 22, 2016, section 421 
of the EAPA added section 517 to the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended 
(the Act), which establishes a formal process for CBP to investigate 
allegations of the evasion of antidumping duty and/or countervailing 
duty orders. Section 517(b)(4)(A) of the Act provides that if, during 
the course of an EAPA investigation, CBP is unable to determine whether 
the merchandise at issue is covered merchandise within the meaning of 
section 517(a)(3) of the Act, it shall refer the matter to Commerce to 
make such a determination. Section 517(a)(3) of the Act defines covered 
merchandise as merchandise that is subject to an antidumping duty order 
issued under section 736 of the Act or a countervailing duty order 
issued under section 706 of the Act. Section 517(b)(4)(B) of the Act 
states that Commerce, after receiving a covered merchandise referral 
from CBP, shall determine whether the merchandise is covered 
merchandise and promptly transmit its determination to CBP. The Act 
does not establish a deadline within which Commerce must issue its 
determination.
    On December 17, 2019, Commerce received a covered merchandise 
referral from CBP regarding CBP EAPA Investigation No. 7354,\1\ which 
concerns the antidumping duty order on diamond sawblades from China.\2\ 
CBP explained that the petitioner's allegation involves diamond 
sawblades from China transshipped through Canada in one of the two 
channels of transshipment below:
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    \1\ See CBP's Letter, ``Covered Merchandise Referral Request for 
EAPA Investigation 7354, Imported by Gogo International, Inc., and 
Concerning the Investigation of Evasion of the Antidumping Duty 
Order on Diamond Sawblades and Parts Thereof from the People's 
Republic of China (A-570-900),'' dated December 17, 2019. Commerce 
intends to make available this document and any supporting documents 
on Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping Duty and Countervailing 
Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS) within five days 
of publication of this notice.
    \2\ See Diamond Sawblades and Parts Thereof from the People's 
Republic of China and the Republic of Korea: Antidumping Duty 
Orders, 74 FR 57145 (November 4, 2009) (order).

Channel 1: Produced and exported by Protech Diamond Tools Inc. 
(Protech) and imported by Gogo International, Inc. (Gogo).
Channel 2: Produced by Protech and exported by Gogo.

    CBP requested and obtained information from Gogo. CBP has requested 
that Commerce issue a determination as to whether the following 
categories of diamond

[[Page 11952]]

sawblades exported through either one of the two channels are covered 
merchandise subject to the antidumping duty order:

Category 1: Core and segments both sourced from China; joined in 
Canada.
Category 2: Core sourced from China and segments not sourced from 
China; joined in Canada.
Category 3: Segments sourced from China and core not sourced from 
China; joined in Canada.

    On February 20, 2020, Commerce published the affirmative final 
determination of the anti-circumvention inquiry on the antidumping duty 
order on diamond sawblades from China.\3\ In the Final Determination, 
Commerce found that diamond sawblades produced in Canada by Protech 
with cores and segments produced in China and subsequently exported 
from Canada by Protech to the United States were circumventing the 
antidumping duty order.\4\ The Final Determination covers Category 1 
exported through Channel 1.
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    \3\ See Diamond Sawblades and Parts Thereof from the People's 
Republic of China: Final Determination of Anti-Circumvention 
Inquiry, 85 FR 9737 (February 20, 2020) (Final Determination).
    \4\ Id., 85 FR at 9738-39. As explained in the Final 
Determination, because Protech failed to cooperate with Commerce's 
request for information in that anti-circumvention inquiry, Commerce 
found that Protech is not currently able to identify diamond 
sawblades produced with non-Chinese origin cores and/or non-Chinese 
origin segments. Accordingly, Commerce did not implement a 
certification process for Protech and is requiring cash deposits on 
all entries of diamond sawblades produced and exported by Protech in 
Canada. Id., 85 FR at 9739.
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Notification to Interested Parties

    In accordance with 19 CFR 351.225(b), Commerce is hereby notifying 
interested parties that it has received the covered merchandise 
referral referenced above and will begin a new segment of the 
proceeding by initiating a scope inquiry concerning the merchandise 
covered under all categories and exported through either one of the two 
channels, with the exception of Category 1 exported through Channel 1, 
which is covered by the Final Determination. Based on our finding in 
the scope inquiry, we intend to notify CBP as to whether the 
merchandise subject to the referral is covered merchandise within the 
meaning of section 517(a)(3) of the Act. We will inform CBP of our 
Final Determination which covers merchandise under Category 1 exported 
through Channel 1.
    Additionally, Commerce intends to provide interested parties with 
the opportunity to participate in this segment of the proceeding, 
including through the submission of comments, and, if appropriate, new 
factual information and verification. Specifically, Commerce will 
notify parties on the segment-specific service list for this segment of 
the proceeding of a schedule for comments. In addition, Commerce may 
request factual information from any party to assist in making its 
determination, including soliciting information directly from Protech 
and Gogo to conduct our analysis, and may verify submissions of factual 
information, if Commerce determines that such verification is 
appropriate. Commerce intends to issue a final determination within 120 
days of the publication of this notice (this deadline may be extended 
if it is not practicable to complete the final determination within 120 
days) and will promptly transmit its final determination to CBP, in 
accordance with section 517(b)(4)(B) of the Act.
    Commerce may consider conducting a separate anti-circumvention 
inquiry regarding the merchandise described in CBP's covered 
merchandise referral, with the exception of the merchandise already 
determined to have been circumventing the order in the Final 
Determination, if parties submit the necessary information addressing 
the criteria for an anti-circumvention inquiry, in accordance with 
section 781 of the Act. Interested parties are requested to file such 
comments and information onto the record of this proceeding within 30 
days of the publication of this notice in the Federal Register.
    Interested parties that wish to participate in the scope inquiry 
being initiated now, and receive notice of the final determination, 
must submit their letters of appearance as discussed below. Further, 
any party desiring access to business proprietary information in this 
segment of the proceeding must file an application for access to 
business proprietary information under administrative protective order 
(APO), as discussed below.
    Finally, we note that scope inquiries initiated in response to a 
CBP covered merchandise referral are a new type of proceeding at 
Commerce.\5\ Commerce intends to develop its practice and procedures in 
this area as it gains more experience.
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    \5\ See Certain Hardwood Plywood from the People's Republic of 
China: Notice of Covered Merchandise Referral and Initiation of 
Scope Inquiry, 85 FR 3024 (January 17, 2020); Diamond Sawblades and 
Parts Thereof from the People's Republic of China: Notice of Covered 
Merchandise Referral and Initiation of Scope Inquiry, 85 FR 4947 
(January 28, 2020).
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Scope of the Order

    For a complete description of the scope of the order, see the 
Appendix to this notice.

Filing Requirements

    All submissions to Commerce must be filed electronically using 
ACCESS.\6\ An electronically filed document must be received 
successfully in its entirety by the time and date it is due. Documents 
exempted 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 
of receipt by the applicable deadlines.
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    \6\ See Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Proceedings: 
Electronic Filing Procedures; Administrative Protective Order 
Procedures, 76 FR 39263 (July 6, 2011), as amended in Enforcement 
and Compliance; Change of Electronic Filing System Name, 79 FR 69046 
(November 20, 2014), for details of Commerce's electronic filing 
requirements. 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_on_Electronic_Filing_Procedures.pdf.
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Letters of Appearance and APO

    Interested parties that wish to participate in this segment of the 
proceeding and be added to the public service list for this segment of 
the proceeding must file a letter of appearance in accordance with 19 
CFR 351.103(d)(1), with one exception: The parties publicly identified 
by CBP in the covered merchandise referral (referenced above) are not 
required to submit a letter of appearance, and will be added to the 
public service list for this segment of the proceeding by Commerce.
    Within 24 hours of this notice being signed, Commerce placed a 
request for an APO segment on the record \7\ and established an APO 
segment for use in this proceeding. Commerce intends to place the 
business proprietary versions of the documents contained in the covered 
merchandise referral on the record of this proceeding in ACCESS within 
five days of publication of this notice.
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    \7\ See Memorandum, ``Diamond Sawblades and Parts Thereof from 
the People's Republic of China: APO Request,'' dated concurrently 
with this notice.
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    Interested parties must submit applications for disclosure under 
the APO in accordance with the procedures outlined in Commerce's 
regulations at 19 CFR 351.305. Those procedures apply to this segment 
of the proceeding, with one exception: APO applicants representing the 
parties that have been

[[Page 11953]]

identified by CBP as an importer in the covered merchandise referral 
(referenced above) are exempt from the additional filing requirements 
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for importers pursuant to 19 CFR 351.305(d).

    Dated: February 24, 2020.
Jeffrey I. Kessler,
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.

Appendix

Scope of the Order

    The products covered by the order are all finished circular 
sawblades, whether slotted or not, with a working part that is 
comprised of a diamond segment or segments, and parts thereof, 
regardless of specification or size, except as specifically excluded 
below. Within the scope of the order are semi-finished diamond 
sawblades, including diamond sawblade cores and diamond sawblade 
segments. Diamond sawblade cores are circular steel plates, whether 
or not attached to non-steel plates, with slots. Diamond sawblade 
cores are manufactured principally, but not exclusively, from alloy 
steel. A diamond sawblade segment consists of a mixture of diamonds 
(whether natural or synthetic, and regardless of the quantity of 
diamonds) and metal powders (including, but not limited to, iron, 
cobalt, nickel, tungsten carbide) that are formed together into a 
solid shape (from generally, but not limited to, a heating and 
pressing process).
    Sawblades with diamonds directly attached to the core with a 
resin or electroplated bond, which thereby do not contain a diamond 
segment, are not included within the scope of the order. Diamond 
sawblades and/or sawblade cores with a thickness of less than 0.025 
inches, or with a thickness greater than 1.1 inches, are excluded 
from the scope of the order. Circular steel plates that have a 
cutting edge of non-diamond material, such as external teeth that 
protrude from the outer diameter of the plate, whether or not 
finished, are excluded from the scope of the order. Diamond sawblade 
cores with a Rockwell C hardness of less than 25 are excluded from 
the scope of the order. Diamond sawblades and/or diamond segment(s) 
with diamonds that predominantly have a mesh size number greater 
than 240 (such as 250 or 260) are excluded from the scope of the 
order.
    Merchandise subject to the order is typically imported under 
heading 8202.39.00.00 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the 
United States (HTSUS). When packaged together as a set for retail 
sale with an item that is separately classified under headings 8202 
to 8205 of the HTSUS, diamond sawblades or parts thereof may be 
imported under heading 8206.00.00.00 of the HTSUS. On October 11, 
2011, Commerce included the 6804.21.00.00 HTSUS classification 
number to the customs case reference file, pursuant to a request by 
U.S. Customs and Border Protection.\8\ Pursuant to requests by CBP, 
Commerce included to the customs case reference file the following 
HTSUS classification numbers: 8202.39.0040 and 8202.39.0070 on 
January 22, 2015, and 6804.21.0010 and 6804.21.0080 on January 26, 
2015.\9\
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    \8\ See Diamond Sawblades and Parts Thereof from the Republic of 
Korea: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative 
Review, 76 FR 76128 (December 6, 2011).
    \9\ See Diamond Sawblades and Parts Thereof from the People's 
Republic of China: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative 
Review; 2016-2017, 83 FR 64331 (December 14, 2018) and accompanying 
Issues and Decision Memorandum at 3.
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    The tariff classification is provided for convenience and 
customs purposes; however, the written description of the scope of 
the order is dispositive.

[FR Doc. 2020-04118 Filed 2-27-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P