[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 134 (Monday, July 13, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41960-41962]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-15053]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[C-570-123]


Certain Corrosion Inhibitors from the People's Republic of China: 
Preliminary Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination, and 
Alignment of Final Determination With Final Antidumping Duty 
Determination

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

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines 
that countervailable subsidies are being provided to producers and 
exporters of certain corrosion inhibitors from the People's Republic of 
China (China). The period of investigation (POI) is January 1, 2019 
through December 31, 2019. Interested parties are invited to comment on 
this preliminary determination

DATES: Applicable July 13, 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Theodore Pearson or Nicholas 
Czajkowski, 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) 482-2631 
or (202) 482-1395, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    This preliminary determination is made in accordance with section 
703(b) of the Trade Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). Commerce 
published the notice of initiation of this investigation on March 3, 
2020.\1\ On April 1, 2020, Commerce postponed the preliminary 
determination of this investigation, and the revised deadline is now 
July 6, 2020.\2\
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    \1\ See Certain Corrosion Inhibitors from the People's Republic 
of China: Initiation of Countervailing Duty Investigation, 85 FR 
12502 (March 3, 2020) (Initiation Notice).
    \2\ See Certain Corrosion Inhibitors from the People's Republic 
of China: Postponement of Preliminary Determination in the 
Countervailing Duty Investigation, 85 FR 19455 (April 7, 2020).
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    For a complete description of the events that followed the 
initiation of this investigation, see the Preliminary Decision 
Memorandum.\3\ A list of topics discussed in the Preliminary Decision 
Memorandum is included as Appendix II to this notice. 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 http://access.trade.gov. The signed and electronic 
versions of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum are identical in 
content.
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    \3\ See Memorandum, ``Decision Memorandum for the Preliminary 
Determination of the Countervailing Duty Investigation of Corrosion 
Inhibitors from the People's Republic of China,'' dated concurrently 
with, and hereby adopted by, this notice (Preliminary Decision 
Memorandum).
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Scope of the Investigation

    The products covered by this investigation are certain corrosion 
inhibitors from China. For a complete description of the scope of this 
investigation, see Appendix I.

Scope Comments

    In accordance with the preamble to Commerce's regulations,\4\ the 
Initiation Notice set aside a period of time for parties to raise 
issues regarding product coverage (i.e., scope).\5\ No parties provided 
comment on the scope of the investigation.
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    \4\ See Antidumping Duties; Countervailing Duties, Final Rule, 
62 FR 27296, 27323 (May 19, 1997).
    \5\ See Initiation Notice.
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Methodology

    Commerce is conducting this investigation in accordance with 
section 701 of the Act. For each of the subsidy programs found 
countervailable, Commerce preliminarily determines 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.\6\
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    \6\ 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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    Commerce notes that, in making these findings, it relied, in part, 
on facts available and, because it finds that one

[[Page 41961]]

or more respondents did not act to the best of their ability to respond 
to Commerce's requests for information, it drew an adverse inference 
where appropriate in selecting from among the facts otherwise 
available.\7\ For further information, see ``Use of Facts Otherwise 
Available and Adverse Inferences'' in the Preliminary Decision 
Memorandum.
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    \7\ See sections 776(a) and (b) of the Act.
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Alignment

    As noted in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum, in accordance with 
section 705(a)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.210(b)(4), Commerce is 
aligning the final CVD determination in this investigation with the 
final determination in the companion antidumping duty (AD) 
investigation of certain corrosion inhibitors from China based on a 
request made by Wincom Incorporated (the petitioner).\8\ Consequently, 
the final CVD determination will be issued on the same date as the 
final AD determination, which is currently scheduled to be issued no 
later than November 26, 2020, unless postponed.
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    \8\ See Petitioner's Letter, ``Certain Corrosion Inhibitors from 
the People's Republic of China: Petitioner's Request to Align 
Countervailing Duty Investigation Final Determination with 
Antidumping Duty Investigation Final Determination,'' dated June 3, 
2020.
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All-Others Rate

    Sections 703(d) and 705(c)(5)(A) of the Act provide that, in the 
preliminary determination, Commerce shall determine an estimated all-
others rate for companies not individually examined. The rate shall be 
an amount equal to the weighted average of the estimated subsidy rates 
established for those companies individually examined, excluding any 
rates that are zero, de minimis, or rates based entirely under section 
776 of the Act.
    In this investigation, as discussed in the Preliminary Decision 
Memorandum, Commerce calculated individual estimated countervailable 
subsidy rates for Jiangyin Delian Chemical Co., Ltd. (Delian) and 
Nantong Botao Chemical Co., Ltd. (Botao) that were not zero, de 
minimis, or based entirely under section 776 of the Act. Therefore, 
Commerce calculated an all-others rate using a simple average of the 
individual estimated subsidy rates calculated for Botao and Delian 
using each company's values for the merchandise under consideration 
because publicly ranged sales data was unavailable.\9\
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    \9\ With two respondents under examination, Commerce normally 
calculates (A) a weighted-average of the estimated subsidy rates 
calculated for the examined respondents; (B) a simple average of the 
estimated subsidy rates calculated for the examined respondents; and 
(C) a weighted-average of the estimated subsidy rates calculated for 
the examined respondents using each company's publicly-ranged U.S. 
sale quantities for the merchandise under consideration. Commerce 
then compares (B) and (C) to (A) and selects the rate closest to (A) 
as the most appropriate rate for all other producers and exporters. 
See, e.g., Ball Bearings and Parts Thereof from France, Germany, 
Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom: Final Results of Antidumping 
Duty Administrative Reviews, Final Results of Changed-Circumstances 
Review, and Revocation of an Order in Part, 75 FR 53661, 53663 
(September 1, 2010). As complete publicly ranged sales data are not 
available, Commerce based the all-others rate on a simple average of 
the mandatory respondents' subsidy rates.
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Preliminary Determination

    Commerce preliminarily determines that the following estimated 
countervailable subsidy rates exist:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                Subsidy
                           Company                               rate
                                                               (percent)
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Jiangyin Delian Chemical Co., Ltd...........................       92.23
Nantong Botao Chemical Co., Ltd.............................       54.37
CAC Shanghai Chemical Co., Ltd.,............................      237.19
Jiangyin Gold Fuda Chemical Co., Ltd........................      237.19
Xinji Xi Chen Re Neng Co., Ltd..............................      237.19
All Others..................................................       73.30
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Suspension of Liquidation

    In accordance with section 703(d)(1)(B) and (d)(2) of the Act, 
Commerce will direct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to 
suspend liquidation of entries of subject merchandise as described in 
the scope of the investigation section entered, or withdrawn from 
warehouse, for consumption on or after the date of publication of this 
notice in the Federal Register. Further, pursuant to 19 CFR 351.205(d), 
Commerce will instruct CBP to require a cash deposit equal to the rates 
indicated above.

Disclosure

    Commerce intends to disclose its calculations and analysis 
performed to interested parties in this preliminary determination 
within five days of its public announcement, or if there is no public 
announcement, within five days of the date of this notice in accordance 
with 19 CFR 351.224(b).

Verification

    As provided in section 782(i)(1) of the Act, Commerce intends to 
verify the information relied upon in making its final determination.

Public Comment

    Case briefs or other written comments may be submitted to the 
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance no later than seven 
days after the date on which the last verification report is issued in 
this investigation. Rebuttal briefs, limited to issues raised in case 
briefs, may be submitted no later than seven days after the deadline 
date for case briefs.\10\ Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2), 
parties who submit case briefs or rebuttal briefs in this investigation 
are encouraged to submit with each argument: (1) A statement of the 
issue; (2) a brief summary of the argument; and (3) a table of 
authorities.
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    \10\ See 19 CFR 351.309; see also 19 CFR 351.303 (for general 
filing requirements); and Temporary Rule Modifying AD/CVD Service 
Requirements Due to COVID-19; Extension of Effective Period, 85 FR 
29615 (May 18, 2020) (Temporary Rule).
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    Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.310(c), interested parties who wish to 
request a hearing, limited to issues raised in the case and rebuttal 
briefs, must submit a written request to the Assistant Secretary for 
Enforcement and Compliance, U.S. Department of Commerce within 30 days 
after the date of publication of this notice. Requests should contain 
the party's name, address, and telephone number, the number of 
participants, whether any participant is a foreign national, and a list 
of the issues to be discussed. If a request for a hearing is made, 
Commerce intends to hold the hearing at the U.S. Department of 
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230, at a time 
and date to be determined. Parties should confirm by telephone the 
date, time, and location of the hearing two days before the scheduled 
date.
    Parties are reminded that briefs and hearing requests are to be 
filed electronically using ACCESS and that electronically filed 
documents must be received successfully in their entirety by 5 p.m. 
Eastern Time on the due date. Note that Commerce has temporarily 
modified certain of its requirements for serving documents containing 
business proprietary information, until July 17, 2020, unless 
extended.\11\
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    \11\ See Temporary Rule.
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International Trade Commission Notification

    In accordance with section 703(f) of the Act, Commerce will notify 
the International Trade Commission (ITC) of its determination. If the 
final determination is affirmative, the ITC will determine before the 
later of 120 days after the date of this preliminary determination or 
45 days after the final determination.

[[Page 41962]]

Notification to Interested Parties

    This determination is issued and published pursuant to sections 
703(f) and 777(i) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.205(c).

    Dated: July 6, 2020.
Jeffrey I. Kessler
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.

Appendix I

Scope of the Investigation

    The merchandise covered by this investigation is tolyltriazole 
and benzotriazole. This includes tolyltriazole and benzotriazole of 
all grades and forms, including their sodium salt forms. 
Tolyltriazole is technically known as Tolyltriazole IUPAC 4,5 methyl 
benzotriazole. It can also be identified as 4,5 methyl 
benzotriazole, tolutriazole, TTA, and TTZ.
    Benzotriazole is technically known as IUPAC 1,2,3-Benzotriazole. 
It can also be identified as 1,2,3-Benzotriazole, 1,2-
Aminozophenylene, lH-Benzotriazole, and BTA.
    All forms of tolyltriazole and benzotriazole, including but not 
limited to flakes, granules, pellets, prills, needles, powder, or 
liquids, are included within the scope of this investigation.
    The scope includes tolyltriazole/sodium tolyltriazole and 
benzotriazole/sodium benzotriazole that are combined or mixed with 
other products. For such combined products, only the tolyltriazole/
sodium tolyltriazole and benzotriazole/sodium benzotriazole 
component is covered by the scope of this investigation. 
Tolyltriazole and sodium tolyltriazole that have been combined with 
other products is included within the scope, regardless of whether 
the combining occurs in third countries.
    Tolyltriazole, sodium tolyltriazole, benzotriazole and sodium 
benzotriazole that is otherwise subject to this investigation is not 
excluded when commingled with tolyltriazole, sodium tolyltriazole, 
benzotriazole, or sodium benzotriazole from sources not subject to 
this investigation. Only the subject merchandise component of such 
commingled products is covered by the scope of this investigation.
    A combination or mixture is excluded from this investigation if 
the total tolyltriazole or benzotriazole component of the 
combination or mixture (regardless of the source or sources) 
comprises less than 5 percent of the combination or mixture, on a 
dry weight basis.
    Notwithstanding the foregoing language, a tolyltriazole or 
benzotriazole combination or mixture that is transformed through a 
chemical reaction into another product, such that, for example, the 
tolyltriazole or benzotriazole can no longer be separated from the 
other products through a distillation or other process is excluded 
from this investigation.
    Tolyltriazole has the Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) registry 
number 299385-43-1. Tolyltriazole is classified under Harmonized 
Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) subheading 
2933.99.8220.
    Sodium Tolyltriazole has the CAS registry number 64665-57-2 and 
is classified under HTSUS subheading 2933.99.8290.
    Benzotriazole has the CAS registry number 95-14-7 and is 
classified under HTSUS subheading 2933.99.8210.
    Sodium Benzotriazole has the CAS registry number 15217-42-2. 
Sodium Benzotriazole is classified under HTSUS subheading 
2933.99.8290.
    Although the HTSUS subheadings and CAS registry numbers are 
provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written 
description of the scope of this investigation is dispositive.

Appendix II

List of Topics Discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum

I. Summary
II. Background
III. Scope Comments
IV. Scope of the Investigation
V. Subsidies Valuation
VI. New Subsidy Allegations
VII. Use of Facts Otherwise Available and Adverse Inferences
VIII. Benchmarks
IX. Analysis of Programs
X. Calculation of All-Others Rate
XI. ITC Notification
XII. Disclosure and Public Comments
XIII. Verification
XIV. Recommendation

[FR Doc. 2020-15053 Filed 7-10-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P