[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 201 (Friday, October 16, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 65791]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-22958]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-580-908, A-583-869, A-549-842, A-552-828]


Passenger Vehicle and Light Truck Tires From the Republic of 
Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: 
Postponement of Preliminary Determinations in the Less-Than-Fair-Value 
Investigations

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

DATES: Applicable October 16, 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Leo Ayala at (202) 482-3945 (Republic 
of Korea (Korea) and Thailand); Lauren Caserta at (202) 482-4737 
(Taiwan); and Jasun Moy at (202) 482-8194 (the Socialist Republic of 
Vietnam (Vietnam)), AD/CVD Operations, Enforcement and Compliance, 
International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 
Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On June 22, 2020, the Department of Commerce (Commerce) initiated 
less-than-fair-value (LTFV) investigations of imports of passenger 
vehicle and light truck tires (passenger tires) from Korea, Taiwan, 
Thailand, and Vietnam.\1\ Currently, the preliminary determinations are 
due no later than November 9, 2020.
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    \1\ See Passenger Vehicle and Light Truck Tires from the 
Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the Socialist Republic of 
Vietnam: Initiation of Less-Than-Fair-Value Investigations, 85 FR 
38854 (June 29, 2020).
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Postponement of Preliminary Determinations

    Section 733(b)(1)(A) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the 
Act), requires Commerce to issue the preliminary determination in an 
LTFV investigation within 140 days of the date on which Commerce 
initiated the investigation. However, section 733(c)(1) of the Act 
permits Commerce to postpone the preliminary determination until no 
later than 190 days after the date on which Commerce initiated the 
investigation if: (A) The petitioner makes a timely request for a 
postponement; or (B) Commerce concludes that the parties concerned are 
cooperating, that the investigation is extraordinarily complicated, and 
that additional time is necessary to make a preliminary determination. 
Under 19 CFR 351.205(e), the petitioner must submit a request for 
postponement 25 days or more before the scheduled date of the 
preliminary determination and must state the reasons for the request. 
Commerce will grant the request unless it finds compelling reasons to 
deny the request.
    On October 1, 2020, the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, 
Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers 
International Union, AFL-CIO, CLC (the petitioner) submitted a timely 
request that Commerce postpone the preliminary determinations in these 
LTFV investigations.\2\ The petitioner stated that it requests 
postponement due to the complexity of selecting the mandatory 
respondents and obtaining initial and supplemental questionnaire 
responses. Under the current timeline, the petitioner believes that 
Commerce will not have complete responses and sufficient information to 
issue these preliminary determinations.\3\
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    \2\ See Petitioner's Letter, ``Passenger Vehicle and Light Truck 
Tires from the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and the 
Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Petitioner's Request for Extension of 
Preliminary Determination,'' dated October 1, 2020.
    \3\ Id.
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    For the reasons stated above, and because there are no compelling 
reasons to deny the request, Commerce, in accordance with section 
733(c)(1)(A) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.205(e), is postponing the 
deadline for the preliminary determinations by 50 days (i.e., 190 days 
after the date on which these investigations were initiated). As a 
result, Commerce will issue its preliminary determinations no later 
than December 29, 2020. In accordance with section 735(a)(1) of the Act 
and 19 CFR 351.210(b)(1), the deadline for the final determinations in 
these investigations will continue to be 75 days after the date of the 
preliminary determinations, unless postponed at a later date.

Notification to Interested Parties

    This notice is issued and published pursuant to section 733(c)(2) 
of the Act and 19 CFR 351.205(f)(1).

    Dated: October 9, 2020.
Jeffrey I. Kessler,
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2020-22958 Filed 10-15-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P