[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 238 (Thursday, December 10, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79466-79468]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-27137]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[C-533-872]


Finished Carbon Steel Flanges From India: Preliminary Results of 
Countervailing Duty Administrative Review and Intent To Rescind, in 
Part; 2018

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

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines 
that Norma (India) Ltd. (Norma) and R.N. Gupta & Co. Ltd (RNG) received 
countervailable subsidies during the period of review (POR), January 1, 
2018 through December 31, 2018. In addition, we are announcing our 
intent to rescind this review with respect to two companies. Interested 
parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.

DATES: Applicable December 10, 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John McGowan or Tyler Weinhold, AD/CVD 
Operations, Office VI, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue 
NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-3019 or (202) 482-1121, 
respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On August 24, 2017, Commerce published in the Federal Register the 
countervailing duty (CVD) order on finished carbon steel flanges (steel 
flanges) from India.\1\ On August 2, 2019, Commerce published a notice 
of opportunity to request an administrative review of the Order.\2\ On 
September 3, 2019, Weldbend Corporation and Boltex Mfg. Co., L.P., (the 
petitioners), requested a review of 37 producers and/or exporters of 
subject merchandise.\3\ Further, from August 29, 2019 through September 
3, 2019, Norma,\4\ RNG, Jai Auto Pvt. Ltd., and Bebitz Flanges Works 
Private Limited, foreign producers or exporters of subject merchandise, 
each requested a review of the Order with respect to themselves.\5\ On 
October 7, 2019, Commerce published a notice of initiation of an 
administrative review of the Order.\6\ Based on our examination of the 
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data, on November 6, 2019, we 
selected Norma and RNG, the two largest producers and/or exporters, as 
mandatory respondents.\7\
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    \1\ See Finished Carbon Steel Flanges from India: Countervailing 
Duty Order, 82 FR 40138 (August 24, 2017) (Order).
    \2\ See Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Order, Finding, or 
Suspended Investigation; Opportunity to Request Administrative 
Review, 84 FR 37834 (August 2, 2019).
    \3\ See Petitioners' Letter, ``Finished Carbon Steel Flanges 
from India: Request for Administrative Review,'' dated September 3, 
2019 (Petitioners' Review Request).
    \4\ We note that Norma requested a review of itself and its 
affiliates USK Export Private Limited (USK); Uma Shanker Khandelwal 
and Co. (UMA); and Bansidhar Chiranjilal (BCL).
    \5\ See Norma's Letter, ``Finished Carbon Steel Flanges from 
India: Request for an Administrative Review,'' dated August 29, 
2019; see also RNG's Letter, ``Finished Carbon Steel Flanges from 
India: Request for Countervailing Duty Administrative Review,'' 
August 30, 2019; Jai Auto Pvt. Ltd.'s Letter, ``Request for Review 
of Countervailing Duty Administrative Review of Finished Carbon 
Steel Flanges from India,'' dated August 30, 2019; and Bebitz 
Flanges Works Private Limited's Letter, ``Finished Carbon Steel 
Flanges from India: Requests for Administrative Review,'' dated 
September 3, 2019.
    \6\ See Initiation of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty 
Administrative Reviews, 84 FR 53411, 53421-53422 (October 7, 2019).
    \7\ See Memorandum, ``Countervailing Duty Administrative Review 
of Finished Carbon Steel Flanges from India: Respondent Selection,'' 
dated November 4, 2019.
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    On April 24, 2020, Commerce tolled all deadlines in administrative 
reviews by 50 days, thereby extending the deadline for these 
preliminary results until June 22, 2020.\8\ Further, on June 19, 2020, 
Commerce extended the time period for issuing these preliminary results 
by 109 days, in accordance with section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act, to 
October 8, 2020.\9\ On July 21, 2020, Commerce again tolled all 
deadlines in administrative reviews by 60 days, thereby extending the 
deadline for these results until December 7, 2020.\10\ For a complete 
description of the events that followed the initiation of this review, 
see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.\11\ A list of topics discussed 
in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum is included at Appendix I 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. In addition, a complete version of the Preliminary 
Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly at http://enforcement.trade.gov/frn/. The signed and electronic versions of the 
Preliminary Decision Memorandum are identical in content.
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    \8\ See Memorandum, ``Tolling of Deadlines for Antidumping and 
Countervailing Duty Administrative Reviews in Response to 
Operational Adjustments Due to COVID-19,'' dated April 24, 2020.
    \9\ See Memorandum, ``Finished Carbon Steel Flanges from India: 
Extension of Deadline for Preliminary Results of Countervailing Duty 
Administrative Review; 1/1/2018-12/31/2018,'' dated June 19, 2020.
    \10\ See Memorandum, ``Tolling of Deadlines for Antidumping and 
Countervailing Duty Administrative Reviews,'' dated July 21, 2020.
    \11\ See Memorandum, ``Decision Memorandum for the Preliminary 
Results of the Countervailing Duty Administrative Review of Finished 
Carbon Steel Flanges from India,'' dated concurrently with, and 
hereby adopted by, this notice (Preliminary Decision Memorandum).
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Scope of the Order

    The merchandise covered by the Order is steel flanges. For a 
complete description of the scope of the Order, see the Preliminary 
Decision Memorandum.

[[Page 79467]]

Methodology

    Commerce is conducting this review in accordance with section 
751(a)(l)(A) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). For each 
of the subsidy programs found countervailable, we preliminarily 
determine that there is a subsidy, i.e., a government-provided 
financial contribution that gives rise to a benefit to the recipient, 
and that the subsidy is specific.\12\ For a full description of the 
methodology underlying our conclusions, see the accompanying 
Preliminary Decision Memorandum.
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    \12\ 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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Companies Not Selected for Individual Review

    There are 31 companies for which a review was requested and not 
rescinded, and which were not selected as mandatory respondents. The 
statute and Commerce's regulations do not directly address the 
establishment of rates to be applied to companies not selected for 
individual examination where Commerce limits its examination in an 
administrative review pursuant to section 777A(e)(2) of the Act. 
However, Commerce normally determines the rates for non-selected 
companies in reviews in a manner that is consistent with section 
705(c)(5) of the Act, which provides the basis for calculating the all-
others rate in an investigation.
    Section 705(c)(5)(A)(i) of the Act instructs Commerce, as a general 
rule, to calculate an all-others rate equal to the weighted average of 
the countervailable subsidy rates established for exporters and/or 
producers individually examined, excluding any zero, de minimis, or 
rates based entirely on facts available. In this review, none of the 
rates for respondents were zero, de minimis, or based entirely on facts 
available. For the companies for which a review was requested that were 
not selected as mandatory company respondents, and for which Commerce 
did not receive a timely request for withdrawal of review, and for 
which Commerce is not finding to be cross-owned with the mandatory 
company respondents, Commerce based the subsidy rate on a weighted-
average of the subsidy rates calculated for the two mandatory 
respondents, Norma and RNG, using their publicly-ranged sales data for 
exports of subject merchandise to the United States during the POR. For 
further discussion, please see the All-Others Rate Calculation 
Memorandum.\13\
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    \13\ See Memorandum, ``Preliminary Results Calculation for the 
`All-Others' Rate,'' dated concurrently with this notice (All-Others 
Rate Calculation Memorandum).
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Intent To Rescind Administrative Review, in Part

    On September 21, 2020, the petitioners stated that they had 
inadvertently included in their request for review Bebitz U.S.A., Inc., 
a United States importer.\14\ Additionally, information on the record 
demonstrates that Silbo Industries, Inc. is a U.S. importer.\15\ 
Because Commerce does not conduct reviews of U.S. importers, and 
because the CBP demonstrate that neither company exported subject 
merchandise to the United States during the POR,\16\ we intend to 
rescind this review with respect to Bebitz U.S.A., Inc. and Silbo 
Industries, Inc. For further details, see the Preliminary Decision 
Memorandum.
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    \14\ See Memorandum, ``Administrative Review of the 
Countervailing Duty Order on Finished Carbon Steel Flanges from 
India: Phone Call with Counsel to the Petitioners,'' dated September 
23, 2020.
    \15\ See Silbo Industries, Inc.'s Letter, ``Silbo's Request to 
Rescind the Review: 2nd Administrative Review of the Countervailing 
Duty Order on Finished Carbon Steel Flanges from India (C-533-
872),'' dated January 16, 2020.
    \16\ See Memorandum, ``Finished Carbon Steel Flanges from India: 
Release of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Import Data,'' dated 
October 18, 2019.
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Preliminary Results of Review

    In accordance with 19 CFR 351.221(b)(4)(i), we calculated 
individual subsidy rates for Norma and RNG. For the period January 1, 
2018 through December 31, 2018, we preliminarily determine that the 
following net countervailable subsidy rates exist:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                           Subsidy rate
                         Company                            (percent ad
                                                             valorem)
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Norma (India) Ltd \17\..................................            5.61
R.N. Gupta & Co. Ltd....................................            5.42
Companies Not Selected for Individual Examination (see              5.51
 Appendix II)...........................................
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Assessment Rate
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    \17\ In the investigation, Commerce found the following 
companies to be cross-owned with Norma (India) Ltd.: USK Export 
Private Limited (USK); Uma Shanker Khandelwal and Co. (UMA); and 
Bansidhar Chiranjilal (BCL). See Preliminary Decision Memorandum at 
7; this finding is unchanged in these preliminary results. This rate 
applies to all cross-owned companies.
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    Consistent with section 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act, upon issuance of 
the final results, Commerce shall determine, and CBP shall assess, CVDs 
on all appropriate entries covered by this review. We intend to issue 
instructions to CBP 15 days after publication of the final results of 
this review.

Cash Deposit Rate

    Pursuant to section 751(a)(1) of the Act, Commerce intends to 
instruct CBP to collect cash deposits of estimated CVDs in the amount 
indicated above with regard to shipments of subject merchandise 
entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the 
date of publication of the final results of this review. For all non-
reviewed firms, we will instruct CBP to continue to collect cash 
deposits of estimated CVDs at the most recent company-specific or all-
others rate applicable to the company, as appropriate. These cash 
deposit instructions, when imposed, shall remain in effect until 
further notice.

Disclosure and Public Comment

    We will disclose to parties to this proceeding the calculations 
performed in reaching the preliminary results within five days of the 
date of publication of these preliminary results.\18\ Interested 
parties may submit written comments (case briefs) within 30 days of 
publication of the preliminary results and rebuttal comments (rebuttal 
briefs) within seven days \19\ after the time limit for filing case 
briefs.\20\ Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.309(d)(2), rebuttal briefs must be 
limited to issues raised in the case briefs. Parties who submit 
arguments are requested to submit with the argument: (1) A statement of 
the issue; (2) a brief summary of the argument; and (3) a table of 
authorities.\21\ Note that Commerce has temporarily modified certain of 
its requirements for serving documents containing business proprietary 
information, until further notice.\22\
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    \18\ See 19 CFR 351.224(b).
    \19\ See Temporary Rule Modifying AD/CVD Service Requirements 
Due to COVID-19; Extension of Effective Period, 85 FR 41363 (July 
10, 2020) (Temporary Rule).
    \20\ See 19 CFR 351.309(c)(1)(ii) and 351.309(d)(1); see also 19 
CFR 351.303 (for general filing requirements).
    \21\ See 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2) and 351.309(d)(2).
    \22\ See Temporary Rule.
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    Interested parties who wish to request a hearing must submit a 
written request to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and 
Compliance using Enforcement and Compliance's ACCESS system within 30 
days of the publication of this notice.\23\ Requests should contain: 
(1) The party's name, address, and telephone number; (2) the

[[Page 79468]]

number of participants, whether any participant is a foreign national; 
and (3) a list of the issues to be discussed. If a request for a 
hearing is made, Commerce intends to hold the hearing at a time and 
date to be determined.\24\ Issues addressed during the hearing will be 
limited to those raised in the briefs.\25\ Parties should confirm by 
telephone the date and time of the hearing two days before the 
scheduled date.
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    \23\ See 19 CFR 351.310(c).
    \24\ See 19 CFR 351.310.
    \25\ See 19 CFR 351.310(c).
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    Parties are reminded that all briefs and hearing requests must be 
filed electronically using ACCESS and received successfully in their 
entirety by 5 p.m. Eastern Time on the due date.
    Unless the deadline is extended pursuant to section 751(a)(3)(A) of 
the Act, Commerce intends to issue the final results of this 
administrative review, including the results of our analysis of the 
issues raised by the parties in their comments, within 120 days after 
publication of these preliminary results.
    This administrative review and notice are in accordance with 
sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.213.

    Dated: December 3, 2020.
Jeffrey I. Kessler,
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.

Appendix I

List of Topics Discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum

I. Summary
II. Background
III. Intent to Rescind, in Part
IV. Scope of the Order
V. Period of Review
VI. Subsidies Valuation Information
VII. Benchmark Interest Rates and Discount Rates
VIII. Analysis of Programs
IX. Conclusion

Appendix II

Companies Not Selected for Individual Examination

1. Adinath International
2. Allena Group
3. Alloyed Steel
4. Bebitz Flanges Works Private Limited
5. C.D. Industries
6. CHW Forge
7. CHW Forge Pvt. Ltd.
8. Citizen Metal Depot
9. Corum Flange
10. DN Forge Industries
11. Echjay Forgings Limited
12. Falcon Valves and Flanges Private Limited
13. Heubach International
14. Hindon Forge Pvt. Ltd.
15. Jai Auto Pvt. Ltd.
16. Kinnari Steel Corporation
17. Mascot Metal Manufacturers
18. M F Rings and Bearing Races Ltd.
19. OM Exports
20. Punjab Steel Works (PSW)
21. Raaj Sagar Steel
22. Ravi Ratan Metal Industries
23. R. D. Forge
24. Rolex Fittings India Pvt. Ltd.
25. Rollwell Forge Pvt. Ltd.
26. SHM (ShinHeung Machinery)
27. Siddhagiri Metal & Tubes
28. Sizer India
29. Steel Shape India
30. Sudhir Forgings Pvt. Ltd.
31. Tirupati Forge

[FR Doc. 2020-27137 Filed 12-9-20; 8:45 am]
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