[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 208 (Monday, November 1, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60205-60210]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-23715]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-357-824, A-201-856, A-821-833]


Oil Country Tubular Goods From Argentina, Mexico, and the Russian 
Federation: Initiation of Less-Than-Fair-Value Investigations

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

DATES: Applicable October 26, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dmitry Vladimirov at (202) 482-0665 
and Christopher Williams at (202) 482-5166 (Argentina); James Hepburn 
at (202) 482-1882 and Preston Cox at (202) 482-5041 (Mexico); George 
McMahon at (202) 482-1167 and Marc Castillo at (202) 482-0519 (the 
Russian Federation (Russia)); AD/CVD Operations, Enforcement and 
Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of 
Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Petitions

    On October 6, 2021, the Department of Commerce (Commerce) received 
antidumping duty (AD) petitions concerning imports of oil country 
tubular goods (OCTG) from Argentina, Mexico, and Russia filed in proper 
form on behalf of Borusan Mannesmann Pipe U.S., Inc., PTC Liberty 
Tubulars LLC, U.S. Steel Tubular Products, Inc., the United Steel, 
Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial 
and Service Workers International Union, AFL-CIO, CLC (the USW), and 
Welded Tube USA, Inc. (the petitioners), domestic producers of OCTG and 
a certified union that represents workers engaged in the production of 
OCTG.\1\ The Petitions were accompanied by countervailing duty (CVD) 
petitions concerning imports of OCTG from the Republic of Korea and 
Russia.\2\
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    \1\ See Petitioners' Letter, ``Petitions for the Imposition of 
Antidumping and Countervailing Duties: Oil Country Tubular Goods 
from Argentina, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, and Russia,'' dated 
October 6, 2021 (Petitions).
    \2\ Id.
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    On October 7, 8, 14, and 19, 2021, Commerce requested supplemental 
information pertaining to certain aspects of the Petitions in separate 
supplemental questionnaires.\3\ The petitioners filed responses to the 
supplemental questionnaires on October 12, 13, 18, and 21, 2021.\4\
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    \3\ See Commerce's Letters, ``Petitions for the Imposition of 
Antidumping and Countervailing Duties on Imports of Oil Country 
Tubular Goods from Argentina, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, and the 
Russian Federation: Supplemental Questions,'' dated October 7, 2021; 
and ``Petitions for the Imposition of Antidumping and Countervailing 
Duties on Imports of Oil Country Tubular Goods from Argentina, 
Mexico, the Republic of Korea, and the Russian Federation: 
Supplemental Questions,'' dated October 19, 2021; and Country-
Specific Supplemental Questionnaires: Argentina Supplemental, Mexico 
Supplemental, and Russia Supplemental, dated October 8, 2021, and 
Russia Second Supplemental, dated October 14, 2021.
    \4\ See Petitioners' Letters, ``Oil Country Tubular Goods from 
Argentina, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, and Russia: Response to 
General Issues Questionnaire,'' dated October 12, 2021 (First 
General Issues Supplement) and ``Oil Country Tubular Goods from 
Argentina, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, and Russia: Response to 
Second General Issues Questionnaire,'' dated October 21, 2021 
(Second General Issues Supplement); see also Petitioners' Country-
Specific Supplemental Responses, dated October 13, 2021; and Russia 
Second Supplemental Response, dated October 18, 2021.
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    In accordance with section 732(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as 
amended (the Act), the petitioners allege that imports of OCTG from 
Argentina, Mexico, and Russia are being, or are likely to be, sold in 
the United States at less than fair value (LTFV) within the meaning of 
section 731 of the Act, and that imports of such products are 
materially injuring, or threatening material injury to, the OCTG 
industry in the United States. Consistent with section 732(b)(1) of the 
Act, the Petitions are accompanied by information reasonably available 
to the petitioners supporting their allegations.
    Commerce finds that the petitioners filed the Petitions on behalf 
of the domestic industry, because the petitioners are interested 
parties, as defined in sections 771(9)(C) and 771(9)(D) of the Act. 
Commerce also finds that the petitioners demonstrated sufficient 
industry support for the initiation of the requested LTFV 
investigations.\5\
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    \5\ See infra, section titled ``Determination of Industry 
Support for the Petitions.''
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Period of Investigation

    Because the Petitions were filed on October 6, 2021, the period of 
investigation (POI) for these LTFV investigations is October 1, 2020, 
through September 30, 2021, pursuant to 19 CFR 351.204(b)(1).\6\
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    \6\ See 19 CFR 351.204(b)(1).
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Scope of the Investigations

    The products covered by these investigations are OCTG from 
Argentina, Mexico, and Russia. For a full description of the scope of 
these investigations, see the appendix to this notice.

Comments on the Scope of the Investigations

    On October 13, 2021, Commerce spoke with counsel to the petitioners 
regarding the proposed scope, to ensure that the scope language in the 
Petitions is an accurate reflection of the products for which the 
domestic industry is seeking relief.\7\
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    \7\ See Memorandum, ``Petitions for the Imposition of 
Antidumping and Countervailing Duties on Imports of Oil Country 
Tubular Goods from Argentina, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, and the 
Russian Federation: Phone Call with Counsel to the Petitioners,'' 
dated October 13, 2021.
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    As discussed in the Preamble to Commerce's regulations, we are 
setting aside a period for interested parties to raise issues regarding 
product coverage (i.e., scope).\8\ Commerce will consider all comments 
received from interested parties and, if necessary, will consult with 
interested parties prior to the issuance of the preliminary 
determinations. If scope comments include factual information,\9\ all 
such factual information should be limited to public information. To 
facilitate preparation of its questionnaires, Commerce requests that 
all interested parties submit such comments by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time 
(ET) on November

[[Page 60206]]

15, 2021, which is 20 calendar days from the signature date of this 
notice. Any rebuttal comments, which may include factual information, 
must be filed by 5:00 p.m. ET on November 26, 2021, which is the first 
business day after ten calendar days from the initial comment 
deadline.\10\
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    \8\ See Antidumping Duties; Countervailing Duties, Final Rule, 
62 FR 27296, 27323 (May 19, 1997) (Preamble).
    \9\ See 19 CFR 351.102(b)(21) (defining ``factual 
information'').
    \10\ The deadline for rebuttal comments falls on November 25, 
2021, which is a Federal holiday. Commerce's practice dictates that 
where a deadline falls on a weekend or Federal holiday, the 
appropriate deadline is the next business day (in this instance, 
November 26, 2021). See Notice of Clarification: Application of 
``Next Business Day'' Rule for Administrative Determination 
Deadlines Pursuant to the Tariff Act of 1930, As Amended, 70 FR 
24533 (May 10, 2005) (Notice of Clarification).
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    Commerce requests that any factual information that parties 
consider relevant to the scope of these investigations be submitted 
during this period. However, if a party subsequently finds that 
additional factual information pertaining to the scope of these 
investigations may be relevant, the party may contact Commerce and 
request permission to submit the additional information. All such 
submissions must be filed on the records of each of the concurrent AD 
and CVD investigations.

Filing Requirements

    All submissions to Commerce must be filed electronically via 
Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping Duty and Countervailing Duty 
Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS), unless an exception 
applies.\11\ An electronically filed document must be received 
successfully in its entirety by the time and date on which it is due.
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    \11\ See Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Proceedings: 
Electronic Filing Procedures; Administrative Protective Order 
Procedures, 76 FR 39263 (July 6, 2011); see also Enforcement and 
Compliance; Change of Electronic Filing System Name, 79 FR 69046 
(November 20, 2014) for details of Commerce's electronic filing 
requirements, effective August 5, 2011. 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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Comments on Product Characteristics

    Commerce is providing interested parties an opportunity to comment 
on the appropriate physical characteristics of OCTG to be reported in 
response to Commerce's AD questionnaires. This information will be used 
to identify the key physical characteristics of the subject merchandise 
in order to report the relevant costs of production accurately, as well 
as to develop appropriate product-comparison criteria.
    Interested parties may provide any information or comments that 
they feel are relevant to the development of an accurate list of 
physical characteristics. Specifically, they may provide comments as to 
which characteristics are appropriate to use as: (1) General product 
characteristics; and (2) product comparison criteria. We note that it 
is not always appropriate to use all product characteristics as product 
comparison criteria. We base product comparison criteria on meaningful 
commercial differences among products. In other words, although there 
may be some physical product characteristics utilized by manufacturers 
to describe OCTG, it may be that only a select few product 
characteristics take into account commercially meaningful physical 
characteristics. In addition, interested parties may comment on the 
order in which the physical characteristics should be used in matching 
products. Generally, Commerce attempts to list the most important 
physical characteristics first and the least important characteristics 
last.
    In order to consider the suggestions of interested parties in 
developing and issuing the AD questionnaires, all product 
characteristics comments must be filed by 5:00 p.m. ET on November 15, 
2021, which is 20 calendar days from the signature date of this notice. 
Any rebuttal comments must be filed by 5:00 p.m. ET on November 26, 
2021, which is the first business day after 10 calendar days from the 
initial comment deadline.\12\ All comments and submissions to Commerce 
must be filed electronically using ACCESS, as explained above, on the 
record of each of the LTFV investigations.
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    \12\ The deadline for rebuttal comments falls on November 25, 
2021, which is a Federal holiday. Commerce's practice dictates that 
where a deadline falls on a weekend or Federal holiday, the 
appropriate deadline is the next business day (in this instance, 
November 26, 2021). See Notice of Clarification.
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Determination of Industry Support for the Petitions

    Section 732(b)(1) of the Act requires that a petition be filed on 
behalf of the domestic industry. Section 732(c)(4)(A) of the Act 
provides that a petition meets this requirement if the domestic 
producers or workers who support the petition account for: (i) At least 
25 percent of the total production of the domestic like product; and 
(ii) more than 50 percent of the production of the domestic like 
product produced by that portion of the industry expressing support 
for, or opposition to, the petition. Moreover, section 732(c)(4)(D) of 
the Act provides that, if the petition does not establish support of 
domestic producers or workers accounting for more than 50 percent of 
the total production of the domestic like product, Commerce shall: (i) 
Poll the industry or rely on other information in order to determine if 
there is support for the petition, as required by subparagraph (A); or 
(ii) determine industry support using a statistically valid sampling 
method to poll the ``industry.''
    Section 771(4)(A) of the Act defines the ``industry'' as the 
producers as a whole of a domestic like product. Thus, to determine 
whether a petition has the requisite industry support, the statute 
directs Commerce to look to producers and workers who produce the 
domestic like product. The International Trade Commission (ITC), which 
is responsible for determining whether ``the domestic industry'' has 
been injured, must also determine what constitutes a domestic like 
product in order to define the industry. While both Commerce and the 
ITC must apply the same statutory definition regarding the domestic 
like product,\13\ they do so for different purposes and pursuant to a 
separate and distinct authority. In addition, Commerce's determination 
is subject to limitations of time and information. Although this may 
result in different definitions of the like product, such differences 
do not render the decision of either agency contrary to law.\14\
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    \13\ See section 771(10) of the Act.
    \14\ See USEC, Inc. v. United States, 132 F. Supp. 2d 1, 8 (CIT 
2001) (citing Algoma Steel Corp., Ltd. v. United States, 688 F. 
Supp. 639, 644 (CIT 1988), aff'd 865 F. 2d 240 (Fed. Cir. 1989)).
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    Section 771(10) of the Act defines the domestic like product as ``a 
product which is like, or in the absence of like, most similar in 
characteristics and uses with, the article subject to an investigation 
under this title.'' Thus, the reference point from which the domestic 
like product analysis begins is ``the article subject to an 
investigation'' (i.e., the class or kind of merchandise to be 
investigated, which normally will be the scope as defined in the 
petition).
    With regard to the domestic like product, the petitioners do not 
offer a definition of the domestic like product distinct from the scope 
of the investigations.\15\ Based on our analysis of the information 
submitted on the record, we have determined that OCTG, as defined in 
the scope, constitutes a single domestic like product, and we have 
analyzed industry support in terms of that domestic like product.\16\
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    \15\ See Petitions at Volume I at 20-22 and Exhibits I-11, I-13, 
I-14, and I-18.
    \16\ For a discussion of the domestic like product analysis as 
applied to these cases and information regarding industry support, 
see Country-Specific Checklists, ``Antidumping Duty Investigation 
Initiation Checklists: Oil Country Tubular Goods from Argentina, 
Mexico, and the Russian Federation,'' dated concurrently with this 
Federal Register notice and on file electronically via ACCESS 
(Country-Specific AD Initiation Checklists) at Attachment II, 
Analysis of Industry Support for the Antidumping and Countervailing 
Duty Petitions Covering Oil Country Tubular Goods from Argentina, 
Mexico, the Republic of Korea, and the Russian Federation 
(Attachment II).

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[[Page 60207]]

    In determining whether the petitioners have standing under section 
732(c)(4)(A) of the Act, we considered the industry support data 
contained in the Petitions with reference to the domestic like product 
as defined in the ``Scope of the Investigations,'' in the appendix to 
this notice. To establish industry support, the petitioners provided 
the 2020 production of OCTG for the U.S. producers that support the 
Petitions.\17\ The petitioners estimated the 2020 production by non-
petitioning companies using shipment data available for the entire OCTG 
industry and publicly available information on production and domestic 
shipments from the ITC's 2020 report from the sunset review of OCTG 
from India, Korea, Turkey, Ukraine, and the Socialist Republic of 
Vietnam.\18\ The petitioners estimated the total 2020 production of the 
domestic like product for the entire industry by adding their 
production to the estimated production of the non-petitioning 
producers.\19\ We relied on data provided by the petitioners for 
purposes of measuring industry support.\20\
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    \17\ See Petitions at Volume I at Exhibits I-1 and I-3; see also 
First General Issues Supplement at 4 and Exhibits 4 and 8; and 
Second General Issues Supplement at Exhibits 3-5.
    \18\ See Petitions at Volume I at Exhibits I-1 and I-2; see also 
First General Issues Supplement at 6-10 and Exhibit 1 (containing 
Oil Country Tubular Goods from India, Korea, Turkey, Ukraine, and 
Vietnam, Inv. No. 701-TA-499-500 and 731-TA-1215-1216, 1221-1223 
(Review), USITC Pub. 5090 (July 2020) (OCTG Review)) and Exhibit 8 
(containing OCTG Review at Table III-5); and Second General Issues 
Supplement at Exhibit 5.
    \19\ See First General Issues Supplement at 7 and Exhibit 8; see 
also Second General Issues Supplement at Exhibit 5.
    \20\ See Petitions at Volume I at Exhibits I-1 and I-2; see also 
First General Issues Supplement at 3-10 and Exhibits 1, 4, 5, and 8; 
and Second General Issues Supplement at 1-2 and Exhibits 2-5.
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    On October 8, 15, and 20, 2021, we received comments on industry 
support from Tenaris Bay City, Inc., IPSCO Tubulars Inc., Maverick Tube 
Corporation, and Tenaris Global Services (U.S.A.) Corporation 
(collectively, Tenaris USA), U.S. producers of OCTG.\21\ On October 18, 
2021, the petitioners responded to the comments from Tenaris USA.\22\ 
On October 21, 2021, the Government of Russia (GOR) raised industry 
support comments during the consultations held regarding the Russia CVD 
Petition.\23\ On October 21, 2021, we received comments from TMK Group 
(TMK), a Russian producer and exporter of OCTG.\24\ On October 22, 
2021, Tenaris USA filed its fourth submission with Commerce and 
formally indicated that it opposes the Petitions.\25\ Also on October 
22, 2021, the petitioners responded to TMK's comments.\26\
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    \21\ See Tenaris USA's Letters, ``Oil Country Tubular Goods from 
Argentina, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, and Russia: Factual Errors 
in Petitions,'' dated October 8, 2021; ``Oil Country Tubular Goods 
from Argentina, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, and Russia: Comments 
on Petitioners' Standing,'' dated October 15, 2021; and ``Oil 
Country Tubular Goods from Mexico: Reply Comments on Petitioners' 
Standing,'' dated October 20, 2021. In addition, on October 21, 
2021, Commerce met via video conference with counsel to Tenaris USA 
to discuss its industry support comments. See Memorandum, 
``Petitions for the Imposition of Antidumping and Countervailing 
Duties on Imports of Oil Country Tubular Goods from Argentina, 
Mexico, the Republic of Korea, and the Russian Federation,'' dated 
October 21, 2021.
    \22\ See Petitioners' Letter, ``Oil Country Tubular Goods from 
Argentina, Mexico, Russia, and the Republic of Korea: Response to 
Tenaris Submission Concerning Petitioners' Standing,'' dated October 
18, 2021 (Petitioners' Letter).
    \23\ See Memorandum, ``Countervailing Duty Petition on Oil 
Country Tubular Goods from the Russian Federation: Consultations 
with Officials from the Government of the Russian Federation,'' 
dated October 21, 2021; see also GOR Letter, ``Re: Countervailing 
Duty Investigation of Certain Oil Country Tubular Goods from the 
Russian Federation: Consultations,'' dated October 25, 2021.
    \24\ See TMK's Letter, ``Oil Country Tubular Goods from Russia: 
Comments on Petitioners' Standing,'' dated October 21, 2021.
    \25\ See Tenaris USA's Letter, ``Oil Country Tubular Goods from 
Argentina, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, and Russia: Comments on 
Petitioners' Second General Issues Questionnaire Response,'' dated 
October 22, 2021. We note that, though Tenaris USA opposes the 
Petitions, it has not provided any production data for Commerce to 
include in the industry support calculation. See Country-Specific AD 
Initiation Checklists at Attachment II at footnote 47.
    \26\ See Petitioners' Letter, ``Oil Country Tubular Goods from 
Russia: Response to TMK's Comments on Petitioners' Standing,'' dated 
October 22, 2021 (Petitioners' Letter II).
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    Based on the information provided in the Petitions, the First 
General Issues Supplement, Petitioners' Letter, the Second General 
Issues Supplement, Petitioners' Letter II, and other information 
readily available to Commerce, we determine that the domestic producers 
and workers have met the statutory criteria for industry support under 
section 732(c)(4)(A)(i) of the Act because the domestic producers (or 
workers) who support the Petitions account for at least 25 percent of 
the total production of the domestic like product.\27\ Because the 
Petitions and supplemental submissions did not establish support from 
domestic producers (or workers) accounting for more than 50 percent of 
the total production of the domestic like product, Commerce was 
required to take further action in order to evaluate industry 
support.\28\ In this case, Commerce was able to rely on other 
information, in accordance with section 732(c)(4)(D)(i) of the Act, to 
determine industry support.\29\ Based on information provided in the 
Petitions, the First General Issues Supplement, Petitioners' Letter, 
the Second General Issues Supplement, Petitioners' Letter II, and other 
information readily available to Commerce, the domestic producers and 
workers have met the statutory criteria for industry support under 
section 732(c)(4)(A)(ii) of the Act because the domestic producers (or 
workers) who support the Petitions account for more than 50 percent of 
the production of the domestic like product produced by that portion of 
the industry expressing support for, or opposition to, the 
Petitions.\30\ We note that, even if all other U.S. producers of OCTG 
oppose the Petitions (including Tenaris USA), the supporters of the 
Petitions would still have the requisite level of industry support 
pursuant to section 732(c)(4)(A)(ii) of the Act.\31\ Accordingly, 
Commerce determines that the Petitions were filed on behalf of the 
domestic industry within the meaning of section 732(b)(1) of the 
Act.\32\
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    \27\ See Country-Specific AD Initiation Checklists at Attachment 
II.
    \28\ See section 732(c)(4)(D) of the Act.
    \29\ See Country-Specific AD Initiation Checklists at Attachment 
II.
    \30\ Id.
    \31\ Id.
    \32\ Id.
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Allegations and Evidence of Material Injury and Causation

    The petitioners allege that the U.S. industry producing the 
domestic like product is being materially injured, or is threatened 
with material injury, by reason of the imports of the subject 
merchandise sold at LTFV. In addition, the petitioners allege that 
subject imports exceed the negligibility threshold provided for under 
section 771(24)(A) of the Act.\33\
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    \33\ See Petitions at Volume I at 28 and Exhibit I-22.
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    The petitioners contend that the industry's injured condition is 
illustrated by a significant and increasing volume of subject imports; 
reduced market share; underselling and price suppression; lost sales 
and revenues; declines in production, U.S. shipments, and capacity 
utilization; decline in employment; and adverse impact on the domestic 
industry's financial performance.\34\ We assessed the allegations and 
supporting evidence regarding material injury, threat of material 
injury, causation, as well as

[[Page 60208]]

negligibility, and we have determined that these allegations are 
properly supported by adequate evidence and meet the statutory 
requirements for initiation.\35\
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    \34\ Id. at 1-2, 28-48 and Exhibits I-1, I-5, I-6, I-8, I-9, I-
11, I-13, I-14, I-20, I-22 through I-34; see also First General 
Issues Supplement at 10.
    \35\ See Country-Specific AD Initiation Checklists at Attachment 
III, Analysis of Allegations and Evidence of Material Injury and 
Causation for the Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Petitions 
Covering Oil Country Tubular Goods from Argentina, Mexico, the 
Republic of Korea, and the Russian Federation.
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Allegations of Sales at LTFV

    The following is a description of the allegations of sales at LTFV 
upon which Commerce based its decision to initiate these LTFV 
investigations of imports of OCTG from Argentina, Mexico, and Russia. 
The sources of data for the deductions and adjustments relating to U.S. 
price and normal value (NV) are discussed in greater detail in the 
country-specific AD Initiation Checklists.

U.S. Price

    For Argentina, Mexico, and Russia, the petitioners established 
export prices (EPs) on the average unit value (AUVs) of publicly 
available import data. For Argentina and Mexico, the petitioners 
conservatively made no adjustments to the AUVs for foreign inland 
freight and foreign brokerage and handling expenses incurred in subject 
foreign countries for purposes of calculating net EPs. For Russia, the 
petitioners deducted expenses associated with inland freight and 
brokerage and handling costs incurred in Russia to calculate an ex-
factory, or net, EP.\36\
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    \36\ See Country-Specific AD Initiation Checklists.
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Normal Value Based on Constructed Value 37
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    \37\ In accordance with section 773(b)(2) of the Act, for these 
investigations, Commerce will request information necessary to 
calculate the CV and cost of production (COP) to determine whether 
there are reasonable grounds to believe or suspect that sales of the 
foreign like product have been made at prices that represent less 
than the COP of the product.
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    For Argentina, Mexico, and Russia, the petitioners stated they were 
unable to obtain home-market or third-country prices for OCTG to use as 
a basis for NV. Therefore, for Argentina, Mexico, and Russia, the 
petitioners calculated NV based on constructed value (CV).\38\
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    \38\ See Country-Specific AD Initiation Checklists.
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    Pursuant to section 773(e) of the Act, the petitioners calculated 
CV as the sum of the cost of manufacturing, selling, general, and 
administrative expenses, financial expenses, and profit.\39\ For 
Argentina, Mexico, and Russia, in calculating the cost of 
manufacturing, the petitioners relied on the production experience and 
input consumption rates of a U.S. OCTG producer, valued using publicly 
available information applicable to each respective subject 
country.\40\ For Argentina, Mexico, and Russia, in calculating selling, 
general, and administrative expenses, financial expenses, and profit 
ratios (where applicable), the petitioners relied on the 2020 financial 
statements of an OCTG producer(s) domiciled in each respective subject 
country.\41\
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    \39\ See Country-Specific AD Initiation Checklists.
    \40\ Id.
    \41\ Id
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Fair Value Comparisons

    Based on the data provided by the petitioners, there is reason to 
believe that imports of OCTG from Argentina, Mexico, and Russia are 
being, or are likely to be, sold in the United States at LTFV. Based on 
comparisons of EP to CV in accordance with section 773 of the Act, the 
estimated dumping margins for OCTG concerning each of the countries 
covered by this initiation are as follows: (1) Argentina--168.49 
percent; (2) Mexico--59.75 percent; and (3) Russia--136.96 percent.\42\
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    \42\ Id.
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Initiation of LTFV Investigations

    Based upon the examination of the Petitions and supplemental 
responses, we find that they meet the requirements of section 732 of 
the Act. Therefore, we are initiating these LTFV investigations to 
determine whether imports of OCTG from Argentina, Mexico, and Russia 
are being, or are likely to be, sold in the United States at LTFV. In 
accordance with section 733(b)(1)(A) of the Act and 19 CFR 
351.205(b)(1), unless postponed, we will make our preliminary 
determinations no later than 140 days after the date of this 
initiation.

Respondent Selection

    In the Petitions, the petitioners identified 18 companies in 
Argentina, 78 companies in Mexico, and 14 companies in Russia, as 
producers and/or exporters of OCTG.\43\
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    \43\ See Volume I of the Petitions at Exhibit I-19.
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    Following standard practice in LTFV investigations involving market 
economy countries, in the event that Commerce determines that the 
number of exporters or producers in any individual case is large such 
that Commerce cannot individually examine each company based upon its 
resources, where appropriate, Commerce intends to select mandatory 
respondents in that case based on U.S. Customs and Border Protection 
(CBP) data for U.S. imports under the appropriate Harmonized Tariff 
Schedule of the United States subheadings listed in the ``Scope of the 
Investigations,'' in the appendix.
    On October 19, 2021, Commerce released CBP data on imports of OCTG 
from Argentina, Mexico, and Russia under administrative protective 
order (APO) to all parties with access to information protected by APO 
and indicated that interested parties wishing to comment on the CBP 
data must do so within three business days after the publication date 
of the notice of initiation of these investigations.\44\ Commerce will 
not accept rebuttal comments regarding the CBP data or respondent 
selection.
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    \44\ See Memoranda, ``Antidumping Duty Petition on Imports of 
Oil Country Tubular Goods from Argentina: Release of U.S. Customs 
and Border Protection Data,''; ``Antidumping Duty Petition on 
Imports of Oil Country Tubular Goods from Mexico: Release of U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection Data,''; and ``Antidumping Duty 
Petition on Imports of Oil Country Tubular Goods from Russia: 
Release of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Data,'' dated October 
19, 2021.
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    Interested parties must submit applications for disclosure under 
APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305(b). Instructions for filing such 
applications may be found on Commerce's website at https://enforcement.trade.gov/apo.
    Comments on CBP data and respondent selection must be filed 
electronically using ACCESS. An electronically filed document must be 
received successfully in its entirety via ACCESS by 5:00 p.m. ET on the 
specified deadline.

Distribution of Copies of the AD Petitions

    In accordance with section 732(b)(3)(A) of the Act and 19 CFR 
351.202(f), copies of the public version of the AD Petitions have been 
provided to the governments of Argentina, Mexico, and Russia via 
ACCESS. To the extent practicable, we will attempt to provide a copy of 
the public version of the AD Petitions to each exporter named in the AD 
Petitions, as provided under 19 CFR 351.203(c)(2).

ITC Notification

    We will notify the ITC of our initiation, as required by section 
732(d) of the Act.

Preliminary Determinations by the ITC

    The ITC will preliminarily determine, within 45 days after the date 
on which the AD Petitions were filed, whether there is a reasonable 
indication that imports of OCTG from Argentina, Mexico, and/or Russia 
are materially injuring, or threatening material injury to, a U.S. 
industry.\45\ A negative ITC determination for any country will

[[Page 60209]]

result in the investigation being terminated with respect to that 
country.\46\ Otherwise, these LTFV investigations will proceed 
according to statutory and regulatory time limits.
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    \45\ See section 733(a) of the Act.
    \46\ Id.
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Submission of Factual Information

    Factual information is defined in 19 CFR 351.102(b)(21) as: (i) 
Evidence submitted in response to questionnaires; (ii) evidence 
submitted in support of allegations; (iii) publicly available 
information to value factors under 19 CFR 351.408(c) or to measure the 
adequacy of remuneration under 19 CFR 351.511(a)(2); (iv) evidence 
placed on the record by Commerce; and (v) evidence other than factual 
information described in (i)-(iv). Section 351.301(b) of Commerce's 
regulations requires any party, when submitting factual information, to 
specify under which subsection of 19 CFR 351.102(b)(21) the information 
is being submitted \47\ and, if the information is submitted to rebut, 
clarify, or correct factual information already on the record, to 
provide an explanation identifying the information already on the 
record that the factual information seeks to rebut, clarify, or 
correct.\48\ Time limits for the submission of factual information are 
addressed in 19 CFR 351.301, which provides specific time limits based 
on the type of factual information being submitted. Interested parties 
should review the regulations prior to submitting factual information 
in these investigations.
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    \47\ See 19 CFR 351.301(b).
    \48\ See 19 CFR 351.301(b)(2).
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Particular Market Situation Allegation

    Section 773(e) of the Act addresses the concept of particular 
market situation (PMS) for purposes of CV, stating that ``if a 
particular market situation exists such that the cost of materials and 
fabrication or other processing of any kind does not accurately reflect 
the cost of production in the ordinary course of trade, the 
administering authority may use another calculation methodology under 
this subtitle or any other calculation methodology.'' When an 
interested party submits a PMS allegation pursuant to section 773(e) of 
the Act, Commerce will respond to such a submission consistent with 19 
CFR 351.301(c)(2)(v). If Commerce finds that a PMS exists under section 
773(e) of the Act, then it will modify its dumping calculations 
appropriately.
    Neither section 773(e) of the Act, nor 19 CFR 351.301(c)(2)(v), set 
a deadline for the submission of PMS allegations and supporting factual 
information. However, in order to administer section 773(e) of the Act, 
Commerce must receive PMS allegations and supporting factual 
information with enough time to consider the submission. Thus, should 
an interested party wish to submit a PMS allegation and supporting new 
factual information pursuant to section 773(e) of the Act, it must do 
so no later than 20 days after submission of a respondent's initial 
section D questionnaire response.

Extensions of Time Limits

    Parties may request an extension of time limits before the 
expiration of a time limit established under 19 CFR 351.301, or as 
otherwise specified by Commerce. In general, an extension request will 
be considered untimely if it is filed after the expiration of the time 
limit established under 19 CFR 351.301. For submissions that are due 
from multiple parties simultaneously, an extension request will be 
considered untimely if it is filed after 10:00 a.m. ET on the due date. 
Under certain circumstances, we may elect to specify a different time 
limit by which extension requests will be considered untimely for 
submissions which are due from multiple parties simultaneously. In such 
a case, we will inform parties in a letter or memorandum of the 
deadline (including a specified time) by which extension requests must 
be filed to be considered timely. An extension request must be made in 
a separate, stand-alone submission; under limited circumstances we will 
grant untimely-filed requests for the extension of time limits. Parties 
should review Commerce's regulations concerning factual information 
prior to submitting factual information in these investigations.\49\
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    \49\ See 19 CFR 351.301; see also Extension of Time Limits; 
Final Rule, 78 FR 57790 (September 20, 2013), available at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-09-20/html/2013-22853.htm.
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Certification Requirements

    Any party submitting factual information in an AD or CVD proceeding 
must certify to the accuracy and completeness of that information.\50\ 
Parties must use the certification formats provided in 19 CFR 
351.303(g).\51\ Commerce intends to reject factual submissions if the 
submitting party does not comply with the applicable certification 
requirements.
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    \50\ See section 782(b) of the Act.
    \51\ See Certification of Factual Information to Import 
Administration During Antidumping and Countervailing Duty 
Proceedings, 78 FR 42678 (July 17, 2013) (Final Rule). Answers to 
frequently asked questions regarding the Final Rule are available at 
http://enforcement.trade.gov/tlei/notices/factual_info_final_rule_FAQ_07172013.pdf.
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Notification to Interested Parties

    Interested parties must submit applications for disclosure under 
APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305. Parties wishing to participate 
in these investigations should ensure that they meet the requirements 
of 19 CFR 351.103(d) (e.g., by the filing a letter of appearance as 
discussed). Note that Commerce has temporarily modified certain of its 
requirements for serving documents containing business proprietary 
information, until further notice.\52\
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    \52\ See Temporary Rule Modifying AD/CVD Service Requirements 
Due to COVID-19; Extension of Effective Period, 85 FR 41363 (July 
10, 2020).
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    This notice is issued and published pursuant to sections 732(c)(2) 
and 777(i) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.203(c).

    Dated: October 26, 2021.
Ryan Majerus,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Negotiations, Performing the 
Non-Exclusive Functions and Duties of the Assistant Secretary for 
Enforcement and Compliance.

Appendix

Scope of the Investigations

    The merchandise covered by the investigations is certain oil 
country tubular goods (OCTG), which are hollow steel products of 
circular cross-section, including oil well casing and tubing, of 
iron (other than case iron) or steel (both carbon and alloy), 
whether seamless or welded, regardless of end finish (e.g., whether 
or not plain end, threaded, or threaded and coupled) whether or not 
conforming to American Petroleum Institute (API) or non-API 
specifications, whether finished (including limited service OCTG 
products) or unfinished (including green tubes and limited service 
OCTG products), whether or not thread protectors are attached. The 
scope of the investigations also covers OCTG coupling stock.
    Subject merchandise includes material matching the above 
description that has been finished, packaged, or otherwise processed 
in a third country, including by performing any heat treatment, 
cutting, upsetting, threading, coupling, or any other finishing, 
packaging, or processing that would not otherwise remove the 
merchandise from the scope of the investigations if performed in the 
country of manufacture of the OCTG.
    Excluded from the scope of the investigations are: casing or 
tubing containing 10.5 percent or more by weight of chromium; drill 
pipe; unattached couplings; and unattached thread protectors.
    The merchandise subject to these investigations is currently 
classified in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States 
(HTSUS) under item numbers: 7304.29.1010, 7304.29.1020, 
7304.29.1030, 7304.29.1040, 7304.29.1050, 7304.29.1060, 
7304.29.1080, 7304.29.2010, 7304.29.2020, 7304.29.2030, 
7304.29.2040, 7304.29.2050,

[[Page 60210]]

7304.29.2060, 7304.29.2080, 7304.29.3110, 7304.29.3120, 
7304.29.3130, 7304.29.3140, 7304.29.3150, 7304.29.3160, 
7304.29.3180, 7304.29.4110, 7304.29.4120, 7304.29.4130, 
7304.29.4140, 7304.29.4150, 7304.29.4160, 7304.29.4180, 
7304.29.5015, 7304.29.5030, 7304.29.5045, 7304.29.5060, 
7304.29.5075, 7304.29.6115, 7304.29.6130, 7304.29.6145, 
7304.29.6160, 7304.29.6175, 7305.20.2000, 7305.20.4000, 
7305.20.6000, 7305.20.8000, 7306.29.1030, 7306.29.1090, 
7306.29.2000, 7306.29.3100, 7306.29.4100, 7306.29.6010, 
7306.29.6050, 7306.29.8110, and 7306.29.8150.
    The merchandise subject to the investigations may also enter 
under the following HTSUS item numbers: 7304.39.0024, 7304.39.0028, 
7304.39.0032, 7304.39.0036, 7304.39.0040, 7304.39.0044, 
7304.39.0048, 7304.39.0052, 7304.39.0056, 7304.39.0062, 
7304.39.0068, 7304.39.0072, 7304.39.0076, 7304.39.0080, 
7304.59.6000, 7304.59.8015, 7304.59.8020, 7304.59.8025, 
7304.59.8030, 7304.59.8035, 7304.59.8040, 7304.59.8045, 
7304.59.8050, 7304.59.8055, 7304.59.8060, 7304.59.8065, 
7304.59.8070, 7304.59.8080, 7305.31.4000, 7305.31.6090, 
7306.30.5055, 7306.30.5090, 7306.50.5050, and 7306.50.5070.
    The HTSUS subheadings and specifications above are provided for 
convenience and customs purposes only. The written description of 
the scope of the investigations is dispositive.

[FR Doc. 2021-23715 Filed 10-29-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P