[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 3, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 339-341]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-28944]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-489-849]


Certain Paper Shopping Bags From the Republic of Turkey: 
Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value

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

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily 
determines that certain paper shopping bags (paper bags) from the 
Republic of Turkey (Turkey) are being, or are likely to be, sold in the 
United States at less than fair value (LTFV). The period of 
investigation (POI) is April 1, 2022, through March 31, 2023. 
Interested parties are invited to comment on this preliminary 
determination.

DATES: Applicable January 3, 2024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeff Pedersen or Luke Caruso, AD/CVD 
Operations, Office IV, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue 
NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-2769 or (202) 482-2081, 
respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    This preliminary determination is made in accordance with section 
733(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). Commerce 
published the notice of initiation of this investigation in the Federal 
Register on June 27, 2023.\1\ On October 3, 2023, Commerce postponed 
the preliminary determination of this investigation until December 27, 
2023.\2\
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    \1\ See Certain Paper Shopping Bags from Cambodia, the People's 
Republic of China, Colombia, India, Malaysia, Portugal, Taiwan, the 
Republic of Turkey, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: 
Initiation of Less-Than-Fair Value Investigations, 88 FR 41589 (June 
27, 2023) (Initiation Notice).
    \2\ See Certain Paper Shopping Bags from Cambodia, the People's 
Republic of China, Colombia, India, Malaysia, Portugal, Taiwan, the 
Republic of Turkey, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: 
Postponement of Preliminary Determinations in the Less-Than-Fair 
Value Investigations, 88 FR 68097 (October 3, 2023).
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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 included 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 https://access.trade.gov. In addition, a complete 
version of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly 
at https://access.trade.gov/public/FRNoticesListLayout.aspx.
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    \3\ See Memorandum, ``Decision Memorandum for the Preliminary 
Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value in the 
Investigation of Certain Paper Shopping Bags from the Republic of 
Turkey,'' 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 paper bags from 
Turkey. 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\ in 
the Initiation Notice Commerce set aside a period of time for parties 
to raise issues regarding product coverage (i.e., scope).\5\ Certain 
interested parties commented on the scope of the investigation as it 
appeared in the Initiation Notice. For a summary of the product 
coverage comments and rebuttal responses submitted to the record for 
this investigation and accompanying discussion and analysis of all 
comments timely received, see the Preliminary Scope Decision 
Memorandum.\6\ As discussed in the Preliminary Scope Decision 
Memorandum, Commerce preliminarily modified the scope language as it 
appeared in the Initiation Notice. In the Preliminary Scope Decision 
Memorandum, Commerce established the deadline for parties to submit 
scope case and rebuttal briefs.
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    \4\ See Antidumping Duties; Countervailing Duties, Final Rule, 
62 FR 27296, 27323 (May 19, 1997).
    \5\ See Initiation Notice, 88 FR at 41590.
    \6\ See Memorandum, ``Preliminary Scope Decision Memorandum,'' 
dated concurrently with this notice (Preliminary Scope Decision 
Memorandum).
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Methodology

    Commerce is conducting this investigation in accordance with 
section 731 of the Act. Pursuant to section 776(a) and (b) of the Act, 
Commerce has preliminarily determined an estimated weighted-average 
dumping margin based upon the facts otherwise available, with adverse 
inferences (AFA), to the 15 companies that failed to respond to 
Commerce's quantity and value questionnaire and both mandatory 
respondents, Artpack Kagit Ambalaj Anonim Sirketi (Artpack) and Oztas 
Ambalaj Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. (Oztas). For a full description of the 
methodology underlying the preliminary determination, see the 
Preliminary Decision Memorandum.

All-Others Rate

    Sections 733(d)(1)(ii) and 735(c)(5)(A) of the Act provide that in 
the preliminary determination Commerce shall determine an estimated 
all-others rate for all exporters and producers not assigned individual 
rates. This rate shall be an amount equal to the weighted average of 
the estimated weighted-average dumping margins established for 
exporters and producers individually investigated, excluding rates that 
are zero, de minimis or determined entirely under section 776 of the 
Act. However, pursuant to section 735(c)(5)(B) of the Act, if the 
estimated weighted-average dumping margins established for all 
exporters and producers individually examined are zero, de minimis or 
determined based entirely on facts otherwise available, Commerce may 
use any reasonable method to establish the estimated

[[Page 340]]

weighted-average dumping margin for all other producers or exporters.
    Commerce has preliminarily determined the estimated dumping margin 
for each of the individually examined respondents under sections 776(a) 
and (b) of the Act. Consequently, pursuant to section 735(c)(5)(B) of 
the Act, Commerce's normal practice under these circumstances has been 
to calculate the all-others rate as a simple average of the dumping 
margins alleged in the petition.\7\ For a full description of the 
methodology underlying Commerce's analysis, see the Preliminary 
Decision Memorandum.
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    \7\ See, e.g., Notice of Preliminary Determination of Sales at 
Less Than Fair Value: Sodium Nitrite from the Federal Republic of 
Germany, 73 FR 21909, 21912 (April 23, 2008), unchanged in Notice of 
Final Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value: Sodium Nitrite 
from the Federal Republic of Germany, 73 FR 38986, 38987 (July 8, 
2008), and accompanying Issues and Decision Memorandum at Comment 2; 
see also Notice of Final Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair 
Value: Raw Flexible Magnets from Taiwan, 73 FR 39673, 39674 (July 
10, 2008); Steel Threaded Rod from Thailand: Preliminary 
Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value and Affirmative 
Preliminary Determination of Critical Circumstances, 78 FR 79670, 
79671 (December 31, 2013), unchanged in Steel Threaded Rod from 
Thailand: Final Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value and 
Affirmative Final Determination of Critical Circumstances, 79 FR 
14476, 14477 (March 14, 2014).
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Preliminary Determination

    Commerce preliminarily determines that the following estimated 
dumping margins exist:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                Dumping
                    Exporter or producer                        margin
                                                               (percent)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Artpack Kagit Ambalaj Anonim Sirketi........................     * 47.56
Oztas Ambalaj Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S.........................     * 47.56
Babet Kagitsilik............................................     * 47.56
Bati Kraft Torba Ambalaj....................................     * 47.56
BFT Packaging...............................................     * 47.56
Cicupack Ambalaj............................................     * 47.56
Ekopack Kagit Ambalaj.......................................     * 47.56
Elhadefler A.S..............................................     * 47.56
Esda Pack Ambalaj...........................................     * 47.56
Haypack Ambalaj.............................................     * 47.56
Jefira Global Dis...........................................     * 47.56
Kahramanmara[scedil] Ka[gbreve][inodot]t Sanayi ve Ticaret       * 47.56
 Anonim [Scedil]irketi......................................
Multi Kraft Ambalaj.........................................     * 47.56
Rad Tekstil.................................................     * 47.56
Suleyman Tabak Kagitcilik...................................     * 47.56
Sunvision Tekstil...........................................     * 47.56
Umur Basim..................................................     * 47.56
Yildez Paper Bag Ambalaj Pazarlama..........................     * 47.56
All Others..................................................       26.32
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Rate based on AFA.

Suspension of Liquidation

    In accordance with section 733(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 Appendix I, entered, 
or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the date of 
publication of this notice in the Federal Register. Further, pursuant 
to section 733(d)(1)(B) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.205(d), Commerce will 
instruct CBP to require a cash deposit equal to the estimated weighted-
average dumping margin or the estimated all-others rate, as follows: 
(1) the cash deposit rate for the respondents listed in the table above 
will be equal to the company-specific estimated dumping margins 
determined in this preliminary determination; (2) if the exporter is 
not a respondent identified in the table above, but the producer is, 
then the cash deposit rate will be equal to the company-specific 
estimated dumping margin established for that producer of the subject 
merchandise; and (3) the cash deposit rate for all other producers and 
exporters will be equal to the all-others estimated dumping margin. 
These suspension of liquidation instructions will remain in effect 
until further notice.

Disclosure

    Normally, Commerce discloses to parties to the proceeding the 
calculations performed in connection with a preliminary determination 
within five days of any public announcement or, if there is no public 
announcement, within five days of the date of publication of the notice 
of preliminary determination in the Federal Register, in accordance 
with 19 CFR 351.224(b). However, because Commerce preliminarily applied 
AFA to the individually-examined companies Artpack and Oztas in this 
investigation, in accordance with sections 776(a) and (b) of the Act, 
and the applied AFA rate is based solely on the petition, there are no 
calculations to disclose.

Verification

    Because the mandatory respondents in this investigation did not 
provide the information that was requested by Commerce, and Commerce 
preliminarily determines that each of the mandatory respondents have 
been uncooperative, it will not conduct verification.

Public Comment

    Case briefs or other written comments may be submitted to the 
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance no later than 21 
days after the date of publication of the preliminary determination in 
the Federal Register.\8\ Rebuttal briefs, limited to issues raised in 
case briefs, may be filed not later than five days after the date for 
filing case briefs.\9\ Interested parties who submit case briefs or 
rebuttal briefs in this proceeding must submit: (1) a table of contents 
listing each issue; and (2) a table of authorities.\10\
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    \8\ See 19 CFR 351.309(c)(1)(i); and 19 CFR 351.303 (for general 
filling requirements). Commerce has exercised its discretion under 
19 CFR 351.309(c)(1)(i) to alter the time limit for submission of 
case briefs.
    \9\ See 19 CFR 351.309(d); see also Administrative Protective 
Order, Service, and Other Procedures in Antidumping and 
Countervailing Duty Proceedings, 88 FR 67069, 67077 (September 29, 
2023) (APO and Service Final Rule).
    \10\ See 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2).
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    As provided under 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2), in prior 
proceedings we have encouraged interested parties to provide an 
executive summary of their brief that should be limited to five pages 
total, including footnotes. In this investigation, we instead request 
that interested parties provide at the beginning of their briefs a 
public, executive summary for each issue raised in their briefs.\11\ 
Further, we request that interested parties limit their executive 
summary of each issue to no more than 450 words, not including 
citations. We intend to use the executive summaries as the basis of the 
comment summaries included in the issues and decision memorandum that 
will accompany the final determination in this investigation. We 
request that interested parties include footnotes for relevant 
citations in the executive summary of each issue. Note that Commerce 
has amended certain of its requirements pertaining to the service of 
documents in 19 CFR 351.303(f).\12\
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    \11\ We use the term ``issue'' here to describe an argument that 
Commerce would normally address in a comment of the Issues and 
Decision Memorandum.
    \12\ See APO and Service Final 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 in the Federal Register. 
Requests for a hearing should contain: (1) the requesting party's name, 
address, and telephone number; (2) the number of individuals associated 
with the requesting party that will attend the hearing and whether any 
of those individuals is a foreign national; and (3) a list of the 
issues the party intends to discuss at the hearing.

[[Page 341]]

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 hearing date.

Final Determination

    Section 735(a)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.210(b)(1) provide that 
Commerce will issue the final determination within 75 days after the 
date of its preliminary determination. Accordingly, Commerce will make 
its final determination no later than 75 days after the signature date 
of this preliminary determination, unless extended.

U.S. International Trade Commission Notification

    In accordance with section 733(f) of the Act, Commerce will notify 
the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) of its preliminary 
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 
whether these imports are materially injuring, or threaten material 
injury to, the U.S. industry.

Notification to Interested Parties

    This determination is issued and published in accordance with 
sections 733(f) and 777(i)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.205(c).

    Dated: December 27, 2023.
Abdelali Elouaradia,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.

Appendix I

Scope of the Investigation

    The products within the scope of this investigation are paper 
shopping bags with handles of any type, regardless of whether there 
is any printing, regardless of how the top edges are finished (e.g., 
folded, serrated, or otherwise finished), regardless of color, and 
regardless of whether the top edges contain adhesive or other 
material for sealing closed. Subject paper shopping bags have a 
width of at least 4.5 inches and depth of at least 2.5 inches.
    Paper shopping bags typically are made of kraft paper but can be 
made from any type of cellulose fiber, paperboard, or pressboard 
with a basis weight less than 300 grams per square meter (GSM).
    A non-exhaustive illustrative list of the types of handles on 
shopping bags covered by the scope include handles made from any 
materials such as twisted paper, flat paper, yarn, ribbon, rope, 
string, or plastic, as well as die-cut handles (whether the punchout 
is fully removed or partially attached as a flap).
    Excluded from the scope are:
     Paper sacks or bags that are of a \1/6\ or \1/7\ barrel 
size (i.e., 11.5-12.5 inches in width, 6.5-7.5 inches in depth, and 
13.5-17.5 inches in height) with flat paper handles or die-cut 
handles;
     Paper sacks or bags with die-cut handles, a grams per 
square meter paper weight of less than 86 GSM, and a height of less 
than 11.5 inches; and
     Paper sacks or bags (i) with non-paper handles made 
wholly of woven ribbon or other similar woven fabric and (ii) that 
are finished with folded tops or for which tied knots or t-bar 
aglets (made of wood, metal, or plastic) are used to secure the 
handles to the bags.
    The above-referenced dimensions are provided for paper bags in 
the opened position. The height of the bag is the distance from the 
bottom fold edge to the top edge (i.e., excluding the height of 
handles that extend above the top edge). The depth of the bag is the 
distance from the front of the bag edge to the back of the bag edge 
(typically measured at the bottom of the bag). The width of the bag 
is measured from the left to the right edges of the front and back 
panels (upon which the handles typically are located).
    This merchandise is currently classifiable under Harmonized 
Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) subheadings 
4819.30.0040 and 4819.40.0040. The HTSUS subheadings are provided 
for convenience and customs purposes only; the written description 
of the scope is dispositive.

Appendix II

List of Topics Discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum

I. Summary
II. Background
III. Period of Investigation
IV. Application of Facts Available and Use of Adverse Inferences
V. All-Others Rate
VI. Recommendation

[FR Doc. 2023-28944 Filed 1-2-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P