Notice of Postponement of Preliminary Determinations: Antidumping Duty Investigations of Circular Welded Non-Alloy Steel Pipe From Romania and South Africa

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

[A-485-804, A-791-803]

Notice of Postponement of Preliminary Determinations: Antidumping

Duty Investigations of Circular Welded Non-Alloy Steel Pipe From

Romania and South Africa

AGENCY: Import Administration, International Trade Administration,

Department of Commerce.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Beck or Jennifer Stagner, Office

of Antidumping Investigations, Import Administration, U.S. Department

of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington D.C.

20230; telephone (202) 482-3464 or (202) 482-1673, respectively.

The Applicable Statute

Unless otherwise indicated, all citations to the statute are

references to the provisions effective January 1, 1995, the effective

date of the amendments made to the Tariff Act of 1930 (the Act) by the

Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA).

Summary: The Department of Commerce (the Department) is postponing its

preliminary determinations in the antidumping duty investigations of

circular welded non-alloy steel pipe from Romania and South Africa. The

deadline for issuing these preliminary determinations is now no later

than November 15, 1995.

Supplementary Information: On May 16, 1995, the Department initiated

antidumping duty investigations of circular welded non-alloy steel pipe

from Romania and South Africa (60 FR 27078, May 22, 1995). The notice

stated that we would issue our preliminary determinations on October 5,

1995.

On June 12, 1995, the U.S. International Trade Commission

determined that there was a reasonable indication that an industry in

the United States is materially injured or threatened with material

injury by reason of imports of circular welded non-alloy steel pipe

from Romania and South Africa.

Postponement of Preliminary Determination

We have determined that the investigations are extraordinarily

complicated within the meaning of section 733(c)(1)(B)(i) of the Act.

Given the non-market economy status of Romania, the nature of

government ownership of the participating companies raises novel issues

which must be further examined. In addition, establishing surrogate

values for the factors of production is complex and will require

additional time.

For South Africa, we find that additional time is necessary to make

the preliminary determination due to the novelty of issues presented in

this case. The questionnaire used in this investigation was

significantly revised to reflect the changes mandated by the URAA.

Since issuing this questionnaire to the respondents, we have discovered

that it contains certain ambiguities. Accordingly, we need additional

time to issue clarified questions to the respondents, to allow them to

submit responses, and to incorporate this information into our analysis

for purposes of the preliminary determination.

Furthermore, we have determined that the parties concerned are

cooperating, as required by section 733(c)(1)(B)(i) of the Act, and

that additional time is necessary to make these preliminary

determinations in accordance with section 733(c)(1)(B)(ii) of the Act.

For these reasons, the deadline for issuing these determinations is

now no later than November 15, 1995.

This notice is published pursuant to section 733(c)(2) of the Act.

Dated September 14, 1995.

Barbara R. Stafford,

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Investigations, Import Administration.

[FR Doc. 95-23336 Filed 9-19-95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P