Certain Corrosion-Resistant Carbon Steel Flat Products From Japan: Notice of Initiation of Changed Circumstances Administrative Review of the Antidumping Duty Order, Preliminary Results of Changed Circumstances Review, and Intent To Revoke Order in Part

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-588-824]

Certain Corrosion-Resistant Carbon Steel Flat Products From

Japan: Notice of Initiation of Changed Circumstances Administrative

Review of the Antidumping Duty Order, Preliminary Results of Changed

Circumstances Review, and Intent To Revoke Order in Part

AGENCY: Import Administration, International Trade Administration,

Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of initiation and preliminary results of changed

circumstances antidumping duty administrative review, and intent to

revoke order in part.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In response to a request, in accordance with section

351.216(b) of our regulations, from Sudo Corporation (Sudo), an

interested party in these proceedings, the Department of Commerce (the

Department) is initiating a changed circumstances administrative review

and issuing a notice of intent to revoke in part the antidumping duty

order on certain corrosion-resistant carbon steel flat products from

Japan. Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary

results.

EFFECTIVE DATE: November 10, 1997.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gideon Katz or Maureen Flannery,

Import Administration, International Trade Administration, U.S.

Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W.,

Washington, D.C. 20230; telephone: (202) 482-5255, (202) 482-3020,

respectively.

The Applicable Statute and Regulations

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 Rounds Agreements Act. In addition, unless otherwise indicated,

all citations to the Department's regulations are to the regulations as

codified at 19 CFR part 351, 62 FR 27295 (May 19, 1997).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On September 19, 1997, Sudo requested that the Department revoke in

part the antidumping duty order on certain corrosion-resistant carbon

steel flat products from Japan. Specifically, Sudo requested that the

Department revoke the order with respect to imports of this product

with widths ranging from 10 millimeters (0.394 inches) through 100

millimeters (3.94 inches) and thicknesses ranging from 0.11 millimeters

(0.004 inches) through 0.60 millimeters (0.024 inches). Sudo, a

domestic manufacturer of a small, thin, circular shield that is used as

a seal on the casings of wheels containing ball bearings, is an

importer of this product. On October 28, 1997, AK Steel Corporation

(AK), Bethlehem Steel Corporation (Bethlehem), Inland Steel Industries,

Inc. (Inland), LTV Steel Company (LTV), National Steel Corporation

(National), and U.S. Steel Group, A Unit of USX Corporation (U.S.

Steel), domestic interested parties in this case, submitted a letter

indicating they have no objection to the initiation of this changed

circumstances review and no interest in maintaining the antidumping

duty order on corrosion-resistant carbon steel flat products from Japan

with respect to the product with the dimensions indicated above. Based

on the fact that this portion of this order is no longer of interest to

domestic parties, we intend to partially revoke this order.

Initiation of Changed Circumstances Antidumping Duty Administrative

Review, and Intent To Revoke Order in Part

Pursuant to section 751(d)(1) and 782(h)(2) of the Act, the

Department may partially revoke an antidumping or countervailing duty

order based on a review under section 751(b) of the Act (i.e., a

changed circumstances review). Section 751(b)(1) of the Act requires a

changed circumstances administrative review to be conducted upon

receipt of a request which shows changed circumstances sufficient to

warrant a review. Section 351.222(g) of the Department's regulations

provides that the Department will conduct a changed circumstances

administrative review under 19 CFR 351.216, and may revoke an order in

whole or in part if it determines that producers accounting for

substantially all of the production of the domestic like product to

which the order (or the part of the order to be revoked) pertains have

expressed a lack of interest in the order, in whole or in part. In

addition, in the event that the Department concludes that expedited

action is warranted, 19 CFR 351.221(c)(3)(ii) permits the Department to

combine the notices of initiation and preliminary results.

Therefore, in accordance with sections 751(d)(1) and 782(h)(2) of

the Act, and 19 CFR 351.216 and 351.222(g), based on affirmative

statements of no interest by AK, Bethlehem, Inland, LTV, National, and

U.S. Steel in continuing the order with respect to corrosion-resistant

carbon steel flat products with widths ranging from 10 millimeters

(0.394 inches) through 100 millimeters (3.94 inches) and thicknesses

ranging from 0.11 millimeters (0.004 inches) through 0.60 millimeters

(0.024 inches), we are initiating this changed circumstances

administrative review. Furthermore, we determine that expedited action

is warranted, and we preliminarily determine that continued coverage of

corrosion-resistant carbon steel flat products within the width and

thickness range mentioned above is no longer of interest to domestic

interested parties. Because we have concluded that expedited action is

warranted, we are combining these notices of initiation and preliminary

results. Therefore, we are hereby notifying the public of our intent to

revoke in part the antidumping duty order with respect to imports of

corrosion-resistant carbon steel flat products of the above-mentioned

width and thickness range from Japan.

If final revocation in part occurs, we intend to instruct the U.S.

Customs Service (Customs) to liquidate without regard to antidumping

duties, and to refund any estimated antidumping duties collected for

all entries of corrosion-resistant carbon steel flat products, with the

dimensions indicated above, made on or after the date of publication in

the Federal Register of the final results of these reviews in

[[Page 60471]]

accordance with 19 CFR 351.222. We will also instruct Customs to pay

interest on such refunds in accordance with section 778 of the Act. The

current requirement for a cash deposit of estimated antidumping duties

on corrosion-resistant carbon steel flat products, with the dimensions

indicated above, will continue unless and until we publish a final

determination to revoke in part.

Public Comment

Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary

results. Parties who submit argument in this proceeding are requested

to submit with the argument (1) a statement of the issue, and (2) a

brief summary of the argument. Parties to the proceedings may request

disclosure within 5 days of the date of publication of this notice and

any interested party may request a hearing within 10 days of

publication. Any hearing, if requested, will be held no later than 28

days after the date of publication of this notice, or the first workday

thereafter. Case briefs may be submitted by interested parties not

later than 14 days after the date of publication of this notice.

Rebuttal briefs and rebuttals to written comments, limited to the

issues raised in those comments, may be filed not later than 21 days

after the date of publication of this notice. All written comments

shall be submitted in accordance with 19 CFR 351.303 and shall be

served on all interested parties on the Department's service list in

accordance with 19 CFR 351.303. Persons interested in attending the

hearing should contact the Department for the date and time of the

hearing. The Department will publish the final results of this changed

circumstances review, including the results of its analysis of issues

raised in any written comments. This notice is in accordance with

sections 751(b)(1) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.216 and 351.222.

Dated: November 3, 1997.

Robert S. LaRussa,

Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.

[FR Doc. 97-29631 Filed 11-7-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P