Notice of Postponement of Preliminary Antidumping Duty Determination: Certain Cold-Rolled Flat-Rolled Carbon-Quality Steel Products From Slovakia

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-859-801]

Notice of Postponement of Preliminary Antidumping Duty

Determination: Certain Cold-Rolled Flat-Rolled Carbon-Quality Steel

Products From Slovakia

AGENCY: Import Administration, International Trade Administration,

Department of Commerce.

EFFECTIVE DATE: December 13, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: LaVonne Jackson, Doug Campau, or

Abdelali Elouaradia, Office V, DAS Group II, Import Administration,

International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th

Street and Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone

(202) 482-3003, 482-1784, or (202) 482-0498, respectively.

POSTPONEMENT OF PRELIMINARY DETERMINATION: The Department of Commerce

(the Department) is postponing the preliminary determination in the

antidumping duty investigation of cold-rolled, flat-rolled, carbon-

quality steel products from Slovakia. The deadline for issuing the

preliminary determination in this investigation is now December 28,

1999.

On June 21, 1999, the Department initiated an antidumping

investigation of cold-rolled, flat-rolled, carbon-quality steel

products from Slovakia. See Initiation of Antidumping Duty

Investigations: Certain Cold-Rolled Flat-Rolled Carbon-Quality Steel

Products from Argentina, Brazil, the People's Republic of China,

Indonesia, Japan, the Russian Federation, Slovakia, South Africa,

Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, and Venezuela, 64 FR 34194 (June 25, 1999).

The notice stated that the Department would issue its preliminary

determinations no later than 140 days after the date of initiation

(i.e., November 8, 1999). The Department issued preliminary

determinations in the cases involving Argentina, Brazil, Japan, the

Russian Federation, South Africa, Thailand and Venezuela on November 1,

1999. On November 5, 1999, the Department postponed the deadline for

the preliminary determinations for the cases involving Taiwan,

Indonesia, China and Turkey until December 8, 1999.

On October 13, 1999, pursuant to section 771(18)(B) of the Tariff

Act of 1930, as amended (``the Act''), the Department revoked the non-

market economy status of Slovakia. As a result, the Department

discontinued the use of its non-market economy methodology in this

investigation, and has proceeded using its market economy methodology.

On October 19, 1999, in accordance with section 773(c)(1)(B) of the

Act, the Department concluded that this case is extraordinarily

complicated. Consequently, the Department postponed the date of the

preliminary determination in this investigation until December 8, 1999.

See Notice of Postponement of Preliminary Antidumping Duty

Determination: Certain Cold-Rolled Flat-Rolled Carbon-Quality Steel

Products from Slovakia, 64 FR 57482 (October 27, 1999). On November 10,

1999, the Department initiated a below-cost sales investigation,

requiring the acquisition and analysis of additional complex data.

Consequently, the Department has concluded that additional time is

[[Page 69492]]

necessary to issue the preliminary determination. Therefore, in light

of the fact that parties to this proceeding have been cooperating,

pursuant to section 733(c)(1) of the Act, the Department is postponing

the deadline for issuing this determination until December 28, 1999.

This extension is in accordance with section 733(c) of the Act and

19 CFR 351.205(b)(2).

Dated: December 6, 1999.

Richard W. Moreland,

Acting Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.

[FR Doc. 99-32103 Filed 12-10-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DS-M