Postponement of final Determination of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Investigations of Hot-Rolled Flat-Rolled Carbon- Quality Steel From Brazil

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[(A-351-828); (C-351-829)]

Postponement of final Determination of Antidumping and

Countervailing Duty Investigations of Hot-Rolled Flat-Rolled Carbon-

Quality Steel From Brazil

AGENCY: Import Administration, International Trade Administration,

Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of extension of time limit.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce (the Department) is extending the

time limit of the final determinations of the antidumping and

countervailing duty investigations of hot-rolled flat-rolled carbon-

quality steel from Brazil.

EFFECTIVE DATE: February 26, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Linda Ludwig, Office of AD/CVD

Enforcement, Group III, or Chris Cassell, Office of AD/CVD Enforcement

Group II, Import Administration, International Trade Administration,

U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW,

Washington, DC 20230; telephone (202) 482-3833 or (202) 482-4847,

respectively.

The Applicable Statute

Unless otherwise indicated, all citations to the Tariff Act of 1930

(the Act), as amended, are references to the provisions effective

January 1, 1995, the effective date of the amendments made to the Act

by the Uruguay Round Agreements Act (URAA). In addition, all citations

to the Department's regulations are to the regulations at 19 CFR Part

351 (1998).

Postponement of Final Determinations and Extension of Provisional

Measures

Pursuant to Section 735(a)(2) of the Act, on February 2, 1999,

Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (CSN), Usinas Siderurgicas de Minas

Gerais, S.A., (USIMINAS), and Companhia Siderurgica Paulista (COSIPA)

requested that, in the event of affirmative preliminary determination,

the Department postpone the final determination in this case the full

sixty days permitted by statute (19 U.S.C. 1673d(a)(2)). On February 4,

1999, CSN, USIMINAS, and COSIPA also requested an extension of the

provisional measures (i.e., suspension of liquidation) period from four

to six months in accordance with the Department's regulations (19 CFR

351.201(e)(2)). On February 12, 1999, the affirmative preliminary

determination was signed. Therefore, in accordance with 19 CFR

351.210(e)(2)(ii), because our preliminary determination is

affirmative, and respondents requesting a postponement represent a

significant proportion of exports of the subject merchandise from

Brazil, we are postponing this final determination. However, because we

have determined that an additional 30 days should be sufficient to

resolve the issues in this case, we are extending the deadline for the

final determination until no later

[[Page 9475]]

than June 4, 1999, which is 105 days after the publication of the

preliminary determination in the Federal Register. Suspension of

liquidation will be extended accordingly.

In addition, because the countervailing duty investigation of hot-

rolled flat-rolled carbon-quality steel products from Brazil has been

aligned with the concurrent antidumping duty investigation under

section 705(a)(1) of the Act, the time limit for completion of the

final determination in the countervailing duty investigation will be

the same date as the final determination of the concurrent antidumping

duty investigation.

This notice of postponement is published pursuant to 19 CFR

351.210(g).

Dated: February 19, 1999.

Richard W. Moreland,

Acting Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.

[FR Doc. 99-4858 Filed 2-25-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-DS-M