Requirements for Submissions Requesting Exclusions From the Adjustment of Imports of Aluminum and Steel Imposed Pursuant to Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as Amended

Requirements for Submissions Requesting Exclusions From the Adjustment of Imports of Aluminum and Steel Imposed Pursuant to Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as Amended

On March 8, 2018, the President issued Proclamations 9704 and 9705 concurring with the findings of the January 11, 2018 reports of the Secretary of Commerce on the effects of imports of aluminum and steel mill articles (steel articles) on the national security and determining that adjusting aluminum and steel imports through the imposition of duties is necessary so that their imports will no longer threaten to impair the national security. Clause 3 of Proclamations 9704 and 9705 also authorized the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of State, the United States Trade Representative, the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, and other senior Executive Branch officials as appropriate, to grant exclusions from the duties at the request of directly affected parties located in the United States if the requested steel or aluminum article is determined not to be produced in the United States in a sufficient and reasonably available amount or of a satisfactory quality or based upon specific national security considerations. On August 29, 2018, the President issued Proclamation 9776. Clause 1 of Proclamation 9776, authorizes the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Defense, the United States Trade Representative, the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, and such other senior Executive Branch officials as the Secretary deems appropriate, to provide relief from the applicable quantitative limitations set forth in Proclamation 9740 and Proclamation 9759 for steel articles and as set forth in Proclamation 9739 and 9758 for aluminum articles and their accompanying annexes, as amended, at the request of a directly affected party located in the United States for any steel or aluminum article determined by the Secretary to not be produced in the United States in a sufficient and reasonably available amount or of a satisfactory quality. The Secretary is also authorized to provide such relief based upon specific national security considerations.

(a) Scope. This supplement specifies the requirements and process for how directly affected parties located in the United States may submit requests for exclusions from the duties and quantitative limitations imposed by the President. This supplement also specifies the requirements and process for how parties in the United States may submit objections to submitted exclusion requests for relief from the duties or quantitative limitations imposed by the President and the process for rebuttals to submitted objections and surrebuttals (collectively, “232 submissions”). This supplement identifies the time periods for such submissions, the methods of submission, and the information that must be included in such submissions.

(b) Required forms. The 232 Exclusions Portal (https://www.commerce.gov/page/section-232-investigations) includes four web-based forms that are to be used for submitting exclusion requests, objections to exclusion requests, rebuttals, and surrebuttals described in this supplement. On the 232 Exclusions Portal, each web-based form is available on the portal at the bottom of the preceding filing. For example, a party submitting an objection will access the objection form by scrolling to the bottom of the exclusion request, a rebuttal filer will access the rebuttal form by scrolling to the bottom of the objection form, and a surrebuttal filer would access the surrebuttal form by scrolling to the bottom of the rebuttal form. The U.S. Department of Commerce requires requesters and objectors to use the appropriate form as specified under paragraphs (b)(1) and (2) of this supplement for submitting exclusion requests and objections to submitted exclusion requests and the forms specified under paragraphs (b)(3) and (4) of this supplement for submitting rebuttals and surrebuttals. In addition, submitters of exclusion requests, objections to submitted exclusion requests, rebuttals, and surrebuttals to the 232 Exclusions Portal will be required to complete a web-based registration on the 232 Exclusions Portal prior to submitting any documents. In order to register, submitters will be required to provide an email and establish a password for the account. After completing the registration, submitters will be able to login to an account on the 232 Exclusions Portal and submit exclusion requests, objections, rebuttals, and surrebuttal documents.

(1) Form required for submitting exclusion requests. The full name of the form used for submitting steel exclusion requests is Request for Exclusion from Remedies: Section 232 National Security Investigation of Steel Imports. The full name of the form used for submitting aluminum exclusion requests is Request for Exclusion from Remedies: Section 232 National Security Investigation of Aluminum Imports. The Title of the web-based fillable form for both steel and aluminum in the 232 Exclusions Portal is Exclusion Request.

(2) Form required for submitting objections to submitted exclusion requests. The name of the form used for submitting objections to submitted steel exclusion requests is Objection Filing to Posted Section 232 Exclusion Request: Steel. The name of the form used for submitting objections to submitted aluminum exclusion requests is Objection Filing to Posted Section 232 Exclusion Request: Aluminum. The Title of the web-based fillable form for both steel and aluminum in the 232 Exclusions Portal is Objection.

(3) Form required for submitting rebuttals. The name of the form used for submitting rebuttals to steel objections is Rebuttal to Objection Received for Section 232 Exclusion Request: Steel. The name of the form used for submitting rebuttals to aluminum objections is Rebuttal to Objection Received for Section 232 Exclusion Request: Aluminum. The Title of the web-based fillable form for both steel and aluminum in the 232 Exclusions Portal is Rebuttal.

(4) Form required for submitting surrebuttals. The name of the form used for submitting surrebuttals to steel objections is Surrebuttal to Rebuttal Received on Section 232 Objection: Steel. The name of the form used for submitting surrebuttals to aluminum objections is Surrebuttal to Rebuttal Received on Section 232 Objection: Aluminum. The Title of the web-based fillable form for both steel and aluminum in the 232 Exclusions Portal is Surrebuttal.

Note to Paragraphs (b)(1) Through (4):

On the 232 Exclusions Portal, each exclusion request is assigned a distinct ID #, which is also used with its associated 232 submissions, but preceded with an acronym indicating the file type: Exclusion Requests (ER ID #), Objection (OF ID #), Rebuttals (RB ID #) and Surrebuttals (SR ID #). For an example of the four possible types of 232 submissions associated with a single exclusion request, you could have ER ID 237, OF ID 237, RB ID 237 and SR ID 237. The 232 Exclusions Portal will automatically assign the two letter designator depending on the type of web-based form being submitted in the portal and will assign an ID number to the original exclusion request and that ID number will be common to any objection, rebuttal, or surrebuttal submitted pertaining to the same exclusion request.

(5) Public disclosure and information protected from public disclosure.

(i) Information submitted in 232 submissions will be subject to public review and made available for public inspection and copying, except for the information described in paragraph (b)(5)(iii) of this supplement. Individuals and organizations must fully complete the relevant forms.

(ii) Information not subject to public disclosure should not be submitted. Personally identifiable information, including social security numbers and employer identification numbers, should not be provided. Information that is subject to government-imposed access and dissemination or other specific national security controls, e.g., classified information or information that has U.S. Government restrictions on dissemination to non-U.S. citizens or other categories of persons that would prohibit public disclosure of the information, may not be included in 232 submissions. Individuals and organizations that have confidential business information (“CBI”) that they believe relevant to the Secretary's consideration of the 232 submission should so indicate in the appropriate field of the relevant form, or on the rebuttal or surrebuttal submission, following the procedures in paragraph (b)(5)(iii) of this supplement.

(iii) Procedures for identifying, but not disclosing confidential or proprietary business information (CBI) in the public version, and procedures for submitting CBI. For persons seeking to submit confidential or proprietary business information (CBI), the 232 submission available to the public must contain a summary of the CBI in sufficient detail to permit a reasonable understanding of the substance of the information. If the submitting person claims that summarization is not possible, the claim must be accompanied by a full explanation of the reasons supporting that claim. Generally, numerical data will be considered adequately summarized if grouped or presented in terms of indices or figures within ten percent of the actual figure. If an individual portion of the numerical data is voluminous (e.g., five pages of numerical data), at least one percent of the numerical data, representative of that portion, must be summarized. In order to submit CBI that is not for public release as a separate email submission to the U.S. Department of Commerce, you must follow the procedures in paragraphs (b)(3)(iii)(A)-(D) of this supplement to assist the U.S. Department of Commerce in identifying these submissions and associating these submissions with the respective 232 submission in the 232 Exclusions Portal. Submitters with classified information should contact the U.S. Department of Commerce for instructions on the appropriate methods to send this type of information.

(A) For CBI related to exclusion requests or objections, check the appropriate box in the 232 Exclusions Portal indicating that the filer has relevant CBI for consideration. If Commerce determines after review that the CBI is needed, Commerce will directly request the CBI from the exclusion requester or objector as warranted.

(B) For CBI related to rebuttals or surrebuttals, on the same day that you submit your 232 submission in the 232 Exclusions Portal, submit the CBI via email to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The email address used is different depending on the type of submission the emailed CBI is for, as follows: CBI for rebuttals use [e-mail]; and CBI for surrebuttals use [e-mail].

(C) For rebuttals and surrebuttals pertaining to 232 submissions for exclusion requests the email subject line must only include the original 232 Exclusions Portal Exclusion Request (ER) ID # and the body of the email must include the 232 Exclusions Portal Rebuttal (RB) ID #, or Surrebuttal (SR) ID # you received from the 232 Exclusions Portal when you successfully submitted your rebuttal or surrebuttal. These naming conventions used in the 232 Exclusions Portal, respectively, will assist the U.S. Department of Commerce to associate the CBI that will not be posted in the 232 Exclusions Portal with the information included in the public submission.

(D) Submit the CBI as an attachment to that email. The CBI is limited to a maximum of five pages per rebuttal or surrebuttal. The email is to be limited to sending your CBI. All other information for the public submission, and public versions of the CBI, where appropriate, for a 232 submission in the 232 Exclusions Portal following the procedures identified in this supplement, as appropriate.

Note 1 to Paragraph (b) for Submissions of Supporting Documents (Attachments):

Supporting attachments must be emailed as PDF documents.

Note 2 to Paragraph (b):

It is a criminal offense to willfully make a false statement or representation to any department or agency of the United States Government as to any matter within its jurisdiction [18 U.S.C. 1001(2018)].

(c) Exclusion requests.

(1) Who may submit an exclusion request? Only directly affected individuals or organizations located in the United States may submit an exclusion request. An individual or organization is “directly affected” if they are using steel in business activities (e.g., construction, manufacturing, or supplying steel product to users) in the United States.

(2) Identification of exclusion requests. Separate exclusion requests must be submitted for steel products with chemistry by percentage breakdown by weight, metallurgical properties, surface quality (e.g., galvanized, coated), and critical dimensions covered by a common HTSUS statistical reporting number. Separate exclusion requests must be submitted for aluminum products with critical dimensions covered by a common HTSUS statistical reporting number. The exclusion request forms allow for minimum and maximum dimensions. A permissible range must be within the minimum and maximum range that is specified in the HTSUS statistical reporting number and applicable notes. Separate exclusion requests must also be submitted for products falling in more than one ten-digit HTSUS statistical reporting number. The U.S. Department of Commerce will approve exclusions on a product basis, and the approvals will be limited to the individual or organization that submitted the specific exclusion request, unless Commerce approves a broader application of the product-based exclusion request to apply to additional importers. Other directly-affected individuals or organizations located in the United States that wish to submit an exclusion request for a steel or aluminum product that has already been the subject of an approved exclusion request may submit an exclusion request under this supplement. These additional exclusion requests by other directly-affected individuals or organizations in the United States are not required to reference the previously approved exclusion but are advised to do so, if they want Commerce to take that exclusion into account when reviewing a subsequent exclusion request. Directly affected individuals and organizations in the United States will not be precluded from submitting a request for exclusion of a product even though an exclusion request submitted for that product by another requester or that requester was denied or is no longer valid.

(3) Where to submit exclusion requests? All exclusion requests must be submitted directly on the 232 Exclusions Portal (https://www.commerce.gov/page/section-232-investigations).

(4) No time limit for submitting exclusion requests. Exclusion requests may be submitted at any time.

(5)

(i) Substance of exclusion requests. An exclusion request must specify the business activities in the United States within which the requester is engaged that qualify the individual or organization to be directly affected and thus eligible to submit an exclusion request. The request should clearly identify, and provide support for, the basis upon which the exclusion is sought. An exclusion will only be granted if an article is not produced in the United States in a sufficient, reasonably available amount, and of a satisfactory quality, or for specific national security considerations.

(ii) Certification for volume requested. In order to ensure that the volume requested in an exclusion request is consistent with legitimate business needs for the same steel or aluminum articles obtained (i.e., imported from abroad either directly by the requester or indirectly by purchasing from distributors) by the entity requesting an exclusion, the following certification in paragraphs (c)(5)(ii)(A)-(E) must be acknowledged in the 232 Exclusions Portal when completing the submission of a 232 exclusion request. The exclusion request certification for volume requested must be signed by an organization official specifically authorized to certify the document (the certification being made in the 232 Exclusions Portal) as being accurate and complete. The undersigned certifies in the 232 Exclusions Portal that the information herein supplied in response to this paragraph is complete and correct to the best of his/her knowledge. By signing the certification below, I attest that:

(A) My organization intends to manufacture, process, or otherwise transform the imported product for which I have filed an exclusion request or I have a purchase order or orders for such products;

(B) My organization does not intend to use the exclusion for which I have filed an exclusion request, if granted, solely to hedge or arbitrage the price;

(C) My organization expects to consume, sell, or otherwise use the total volume of product across all my active exclusions and pending exclusion requests in the course of my organization's business activities within the next calendar year;

(D) If my organization is submitting an exclusion request for a product for which we previously received an exclusion, I certify that my organization either imported the full amount of our approved exclusion(s) last year or intended to import the full amount but could not due to one of the following reasons:

(1) Loss of contract(s);

(2) Unanticipated business downturns; or

(3) Other factors that were beyond my organization's control that directly resulted in less need for steel or aluminum articles; and

(E) I certify that the exclusion amount requested this year is in line with what my organization expects to import based on our current business outlook. If requested by the Department of Commerce, my organization shall provide documentation that justifies its assertions in this certification regarding its past imports of steel or aluminum articles and its projections for the current year, as it relates to past and current calendar year exclusion requests.

Note to Paragraphs (c)(5)(i) and (ii):

Any exclusion request that does not include a certification made in accordance with (c)(5)(ii) will be treated as an incomplete submission and will therefore be rejected.

(6) Criteria used to review exclusion requests. The U.S. Department of Commerce will review each exclusion request to determine whether an article described in an exclusion request meets any of the following three criteria: The article is not produced in the United States in an amount which can be delivered in a time period equal to or less than the time needed for the requester to obtain the product from their foreign supplier, is not produced in the United States in a satisfactory quality, or for specific national security considerations. The reviews will be made on a case-by-case basis to determine whether the requester has shown that the article is not produced in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available amount or of a satisfactory quality, or that there are specific national security considerations to grant the exclusion. To provide additional context on the meaning and application of the criteria, paragraphs (c)(6)(i)-(iii) of this supplement define keys terms used in the review criteria and provide illustrative application examples. The U.S. Department of Commerce will use the same criteria identified in paragraphs (c)(6)(i)-(iii) of this supplement when determining whether it is warranted to approve broader product-based exclusions based on trends the Department may see over time with 232 submissions. The public is not permitted to request broader product-based exclusions that would apply to all importers, because the Department makes these determinations over time by evaluating the macro trends in 232 submissions. Items for which a broader determination has been made will be identified in supplements no. 2 or 3 to part 705.

(i) Not produced in the United States in a sufficient and reasonably available amount. The exclusion review criterion “Not produced in the United States in a sufficient and reasonably available amount” means that the amount that is needed by the end user requesting the exclusion is not available immediately in the United States to meet its specified business activities. Available “immediately” means that a product (whether it is currently being produced in the United States, or could be produced in the United States) can be delivered by a U.S. producer “within eight weeks”, or, if that is not possible, by a date earlier than the time required for the requester to obtain the entire quantity of the product from the requester's foreign supplier. Furthermore, to the extent that an objector can produce and deliver a portion, which is less than 100 percent, but ten percent or more, of the amount of steel or aluminum needed in the business activities of the user in the United States described in the exclusion request, the Department of Commerce may deny a requested exclusion for that percentage of imported steel or aluminum. It is incumbent upon both the exclusion requester, and objecting producers, to provide supplemental evidence supporting their claimed delivery times.

(ii) Not produced in the United States in a satisfactory quality. The exclusion review criterion “not produced in the United States in a satisfactory quality” does not mean the steel or aluminum needs to be identical, but it does need to be equivalent as a substitute product. “Substitute product” for purposes of this review criterion means that the steel or aluminum being produced by an objector can meet “immediately” (see paragraph (c)(6)(i) of this supplement) the quality (e.g., industry specs or internal company quality controls or standards), regulatory, or testing standards, in order for the U.S.-produced steel to be used in that business activity in the United States by that end user.

(A) Steel application examples. For a steel example, if a U.S. business activity requires that steel plates to be provided must meet certain military testing and military specification standards in order to be used in military combat vehicles, that requirement would be taken into account when reviewing the exclusion request and any objections, rebuttals, and surrebuttals submitted. As another steel example, if a U.S. business activity requires that steel tubing to be provided must meet certain Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals to be used in medical devices, that requirement would be taken into account when reviewing the exclusion request and any objections, rebuttals, and surrebuttals submitted. Another steel example would be a food manufacturer that requires tin-plate approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make any changes in the tin-plate it uses to make cans for fruit juices. An objector would not have to make steel for use in making the cans that was identical, but it would have to be a “substitute product,” meaning it could meet the USDA certification standards.

(B) Aluminum application examples. For an aluminum example, if a U.S. business activity requires that aluminum to be provided must meet certain military testing and military specification standards in order to be used in military aircraft, that requirement would be taken into account when reviewing the exclusion request and any objections, rebuttals, and surrebuttals submitted. Another aluminum example would be a U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturer that requires approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to make any changes in its aluminum product pill bottle covers. An objector would not have to make aluminum for use in making the product covers that was identical, but it would have to be a “substitute product,” meaning it could meet the FDA certification standards.

(iii) For specific national security considerations. The exclusion review criterion “or for specific national security considerations” is intended to allow the U.S. Department of Commerce, in consultation with other parts of the U.S. Government as warranted, to make determinations whether a particular exclusion request should be approved based on specific national security considerations.

(A) Steel application examples. For example, if the steel included in an exclusion request is needed by a U.S. defense contractor for making critical items for use in a military weapons platform for the U.S. Department of Defense, and the duty or quantitative limitation will prevent the military weapons platform from being produced, the exclusion will likely be granted. The U.S. Department of Commerce, in consultation with the other parts of the U.S. Government as warranted, can consider other impacts to U.S. national security that may result from not approving an exclusion, e.g., the unintended impacts that may occur in other downstream industries using steel, but in such cases the demonstrated concern with U.S. national security would need to be tangible and clearly explained and ultimately determined by the U.S. Government.

(B) Aluminum application examples. For example, if the aluminum included in an exclusion request is needed by a U.S. defense contractor for making critical items for use in a military weapons platform for the U.S. Department of Defense, and the duty or quantitative limitation will prevent the military weapons platform from being produced, the exclusion will likely be granted. The U.S. Department of Commerce, in consultation with the other parts of the U.S. Government as warranted, can consider other impacts to U.S. national security that may result from not approving an exclusion, e.g., the unintended impacts that may occur in other downstream industries using aluminum, but in such cases the demonstrated concern with U.S. national security would need to be tangible and clearly explained and ultimately determined by the U.S. Government.

(d) Objections to submitted exclusion requests.

(1) Who may submit an objection to a submitted exclusion request ? Any individual or organization that manufactures steel or aluminum articles in the United States may file objections to steel exclusion requests, but the U.S. Department of Commerce will only consider information directly related to the submitted exclusion request that is the subject of the objection.

(2) Identification of objections to submitted exclusion requests. When submitting an objection to a submitted exclusion request, the objector must locate the exclusion request and submit the objection in response to the request directly in the 232 Exclusions Portal. Once the relevant exclusion request has been located, an individual or organization that would like to submit an objection will access the objection form by scrolling to the bottom of the exclusion request form and then fill out the web-based form for submitting their objection to the exclusion request in the 232 Exclusions Portal (https://www.commerce.gov/page/section-232-investigations).

(3) Time limit for submitting objections to submitted exclusions requests. All objections to submitted exclusion requests must be submitted directly on the 232 Exclusions Portal (https://www.commerce.gov/page/section-232-investigations) no later than 30 days after the related exclusion request is posted, with the 30-day clock starting at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the calendar day an exclusion request is posted.

(4) Substance of objections to submitted exclusion requests. The objection should clearly identify, and provide support for, its opposition to the proposed exclusion, with reference to the specific basis identified in, and the support provided for, the submitted exclusion request. If the objector is asserting that it is not currently producing the steel or aluminum identified in an exclusion request but can produce the steel or aluminum and make that steel or aluminum available “immediately” in accordance with the time required for the user of steel or aluminum in the United States to obtain the product from its foreign suppliers, the objector must identify how it will be able to produce and deliver the quantity of steel or aluminum needed either within eight weeks, or if after eight weeks, by a date which is earlier than the named foreign supplier would deliver the entire quantity of the requested product. It is incumbent on both the exclusion requester, and objecting producers, to provide supplemental evidence supporting their claimed delivery times. This requirement includes specifying in writing to Department of Commerce as part of the objection, the timeline the objector anticipates in order to start or restart production of the steel included in the exclusion request to which it is objecting. For example, a summary timeline that specifies the steps that will occur over the weeks needed to produce that steel or aluminum would be helpful to include, not only for the Department of Commerce review of the objection, but also for the requester of the exclusion and its determination whether to file a rebuttal to the objection. The U.S. Department of Commerce understands that, in certain cases, regulatory approvals, such as from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or some approvals at the state or local level, may be required to start or restart production and that some of these types of approvals may be outside the control of an objector.

(e) Limitations on the size of submissions. Each exclusion request and each objection to a submitted exclusion request is to be limited to a maximum of 5,000 words, inclusive of all exhibits and attachments, but exclusive of the respective forms and any CBI provided to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Each attachment to a submission must be less than 10 MB.

(f) Rebuttal process. Only individuals or organizations that have submitted an exclusion request pursuant to this supplement may submit a rebuttal to any objection(s) posted in the 232 Exclusions Portal (https://www.commerce.gov/page/section-232-investigations). The objections to submitted exclusion requests process identified under paragraph (d) of this supplement already establish a formal response process for steel and aluminum manufacturers in the United States.

(1) Identification of rebuttals. When submitting a rebuttal, the individual or organization that submitted the exclusion request will access the rebuttal form by scrolling to the bottom of the objection form and then filling out the web-based form for submitting their rebuttal to the objection in the 232 Exclusions Portal (https://www.commerce.gov/page/section-232-investigations).

(2) Format and size limitations for rebuttals. Similar to the exclusions process identified under paragraph (c) of this supplement and the objection process identified under paragraph (d) of this supplement, the rebuttal process requires the submission of a government form as specified in paragraph (b)(3) of this supplement. Each rebuttal is to be limited to a maximum of 2,500 words, inclusive of all exhibits and attachments, but exclusive of the rebuttal form and any CBI provided to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Each attachment to a submission must be less than 10 MB.

(3) Substance of rebuttals. Rebuttals must address an objection to the exclusion request made by the requester. If multiple objections were received on a particular exclusion, the requester may submit a rebuttal to each objector. The most effective rebuttals will be those that aim to correct factual errors or misunderstandings in the objection(s).

(4) Time limit for submitting rebuttals. The rebuttal period begins on the date the Department opens the rebuttal period after the posting of the last objection in the 232 Exclusions Portal. The rebuttal period ends seven days after the rebuttal comment period is opened. This seven-day rebuttal period allows for the individual or organization that submitted an exclusion request pursuant to this supplement to submit any written rebuttals that it believes are warranted.

(g) Surrebuttal process. Only individuals or organizations that have a posted objection to a submitted exclusion request pursuant to this supplement may submit a surrebuttal to a rebuttal (see paragraph (f) of this supplement) posted to their objection to an exclusion request in the 232 Exclusions Portal (https://www.commerce.gov/page/section-232-investigations).

(1) Identification of surrebuttals. When submitting a surrebuttal, the individual or organization that submitted the objection will access the surrebuttal form by scrolling to the bottom of the rebuttal form and then filling out the web-based form for submitting their surrebuttal to the rebuttal in the 232 Exclusions Portal (https://www.commerce.gov/page/section-232-investigations).

(2) Format and size limitations for surrebuttals. Similar to the exclusions process identified under paragraph (c) of this supplement, the objection process identified under paragraph (d) of this supplement, and the rebuttal process identified under paragraph (f) of this supplement, the surrebuttal process requires the submission of a government form as specified in paragraph (b)(4) of this supplement. The surrebuttal must be submitted in the 232 Exclusions Portal. Each surrebuttal is to be limited to a maximum of 2,500 words, inclusive of all exhibits and attachments, but exclusive of the surrebuttal form and any CBI provided to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Each attachment to a submission must be less than 10 MB.

(3) Substance of surrebuttals. Surrebuttals must address a rebuttal to an objection to the exclusion request made by the requester. The most effective surrebuttals will be those that aim to correct factual errors or misunderstandings in the rebuttal to an objection.

(4) Time limit for submitting surrebuttals. The surrebuttal period begins on the date the Department opens the surrebuttal comment period after the posting of the last rebuttal to an objection to an exclusion request in the 232 Exclusions Portal. The surrebuttal period ends seven days after the surrebuttal comment period is opened. This seven-day surrebuttal period allows for the individual or organization that submitted an objection to a submitted exclusion request pursuant to this supplement to submit any written surrebuttals that it believes are warranted to respond to a rebuttal.

(h) Disposition of 232 submissions -

(1) Disposition of incomplete submissions.

(i) Exclusion requests that do not satisfy the requirements specified in paragraphs (b) and (c) of this supplement will be rejected.

(ii) Objection filings that do not satisfy the requirements specified in paragraphs (b) and (d) will not be considered.

(iii) Rebuttal filings that do not satisfy the requirements specified in paragraphs (b) and (f) will not be considered.

(iv) Surrebuttal filings that do not satisfy the requirements specified in paragraphs (b) and (g) will not be considered.

(2) Disposition of complete submissions -

(i) Posting of responses in the 232 Exclusions Portal. The U.S. Department of Commerce will post responses (decision memos) in the 232 Exclusions Portal to each exclusion request. The U.S. Department of Commerce response to an exclusion request will also be responsive to any of the objection(s), rebuttal(s) and surrebuttal(s) for that submitted exclusion request submitted through the 232 Exclusions Portal.

(ii) Streamlined review process for “No Objection” requests. The U.S. Department of Commerce will grant properly filed exclusion requests which meet the requisite criteria, receive no objections, and present no national security concerns. If an exclusion request's 30-day comment period in the 232 Exclusions Portal has expired and no objections have been submitted, BIS will immediately assess the request for any national security concerns. If BIS identifies no national security concerns, it will post a decision granting the exclusion request in the 232 Exclusions Portal.

(iii) Effective date for approved exclusions and date used for calculating duty refunds -

(A) Effective date for approved exclusions. Approved exclusions will be effective five business days after publication of the U.S. Department of Commerce response granting an exclusion in the 232 Exclusions Portal. Starting on that date, the requester will be able to rely upon the approved exclusion request in calculating the duties owed on the product imported in accordance with the terms listed in the approved exclusion request. Companies are able to receive retroactive relief on granted requests dating back to the date of the request's submission on unliquidated entries.

(B) Contact for obtaining duty refunds. The U.S. Department of Commerce does not provide refunds on tariffs. Any questions on the refund of duties should be directed to CBP.

(iv) Validity period for exclusion requests. Exclusions will generally be approved for one year from the date of the signature on the decision memo, but may be valid for shorter or longer than one year depending on the specifics of the exclusion request; any objections filed; and analysis by the U.S. Department of Commerce and other parts of the U.S. Government, as warranted, of the current supply and demand in the United States, including any limitations or other factors that the Department determines should be considered in order to achieve the national security objectives of the duties and quantitative limitations.

(A) Examples of what fact patterns may warrant a longer exclusion validity period. Individuals or organizations submitting exclusion requests or objections may, and are encouraged to specify how long they believe an exclusion may be warranted and specify the rationale for that recommended time period. For example, an individual or organization submitting an exclusion request may request a longer validity period if there are factors outside of their control that may make it warranted to grant a longer period. These factors may include regulatory requirements that make a longer validity period justified, e.g., for an aircraft manufacturer that would require a certain number of years to make a change to an FAA-approved type certificate or for a manufacturer of medical items to obtain FDA approval. Business considerations, such as the need for a multi-year contract for steel with strict delivery schedules in order to complete a significant U.S. project by an established deadline, e.g., a large scale oil and gas exploration project, is another illustrative example of the types of considerations that a person submitting an exclusion request may reference.

(B) Examples of what criteria may warrant a shorter exclusion validity period. Objectors are encouraged to provide their suggestions for how long they believe an appropriate validity period should be for an exclusion request. In certain cases, this may be an objector indicating it has committed to adding new capacity that will be coming online within six months, so a shorter six-month period is warranted. Conversely, if an objector knows it will take two years to obtain appropriate regulatory approvals, financing and/or completing construction to add new capacity, the objector may, in responding to an exclusion that requests a longer validity period, e.g., three years, indicate that although they agree a longer validity period than one year may be warranted in this case, that two years is sufficient.

(C) None of the illustrative fact patterns identified in paragraphs (h)(2)(iv)(A) or (B) of this supplement will be determinative in and of themselves for establishing the appropriate validity period, but this type of information is helpful for the U.S. Department of Commerce to receive, when warranted, to help determine the appropriate validity period if a period other than one year is requested.

(3) Review period and implementation of any needed conforming changes -

(i) Review period. The review period normally will not exceed 106 days for requests that receive objections, including adjudication of objections submitted on exclusion requests and any rebuttals to objections, and surrebuttals. The estimated 106-day period begins on the day the exclusion request is posted in the 232 Exclusions Portal, and ends once a decision to grant or deny is made on the exclusion request.

(ii) Coordination with other agencies on approval and implementation. Other agencies of the U.S. Government, such as CBP, will take any additional steps needed to implement an approved exclusion request. These additional steps needed to implement an approved exclusion request are not part of the review criteria used by the U.S. Department of Commerce to determine whether to approve an exclusion request, but are an important component in ensuring the approved exclusion request can be properly implemented. The U.S. Department of Commerce will provide CBP with information that will identify each approved exclusion request pursuant to this supplement. Individuals or organizations whose exclusion requests are approved must report information concerning any applicable exclusion in such form as CBP may require. These exclusion identifiers will be used by importers in the data collected by CBP in order for CBP to determine whether an import is within the scope of an approved exclusion request.

(i) For further information. If you have questions on this supplement, you may contact the Director, Industrial Studies, Office of Technology Evaluation, Bureau of Industry and Security, U.S. Department of Commerce, at [phone] or [e-mail] regarding steel exclusion requests, or at [phone] or [e-mail] regarding aluminum exclusion requests. The U.S. Department of Commerce website includes FAQs, best practices other companies have used for submitting exclusion requests and objections, and helpful checklists. The U.S. Department of Commerce has also included a manual providing instruction on the 232 Exclusions Portal for exclusion requests submitted on or after June 13, 2019, titled 232 Exclusions Portal Comprehensive Guide (“232 Exclusions Guide”) and posted online at (https://www.commerce.gov/page/section-232-investigations) to assist your understanding when making 232 submissions in the 232 Exclusions Portal.

[85 FR 81073, Dec. 14, 2020]

Part 705

Authority: Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, as amended (19 U.S.C. 1862) and Reorg. Plan No. 3 of 1979 (44 FR 69273, December 3, 1979).

Source: 47 FR 14693, Apr. 6, 1982, unless otherwise noted. Redesignated at 54 FR 601, Jan. 9, 1989.