2024-07234. Certain Uncoated Paper From Brazil: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2022-2023

AGENCY:

Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.

SUMMARY:

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty (AD) order on certain uncoated paper (uncoated paper) from Brazil for the period of review (POR) March 1, 2022, through February 28, 2023. Commerce preliminarily finds that Suzano S.A. (Suzano) made sales of subject merchandise at prices below normal value (NV) during the POR, and finds that Sylvamo do Brasil Ltda. (SVBR) and Sylvamo Exports Ltda. (SVEX) (collectively, Sylvamo) did not make sales of subject merchandise at prices below NV during the POR. We invite interested parties to comment on these preliminary results.

DATES:

Applicable April 5, 2024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Christopher Maciuba or Nathan James, AD/CVD Operations, Office V, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: [phone] or [phone], respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On May 9, 2023, Commerce initiated an administrative review of the AD order on uncoated paper from Brazil,^[1] in accordance with section 751(a) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act).^[2] This review covers two producers/exporters of subject merchandise, Suzano ^[3] and Sylvamo.^[4]

On November 9, 2023, Commerce extended the deadline for these preliminary results until March 29, 2024.^[5] For a complete description of the events that followed the initiation of this review, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.^[6]

Scope of the Order

The merchandise subject to the Order is uncoated paper from Brazil. For a full description of the scope, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.

Methodology

Commerce is conducting this review in accordance with section 751(a)(1)(B) of the Act. We calculated constructed export price in accordance with section 772 of the Act. We calculated NV in accordance with section 773 of the Act.

For a full description of the methodology underlying these preliminary results, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum. A list of the topics discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum is included as an appendix to this notice. The Preliminary Decision Memorandum is a public document and is on file electronically via Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS). ACCESS is available to registered users at https://access.trade.gov. In addition, a complete version of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly at https://access.trade.gov/​public/​FRNoticesListLayout.aspx.

Preliminary Results of the Review

We preliminarily determine that the following weighted-average dumping margins exist for the period March 1, 2022, through February 28, 2023:

Exporter/producer	Weighted- average dumping margin (percent)
Suzano S.A	3.49
Sylvamo do Brasil Ltda./Sylvamo Exports Ltda	0.00

Disclosure and Public Comment

We intend to disclose the calculations performed to parties within five days after public announcement of the preliminary results or, if there is no public announcement, within five days of the date of publication of this notice.^[7] Interested parties may submit case briefs no later than 30 days after the date of publication of this notice.^[8] Rebuttal briefs, limited to issues raised in the case briefs, may be filed not later than five days after the date for filing case briefs.^[9] Interested parties who submit case or rebuttal briefs in this proceeding must submit: (1) a table of contents listing each issue; and (2) a table of authorities.^[10]

As provided under 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2), in prior proceedings we have encouraged interested parties to provide an executive summary of their brief that should be limited to five pages total, including footnotes. In this review, we instead request that interested parties provide at the beginning of their briefs a public, executive summary for each issue raised in their briefs.^[11] Further, we request that interested parties limit their public executive summary of each issue to no more than 450 words, not including citations. We intend to use the public executive summaries as the basis of the comment summaries included in the issues and decision memorandum that will accompany the final results in this administrative review. We request that interested parties include footnotes for relevant citations in the public executive summary of each issue. Note that Commerce has amended certain of its requirements pertaining to the service of documents in 19 CFR 351.303(f).^[12]

Interested parties who wish to request a hearing must submit a written request to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance, filed electronically via ACCESS.^[13] Requests should contain: (1) the party's name, address, and telephone number; (2) the number of participants and whether any participant is a foreign national; and (3) a list of issues to be discussed. Issues raised in the hearing will be limited to those raised in case and rebuttal briefs.^[14] If a request for a hearing is made, Commerce intends to hold the hearing at a time and date to be determined. A hearing request must be filed electronically using ACCESS and received in its entirety by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time within 30 days after the publication of this notice.

Assessment Rates

Upon completion of the final results of this administrative review, Commerce shall determine, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shall assess, antidumping duties on all appropriate entries covered by this review.^[15] Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.212(b)(1), if the weighted-average dumping margin for Suzano or Sylvamo is not zero or de minimis ( i.e., less than 0.50 percent) in the final results of this review, we will calculate importer-specific assessment rates based on the ratio of the total amount of dumping calculated for the importer's examined sales to the total entered value of those same sales. If either respondent's weighted-average dumping margin is zero or de minimis in the final results of review, or if an importer-specific assessment rate is zero or de minimis, Commerce will instruct CBP to liquidate appropriate entries without regard to antidumping duties. The final results of this review shall be the basis for the assessment of antidumping duties on entries of merchandise covered by this review, and for future deposits of estimated duties, where applicable.^[16]

In accordance with Commerce's “automatic assessment” practice, for entries of subject merchandise during the POR produced by Suzano or Sylvamo for which the company did not know that the merchandise was destined for the United States, we will instruct CBP to liquidate those entries at the all-others rate established in the original less-than-fair-value (LTFV) investigation ( i.e., 27.11 percent) ^[17] if there is no rate for the intermediate company(ies) involved in the transaction.^[18]

Commerce intends to issue assessment instructions to CBP no earlier than 35 days after the date of publication of the final results of this review in the Federal Register . If a timely summons is filed at the U.S. Court of International Trade, the assessment instructions will direct CBP not to liquidate relevant entries until the time for parties to file a request for a statutory injunction has expired ( i.e., within 90 days of publication).

Cash Deposit Requirements

The following cash deposit requirements will be effective for all shipments of the subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the publication date of the final results of this administrative review, as provided by section 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act: (1) the cash deposit rate for the companies listed above will be equal to the weighted-average dumping margins established in the final results of this review, except if the rate is less than 0.50 percent and, therefore, de minimis within the meaning of 19 CFR 351.106(c)(1), in which case the cash deposit rate will be zero; (2) for merchandise exported by a company not covered in this review, but covered in a prior segment of the proceeding, the cash deposit rate will be the company-specific rate published for the most recently-completed segment in which it was reviewed; (3) if the exporter is not a firm covered in this review or in the original LTFV investigation, but the producer is, then the cash deposit rate will be the rate established for the most recently-completed segment of this proceeding for the producer of the merchandise; and (4) the cash deposit rate for all other producers or exporters will continue to be 27.11 percent, the all-others rate established in the LTFV investigation.^[19] These cash deposit requirements, when imposed, shall remain in effect until further notice.

Final Results of Review

Unless otherwise extended, Commerce intends to issue the final results of this administrative review, including the results of its analysis of the issues raised in any written briefs, no later than 120 days after the date of publication of this notice, pursuant to section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.213(h)(1).

Notification to Importers

This notice serves as a preliminary reminder to importers of their responsibility under 19 CFR 351.402(f)(2) to file a certificate regarding the reimbursement of antidumping duties prior to liquidation of the relevant entries during this POR. Failure to comply with this requirement could result in Commerce's presumption that reimbursement of antidumping duties occurred and the subsequent assessment of double antidumping duties.

Notification to Interested Parties

Commerce is issuing and publishing these results in accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.213(h)(2) and 19 CFR 351.221(b)(4).

Dated: March 29, 2024.

Abdelali Elouaradia,

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.

Appendix—List of Topics Discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum

I. Summary

II. Background

III. Scope of the Order

IV. Discussion of the Methodology

V. Currency Conversion

VI. Recommendation

Footnotes

1.   See Certain Uncoated Paper from Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, the People's Republic of China, and Portugal: Amended Final Affirmative Antidumping Determinations for Brazil and Indonesia and Antidumping Duty Orders,81 FR 11174 (March 3, 2016) ( Order).

2.   See Initiation of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Administrative Reviews,88 FR 29881 (May 9, 2023).

3.  Commerce previously determined that Suzano is the successor-in-interest to Suzano Papel e Celulose S.A. See Certain Uncoated Paper from Brazil: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2019-2020,86 FR 55820 (October 7, 2021).

4.  Commerce previously determined that SVBR is the successor-in-interest to International Paper do Brasil Ltda. and that SVEX is the successor-in-interest to International Paper Exportadora Ltda. See Certain Uncoated Paper from Brazil: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Changed Circumstances Review,87 FR 1395 (January 11, 2022).

5.   See Memorandum, “Extension of Deadline for Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review,” dated November 9, 2023.

6.   See Memorandum, “Decision Memorandum for the Preliminary Results of the Administrative Review of the Antidumping Duty Order on Certain Uncoated Paper from Brazil; 2022-2023,” dated concurrently with, and hereby adopted by, this notice (Preliminary Decision Memorandum).

7.   See19 CFR 351.224(b).

8.   See19 CFR 351.309(c)(1)(ii); see also19 CFR 351.303 (for general filing requirements).

9.   See19 CFR 351.309(d); see also Administrative Protective Order, Service, and Other Procedures in Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Proceedings,88 FR 67069, 67077 (September 29, 2023).

10.   See 19 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2).

11.  We use the term “issue” here to describe an argument that Commerce would normally address in a comment of the Issues and Decision Memorandum.

12.   See Administrative Protective Order, Service, and Other Procedures in Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Proceedings; Final Rule,88 FR 67069 (September 29, 2023).

13.   See19 CFR 351.310(c).

14.   See19 CFR 351.310.

15.   See19 CFR 351.212(b).

16.   See section 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act.

17.   See Order, 81 FR at 11176.

18.  For a full discussion of this practice, see Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Proceedings: Assessment of Antidumping Duties,68 FR 23954 (May 6, 2003).

19.   See Order, 81 FR at 11176.