2010-8163. Certain Large Diameter Carbon and Alloy Seamless Standard, Line, and Pressure Pipe From Japan: Extension of Time Limit for Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review

AGENCY:

Import Administration, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mary Kolberg or Nancy Decker, AD/CVD Operations, Office 1, Import Administration, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone [phone] or [phone], respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On July 29, 2009, the Department of Commerce (“Department”) published in the Federal Register the initiation of administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain large diameter carbon and alloy seamless standard, line, and pressure pipe from Japan, covering the period June 1, 2008, through May 31, 2009. See Initiation of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Administrative Reviews and Deferral of Administrative Review, 74 FR 37690 (July 29, 2009). The preliminary results for this administrative review were due no later than March 9, 2010.¹ On March 4, 2010, the Department extended the time limit for completion of the preliminary results by 30 days to April 8, 2010, because it needed additional time to analyze additional information regarding a respondent's entries that had been placed on the record. See Certain Large Diameter Carbon and Alloy Seamless Standard, Line and Pressure Pipe from Japan: Extension of Time Limit for Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, 75 FR 11119 (March 10, 2010).

Extension of Time Limits for Preliminary Results

Section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (“the Act”), requires the Department to issue the preliminary results of an administrative review within 245 days after the last day of the anniversary month of an order for which a review is requested and a final determination within 120 days after the date on which the preliminary results are published. If it is not practicable to complete the review within the time period, section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act allows the Department to extend these deadlines to a maximum of 365 days and 180 days, respectively.

The review covers four manufacturers/exporters: JFE Steel Corporation; Nippon Steel Corporation; NKK Tubes; and Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd. These four manufacturers/exporters submitted letters to the Department certifying that they made no shipments or entries for consumption in the United States of the subject merchandise during the period of review (“POR”). In response to the Department's query to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”), CBP data showed POR entries for consumption of subject merchandise that were manufactured by one of the respondent companies. The information regarding these entries has been placed on the record of this review under the terms of the administrative protective order. The Department solicited additional information and comments regarding these entries.

On March 31, 2010, CBP notified the Department that there were additional POR entries for consumption of the subject merchandise manufactured by one of the four respondent companies. The Department is awaiting documentation for these entries.

Because the Department requires additional time to analyze this new information, it is not practicable to complete this review within the initial time extension of April 8, 2010. Therefore, the Department is further extending the time limit for completion of the preliminary results by an additional 90 days to July 7, 2010, in accordance with section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act and section 351.213(h)(2) of the Department's regulations.

We are issuing and publishing this notice in accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i)(1) of the Act.

Dated: April 5, 2010.

John M. Andersen,

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Operations.

Footnotes

1.  As explained in the memorandum from the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Import Administration, the Department has exercised its discretion to toll deadlines for the duration of the closure of the Federal Government from February 5, through February 12, 2010. As a result, all deadlines in this segment of the proceeding have been extended by seven days, and the revised deadline for the preliminary determination became March 9, 2010. See Memorandum to the Record from Ronald Lorentzen, DAS for Import Administration, regarding “Tolling of Administrative Deadlines As a Result of the Government Closure During the Recent Snowstorm,” dated February 12, 2010.