02-12724. Certain Cased Pencils from the People's Republic of China: Extension of Time Limit for Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review

AGENCY:

Import Administration, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.

EFFECTIVE DATE:

May 21, 2002.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Paul Stolz at [phone], Michele Mire at [phone], or Crystal Crittenden at [phone], AD/CVD Enforcement, Office 4, Group II, Import Administration, Room 1870, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Time Limits:

Statutory Time Limits

Section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), requires the Department to make a preliminary determination within 245 days after the last day of the anniversary month of an order/finding for which a review is requested and a final determination within 120 days after the date on which the preliminary determination is published. However, if it is not practicable to complete the review within these time periods, section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act allows the Department to extend the time limit for the preliminary determination to a maximum of 365 days and for the final determination to 180 days (or 300 days if the Department does not extend the time limit for the preliminary determination) from the date of publication of the preliminary determination.

Background

On January 31, 2001, the Department published a notice of initiation of administrative review of the antidumping duty order on certain cased pencils from the People's Republic of China (PRC), covering the period December 1, 1999 through November 30, 2000 (66 FR 8378). On December 4, 2001, the Department published an extension of time limit for the preliminary results. On January 17, 2002, we published the preliminary results of review (67 FR 2402). In our notice of preliminary results, we stated our intention to issue the final results of this review no later than 120 days from the date of publication of the preliminary results.

Extension of Time Limit for Final Results of Review

We determine that it is not practicable to complete the final results of this review within the original time limit. Therefore the Department is extending the time limit for completion of the final results until no later than July 16, 2002. See Memorandum from Holly A. Kuga to Bernard T. Carreau, dated concurrently with this notice, which is on file in the Central Records Unit, Room B-099 of the main Commerce building.

This extension is in accordance with section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act.

Dated: May 8, 2002.

Bernard T. Carreau,

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Import Administration, Group II.