[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 147 (Friday, July 31, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40879-40880]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-20516]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[A-821-802]
Agreement Suspending the Antidumping Investigation on Uranium
From the Russian Federation
AGENCY: Import Administration, International Trade Administration, U.S.
Department of Commerce
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce is hereby notifying interested
parties of a change to the administration of matched sales. Effective
immediately, the Department will use a calendar year quota accounting
rather than the previously used delivery year quota accounting.
EFFECTIVE DATE: July 31, 1998.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Doyle, Karla Whalen or Letitia
Kress, AD/CVD Enforcement Group III, Office VII, Import Administration,
International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th
Street and Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20230, telephone:
(202) 482-0159, (202) 482-1386 or (202) 482-6412, respectively.
Background
Under the Amendment to the Agreement Suspending the Antidumping
Investigation on Uranium from the Russian Federation (57 FR
[[Page 40880]]
15373, April 1, 1994) (the ``Matched Sales'' Amendment), the Department
has been administering the matched uranium sales quota on a quota year
basis, April 1 through March 31, as listed in the ``Matched Sales''
Amendment. On March 6, 1998, the Department received a request from the
Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) on behalf of certain of its members
requesting that the Department revise its practice and administer the
matched sales quota on a calendar year basis, January 1 through
December 31. (See letter from NEI to the Department on March 6, 1998,
on public record at the Department of Commerce in room B-099). In this
letter, NEI suggests that a calendar year quota system would make
tracking operational or contractual flexibilities for both buyers and
sellers of uranium more consistent with their other internal tracking
systems (i.e., budgeting, requests for quotes, deliveries). NEI states
that administration on a calendar year basis would make the matched
sales quota system more consistent with industry contracting practices,
thereby eliminating a potential barrier to participation in the matched
sales program. Further, NEI notes that reconciliation of historical
transactions which specified deliveries in 1996 and 1997 does not
affect the commercial balance among competing suppliers as marketing
opportunities have long passed.
On May 5, 1998, the Department requested comments from interested
parties (63 FR 24772). The Department received ten sets of comments
from affected companies and reviewed each set of comments. As all
comments received were supportive of the change, and as the
reallocation would not cause any quota limitations to be exceeded, the
Department has determined that it is reasonable to change the
administration of the matched sales quota from a quota year basis
(i.e., April 1-March 31) to a calendar year basis (i.e., January 1-
December 31).
The Department examined two ensuing issues: (1) The effect the
change will have on the existing approved contracts and allocations of
quota; and (2) the necessity to arrive at a proper accounting for the
periods April 1, 1996 through December 31, 1996 and January 1, 2004
through March 31, 2004.
Concerning the first issue, the Department has determined that
contracts already approved by the Department in quota years 1996-1997
(4/1/96-3/31/97; 4/1/97-3/31/98) will not be affected by the change to
a calendar year basis other than on the Department's accounting system.
Thus, these contracts stand as approved and deliveries may continue as
scheduled. Further, although the amount of used quota allocated to
these two periods will change under the new system, the overall totals
do not (See 63 FR 24772, May 5, 1997).
Concerning the second issue, the ``Matched Sales'' Amendment
details that delivery quotas began on April 1, 1996, and would expire
on March 31, 2004. By switching to a calendar year basis, neither the
period April 1, 1996, through December 31, 1996 nor the period January
1, 2004 through March 31, 2004, which were covered under the
Department's previous quota year methodology, can fall under a calendar
year methodology absent modification. To resolve this issue, NEI
proposed designating calendar year 1996 as a ``short'' quota year,
starting April 1, 1996 and ending December 31, 1996. As these contracts
have already been approved and as the Department has determined the
appropriate reconciliation in accounting, (See 63 FR 24772, May 5,
1997), the Department agrees that the designation of a ``short year'' a
suitable resolution. In addition, NEI proposed that calendar year 2003
be designated as a ``long'' quota year, beginning January 1, 2003 and
ending March 31, 2004. The Department agrees that it is reasonable to
designate calendar year 2003 as a ``long year'' without disruption to
the administration of matched sales.
Thus, effective immediately, the Department will use a calendar
year quota system in administering matched sales. The following chart
details the current effective time periods and applicable matched sales
quotas.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Available
quota \1\
Calendar year (in lbs.
U308)
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1998....................................................... 3,600,000
1999....................................................... 4,040,000
2000....................................................... 4,230,000
2001....................................................... 4,040,000
2002....................................................... 4,890,000
2003 \2\................................................... 4,300,000
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\1\ Please note that some quota has already been allocated to previously
approved contracts. Please contact the listed Departmental personnel
for the exact available quota in each calendar year.
\2\ ``Long year'' dates (1/1/03-3/31/04)
Dated: July 27, 1998
Joseph A. Spetrini.
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping Countervailing Duty--Group
III.
[FR Doc. 98-20516 Filed 7-30-98; 8:45 am]
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