2021-16836. Carbon and Alloy Steel Cut-to-Length Plate From the Republic of Korea: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2019-2020

AGENCY:

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

SUMMARY:

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) is conducting an administrative review of the antidumping duty order on carbon and alloy steel cut-to-length plate from the Republic of Korea. The period of review (POR) is May 1, 2019, through April 30, 2020. The review covers one producer/exporter of the subject merchandise, POSCO, POSCO International Corporation and its affiliated companies (collectively, the POSCO single entity). We preliminarily determine that sales of subject merchandise by the POSCO single entity were not made at prices below normal value (NV). Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.

DATES:

Applicable August 6, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

William Horn or Janaé Martin, AD/CVD Operations, Office VIII, 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 July 10, 2020, based on timely requests for review, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.221(c)(1)(i), we initiated an administrative review on certain carbon and alloy steel cut-to-length plate from the Republic of Korea produced and/or exported by POSCO.^[1]

On July 21, 2020, Commerce tolled all preliminary and final results deadlines in administrative reviews by 60 days, thereby extending the deadline for these preliminary results until April 1, 2021.^[2]

On March 22, 2021, we extended the preliminary results of this review to no later than July 30, 2021.^[3] For a complete description of the events that followed the initiation of this review, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.^[4]

Scope of the Order

The merchandise subject to the Order ^[5] is carbon and alloy steel cut-to-length plate. The product is currently classified under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) subheadings 7208.40.3030, 7208.40.3060, 7208.51.0030, 7208.51.0045, 7208.51.0060, 7208.52.0000, 7211.13.0000, 7211.14.0030, 7211.14.0045, 7225.40.1110, 7225.40.1180, 7225.40.3005, 7225.40.3050, 7226.20.0000, and 7226.91.5000.

The products subject to the Order may also enter under the following HTSUS subheadings: 7208.40.6060, 7208.53.0000, 7208.90.0000, 7210.70.3000, 7210.90.9000, 7211.19.1500, 7211.19.2000, 7211.19.4500, 7211.19.6000, 7211.19.7590, 7211.90.0000, 7212.40.1000, 7212.40.5000, 7212.50.0000, 7214.10.000, 7214.30.0010, 7214.30.0080, 7214.91.0015, 7214.91.0060, 7214.91.0090, 7225.11.0000, 7225.19.0000, 7225.40.5110, 7225.40.5130, 7225.40.5160, 7225.40.7000, 7225.99.0010, 7225.99.0090, 7206.11.1000, 7226.11.9060, 7229.19.1000, 7226.19.9000, 7226.91.0500, 7226.91.1530, 7226.91.1560, 7226.91.2530, 7226.91.2560, 7226.91.7000, 7226.91.8000, and 7226.99.0180. The HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and customs purposes only; the written product description of the scope of the Order is dispositive.

For a complete description of the merchandise subject to the Order, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.

Methodology

Commerce is conducting this review in accordance with section 751(a)(1)(B) and (2) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). Export price and constructed export price are calculated in accordance with section 772 of the Act. NV is calculated in accordance with section 773 of the Act.

For a full description of the methodology underlying our conclusions, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum. 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 http://access.trade.gov. In addition, a complete version of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum can be accessed at http://enforcement.trade.gov/​frn/​index.html. A list of the topics discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum is attached as an Appendix to this notice.

Preliminary Results of the Review

As a result of our analysis of the record information, we preliminarily determine a weighted-average dumping margin of zero percent for the POSCO single entity ^[6] for the period May 1, 2019, through April 30, 2020.^[7] Therefore, Commerce preliminarily determines that the POSCO single entity did not make sales of subject merchandise at prices below NV.

Verification

On October 19, 2020, the petitioners requested, pursuant to 19 CFR 351.307(b)(1)(v), that Commerce conduct verification of the questionnaire responses submitted in this administrative review by POSCO.^[8] Commerce is currently unable to conduct on-site verification of the information relied upon in making its final results of this administrative review. Accordingly, we intend to take additional steps in lieu of on-site verification to verify the information. Commerce will notify interested parties of any additional documentation or information required.

Disclosure and Public Comment

Commerce intends to disclose the calculations performed in connection with these preliminary results to interested parties within five days of the date of publication of this notice in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b).

Case briefs or other written comments may be submitted to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance. Interested parties will be notified of the deadline for the submission of such case briefs and written comments at a later date. Rebuttal briefs, limited to issues raised in the case briefs, may be filed not later than seven days after the date for filing case briefs.^[9] Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2), parties who submit case briefs or rebuttal briefs in this proceeding are encouraged to submit with each argument: (1) A statement of the issue; (2) a brief summary of the argument; and (3) a table of authorities.

All submissions to Commerce must be filed electronically using ACCESS and must also be served on interested parties.^[10] An electronically filed document must be received successfully in its entirety by Commerce's electronic records system, ACCESS, by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the date that the document is due. Note that Commerce has temporarily modified certain of its requirements for serving documents containing business proprietary information, until further notice.^[11]

Interested parties who wish to request a hearing must submit a written request to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance within 30 days of publication of this notice.^[12] Requests should contain: (1) The party's name, address, and telephone number; (2) the number of participants; and (3) a list of issues to be discussed. Issues raised in the hearing will be limited to those raised in the respective case and rebuttal briefs. If a request for a hearing is made, Commerce intends to hold the hearing at a time and date to be determined. Parties should confirm by telephone the date, time, and location of the hearing two days before the scheduled date.

Unless the deadline is extended pursuant to section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.213(h)(2), Commerce intends to issue the final results of this administrative review, including the results of its analysis of issues raised in any written briefs, not later than 120 days after the date of publication of this notice.^[13]

Assessment Rates

Pursuant to section 751(a)(2)(A) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.212(b)(1), Commerce shall determine, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shall assess, antidumping duties on all appropriate entries covered by this review. Commerce intends to issue assessment instructions to CBP no earlier than 35 days after the date of publication of the final results of this administrative 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).

Commerce will calculate importer-specific antidumping duty assessment rates when a respondent's weighted-average dumping margin is not zero or de minimis (i.e., less than 0.5 percent). Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.212(b)(1), where the respondent reported the entered value of its U.S. sales, we will calculate importer-specific ad valorem duty assessment rates based on the ratio of the total amount of dumping calculated for the examined sales to the total entered value of such sales. Where the respondent did not report entered value, we will calculate importer-specific assessment rates on the basis of the ratio of the total amount of dumping calculated for the importer's examined sales to the total quantity of those sales, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.212(b)(1).^[14] We will also calculate an estimated ad valorem importer-specific assessment rate with which to assess whether the per-unit assessment rate is de minimis. We will instruct CBP to assess antidumping duties on all appropriate entries covered by this review when the importer-specific ad valorem assessment rate calculated in the final results of this review is not zero or de minimis. Where either the respondent's ad valorem weighted-average dumping margin is zero or de minimis, or an importer-specific ad valorem assessment rate is zero or de minimis,^[15] we will instruct CBP to liquidate the appropriate entries without regard to antidumping duties.

Commerce's “reseller policy” will apply to entries of subject merchandise during the POR produced by the POSCO single entity for which the POSCO single entity did not know that the merchandise it sold to the intermediary (e.g., a reseller, trading company, or exporter) was destined for the United States. In such instances, we will instruct CBP to liquidate unreviewed entries at the all-others rate if there is no rate for the intermediate company(ies) involved in the transaction.^[16]

Cash Deposit Requirements

The following deposit requirements will be effective upon publication of the notice of final results of administrative review for all shipments of the subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the publication date, as provided by section 751(a)(2)(C) of the Act: (1) The cash deposit rate for the POSCO single entity will be equal to the weighted-average dumping margin established in the final results of this review, except if the rate is de minimis within the meaning of 19 CFR 351.106(c)(1) (i.e., less than 0.50 percent), 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 completed segment of the proceeding, the cash deposit rate will continue to be the company-specific rate published for the most recently-completed segment; (3) if the exporter is not a firm covered in this review, a prior review, or the original investigation, but the producer is, the cash deposit rate will be the rate established for the most recently-completed segment for the producer of the merchandise; and (4) the cash deposit rate for all other producers and exporters will continue to be 7.10 percent, the all-others rate established in the less-than-fair-value investigation.^[17]

These cash deposit requirements, when imposed, shall remain in effect until further notice.

Notification to Importers

This notice also 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 review period. Failure to comply with this requirement could result in the Secretary's presumption that reimbursement of antidumping duties occurred and the subsequent assessment of double antidumping duties.

Notification to Interested Parties

We are issuing and publishing these results in accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i)(1) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.221(b)(4).

Dated: July 30, 2021.

Christian Marsh,

Acting 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. Affiliation and Collapsing

V. Discussion of the Methodology

VI. Recommendation

Footnotes

1.  See Initiation of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Administration Reviews, 85 FR 41540 (July 20, 2020) (Initiation Notice).

2.  See Memorandum, “Tolling of Deadlines for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Administrative Reviews,” dated July 21, 2020.

3.  See Memorandum, “Certain Carbon and Alloy Steel Cut-to-Length Plate from the Republic of Korea: Extension of Deadline for the Preliminary Results of the 2019-2020 Antidumping Duty Administrative Review,” dated March 22, 2021.

4.  See Memorandum, “Decision Memorandum for Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review: Certain Carbon and Alloy Steel Cut-To-Length Plate from the Republic of Korea,” dated concurrently with, and hereby adopted by, this notice (Preliminary Decision Memorandum).

5.  See Certain Carbon and Alloy Steel Cut-to-Length Plate from Austria, Belgium, France, the Federal Republic of Germany, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and Taiwan: Amended Final Affirmative Antidumping Determinations for France, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Korea and Taiwan, and Antidumping Duty Orders, 82 FR 24096 (May 25, 2017) (Order).

6.  Commerce is preliminarily determining that POSCO, POSCO International Corporation, POSCO SPS, and certain distributors and service centers (Taechang Steel Co., Ltd., Winsteel Co., Ltd., and Shinjin Esco Co., Ltd.) are affiliated pursuant to section 771(33)(E) of the Act, and further that these companies should be treated as a single entity (collectively, the POSCO single entity) pursuant to 19 CFR 351.401(f). Note that Shinjin Esco Co., Ltd. is only considered part of the POSCO single entity until February 10, 2020, after which its affiliation with POSCO ceased. See Preliminary Decision Memorandum.

7.  See Preliminary Decision Memorandum.

8.  See Petitioner's Letter, “3rd Administrative Review of the Antidumping Duty Order on Carbon and Alloy Steel Cut-To-Length Plate from the Republic of Korea—Petitioner's Request for Verification,” dated October 19, 2020.

9.  See 19 CFR 351.309(d); see also Temporary Rule Modifying AD/CVD Service Requirements Due to COVID-19, 85 FR 17006 (March 26, 2020); and Temporary Rule Modifying AD/CVD Service Requirements Due to COVID-19; Extension of Effective Period, 85 FR 41363 (July 10, 2020) (collectively, Temporary Rule).

10.  See 19 CFR 351.303(b) and 19 CFR 351.303(f).

11.  See Temporary Rule.

12.  See 19 CFR 351.310(c).

13.  See section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.213(h).

14.  In these preliminary results, Commerce applied the assessment rate calculation method adopted in Antidumping Proceedings: Calculation of the Weighted-Average Dumping Margin and Assessment Rate in Certain Antidumping Proceedings: Final Modification, 77 FR 8101 (February 14, 2012).

15.  See 19 CFR 351.106(c)(2).

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

17.  See Order.