2022-20169. Oil Country Tubular Goods From Ukraine: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2020-2021

AGENCY:

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

SUMMARY:

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily finds that sales of oil country tubular goods (OCTG) from Ukraine were made at less than normal value during the period of review (POR) July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021. We invite interested parties to comment on these preliminary results.

DATES:

Applicable September 19, 2022.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Toni Page, AD/CVD Operations, Office VII, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On July 16, 2019, Commerce published in the Federal Register the antidumping duty order on OCTG from Ukraine.^[1] On July 1, 2021, Commerce published in the Federal Register a notice of opportunity to request an administrative review of the Order on OCTG from Ukraine for the POR July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021.^[2] On September 7, 2021, based on timely requests for review, Commerce initiated an administrative review of the Order.^[3] The domestic interested parties are: Maverick Tube Corporation; Tenaris Bay City, Inc.; IPSCO Tubulars Inc.; and United States Steel Corporation. This review covers the sole mandatory respondent, Interpipe.^[4]

On April 13, 2022, we extended the deadline for the preliminary results of this review by 61 days in accordance with section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act) and 19 CFR 351.213(h)(2).^[5] On June 27, 2022, Commerce further extended the deadline for the preliminary results by an additional 59 days.^[6] For details regarding the events that occurred subsequent to the initiation of the review, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.^[7] A list of topics discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum is included in the 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.

Scope of the Order

The merchandise under review is certain OCTG from Ukraine, which are hollow steel products of circular cross-section, including oil well casing and tubing, of iron (other than cast iron) or steel (both carbon and alloy), whether seamless or welded, regardless of end finish ( e.g., whether or not plain end, threaded, or threaded and coupled) whether or not conforming to American Petroleum Institute (API) or non-API specifications, whether finished (including limited service OCTG products) or unfinished (including green tubes and limited service OCTG products), whether or not thread protectors are attached. The scope of the Order also covers OCTG coupling stock. For a full description of the scope, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.

Methodology

Commerce is conducting this review in accordance with section 751(a) of the Act. Constructed export price has been calculated in accordance with section 772 of the Act and normal value was calculated in accordance with section 773 of the Act. For a full description of the methodology underlying these preliminary results, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.

Preliminary Results of Review

Commerce preliminarily determines that the following weighted-average dumping margin exists for the period July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2021:

Producer and/or exporter	Weighted- average dumping margin (percent)
Interpipe Europe S.A./Interpipe Ukraine LLC/PJSC Interpipe Niznedneprovsky Tube Rolling Plant/LLC Interpipe Niko Tube	1.59

Disclosure

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

Public Comment

Case briefs, or other written comments, may be submitted to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance through ACCESS no later than seven days after the date on which the final verification report is issued in this proceeding.^[8] Rebuttal briefs, limited to issues raised in the case briefs, may be filed no later than seven days after the date for filing case briefs.^[9] Parties who submit case 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. Case and rebuttal briefs should be filed using ACCESS ^[10] and must be served on interested parties.^[11] Note that Commerce has temporarily modified certain of its requirements for serving documents containing business proprietary information, until further notice.^[12]

Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.310(c), interested parties who wish to request a hearing, or to participate if one is requested, must submit a written request to the Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance, within 30 days of the date of publication of this notice.^[13] 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 date and time to be determined.^[14] Parties should confirm the date, time, and location of the hearing two days before the scheduled date.

Commerce intends to issue the final results of this administrative review, which will include the results of our analysis of all issues raised in the case and rebuttal briefs, within 120 days of publication of these preliminary results in the Federal Register , unless extended, pursuant to section 751(a)(3)(A) of the Act.

Verification

On December 16, 2021, the domestic interested parties requested, pursuant to 19 CFR 351.307(b)(1)(v), that Commerce conduct verification of the questionnaire responses submitted in this administrative review.^[15] As provided in section 782(i)(1) of the Act, Commerce intends to verify the information relied upon in making its final determination for Interpipe.

Assessment Rates

Upon issuing the final results of this review, Commerce shall determine, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shall assess, antidumping duties on all appropriate entries covered by this review.^[16] If the weighted-average dumping margin for Interpipe ( i.e., the sole individually-examined respondent in this review) is not zero or de minimis ( i.e., greater than or equal to 0.5 percent) in the final results of this review, we will calculate importer-specific ad valorem assessment rates for the merchandise based on the ratio of the total amount of dumping calculated for the examined sales made during the POR to each importer and the total entered value of those same sales, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.212(b)(1). Where an importer-specific ad valorem assessment rate is zero or de minimis in the final results of the review, we will instruct CBP to liquidate the appropriate entries without regard to antidumping duties.^[17] If Interpipe's weighted-average dumping margin is zero or de minimis in the final results of the review, we will instruct CBP not to assess duties on any of its entries in accordance with the Final Modification for Reviews, i.e., “{w}here the weighted-average margin of dumping for the exporter is determined to be zero or de minimis, no antidumping duties will be assessed.” ^[18]

In accordance with Commerce's “automatic assessment” practice, for entries of subject merchandise during the POR produced by Interpipe for which the producer did not know its merchandise was destined for the United States, we will instruct CBP to liquidate those entries at the all-others rate ( i.e., 7.47 percent) ^[19] if there is no rate for the intermediate company (or companies) involved in the transaction.^[20]

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 upon publication of the final results of this administrative review 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 Interpipe will be equal to the weighted-average dumping margin established in the final results of this administrative 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 previously reviewed or investigated companies not listed above, the cash deposit rate will continue to be the company-specific rate published for the most recently completed segment of this proceeding in which the company participated; (3) if the exporter is not a firm covered in this review, a prior review, or in the less-than-fair-value investigation (LTFV) but the producer is, 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 the all-others rate of 7.47 percent, the rate established in the LTFV investigation of this proceeding.^[21] These cash deposit requirements, when imposed, shall remain in effect until further notice.

Notification to Importers

This notice also serves as a 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

We are issuing and publishing these preliminary results in accordance with sections 751(a)(1) and 777(i) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.213(h)(2).

Dated: September 9, 2022.

Lisa W. Wang,

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. Treatment of Duties Under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962

VI. Constructed Export Price

VII. Normal Value

VIII. Currency Conversion

IX. Recommendation

Footnotes

1.   See Termination of the Suspension Agreement on Certain Oil Country Tubular Goods from Ukraine, Rescission of Administrative Review, and Issuance of Antidumping Duty Order,84 FR 33918 (July 16, 2019) ( Order).

2.   See Antidumping or Countervailing Duty Order, Finding, or Suspended Investigation; Opportunity to Request Administrative Review,86 FR 35065 (July 1, 2021).

3.   See Initiation of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Administrative Reviews,86 FR 50034 (September 7, 2021).

4.  In the most recent administrative review of this proceeding, we treated the following companies as a single entity: Interpipe Europe S.A.; Interpipe Ukraine LLC; PJSC Interpipe Niznedneprovsky Tube Rolling Plant; LLC Interpipe Niko Tube (collectively, Interpipe). See Oil Country Tubular Goods from Ukraine: Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2019-2020,86 FR 43522 (August 9, 2021), and accompanying Preliminary Decision Memorandum, at “Affiliation and Collapsing,” unchanged in Oil Country Tubular Goods from Ukraine: Final Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review; 2019-2020,87 FR 7801 (February 10, 2022), and accompanying Issues and Decision Memorandum.

5.   See Memorandum, “Extension of Deadline for Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, 2020-2021,” dated April 13, 2022.

6.   See Memorandum, “Extension of Deadline for Preliminary Results of Antidumping Duty Administrative Review, 2020-2021,” dated June 27, 2022.

7.   See Memorandum, “Decision Memorandum for Preliminary Results of the 2020-2021 Administrative Review of the Antidumping Duty Order on Oil Country Tubular Goods from Ukraine,” dated concurrently with, and hereby adopted by, this notice (Preliminary Decision Memorandum).

8.   See19 CFR 351.309(c).

9.   See19 CFR 351.309(d); see also Temporary Rule Modifying AD/CVD Service Requirements Due to COVID-19,85 FR 17006, 17007 (March 26, 2020) (“To provide adequate time for release of case briefs via ACCESS, E&C intends to schedule the due date for all rebuttal briefs to be 7 days after case briefs are filed (while these modifications remain in effect)”).

10.   See19 CFR 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2); see also19 CFR 351.303 (for general filing requirements).

11.   See19 CFR 351.303(f).

12.   See Temporary Rule Modifying AD/CVD Service Requirements Due to COVID-19; Extension of Effective Period,85 FR 41363 (July 10, 2020).

13.   See19 CFR 351.310(c).

14.   See19 CFR 351.310(d).

15.   See Domestic Interested Parties' Letter, “Oil Country Tubular Goods from Ukraine: Request for On-Site Verification,” dated December 16, 2021.

16.   See19 CFR 351.212(b)(1).

17.   See19 CFR 351.106(c)(2).

18.   See Antidumping Proceedings: Calculation of the Weighted-Average Dumping Margin and Assessment Rate in Certain Antidumping Proceedings; Final Modification,77 FR 8101, 8102 (February 14, 2012) ( Final Modification for Reviews).

19.   See Order, 84 FR at 33919.

20.   See Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Proceedings: Assessment of Antidumping Duties,68 FR 23954 (May 6, 2003).

21.   See Order, 84 FR at 33919.