Pipe fittings imported from China into Canada as pipes and then bent into precise angles before being imported into the U.S. are not subject to antidumping and countervailing duties on circular welded carbon quality steel pipe from China (A-570-910/C-570-911), said the Commerce Department in a final scope ruling issued Feb. 20. Pipe fittings are not covered by the scope of the AD/CV duty orders, and Cintube’s pipe fittings are clearly designed and labeled as pipe fittings, it said.
The Commerce Department issued the preliminary results of its antidumping duty administrative review and a new shipper review on wooden bedroom furniture from China (A-570-890). The administrative review covered Tony House Group and two other companies that didn't cooperate (and were assigned to the China-wide entity). The new shipper review covered Dongguan Chengcheng Group. These preliminary results are not in effect. Commerce may modify them in the final results of this review and change the estimated AD cash deposit rate for these companies.
The Commerce Department issued Federal Register notices on its recently initiated antidumping and countervailing duty investigations on carbon and alloy steel wire rod from China (A-570-012/C-570-013). The agency will determine whether imports of steel wire rod from China are being sold in the U.S. at less than fair value or illegally subsidized.
The Commerce Department will not suspend liquidation and impose a countervailing duty cash deposit requirement on imports of steel concrete reinforcing bar from Turkey (C-489-819), finding no countervailable subsidization in its preliminary CV duty determination. The agency calculated de minimis CV duty rates for all respondents. Commerce will revisit the issue when it issues its final determination, and may at that point suspend liquidation and impose CV duty cash deposit requirements if it finds subsidization. Commerce may also require antidumping duty cash deposits when it publishes its preliminary AD duty determination on rebar from Turkey, currently set for April 18.
The Commerce Department is amending its preliminary affirmative antidumping determination on welded stainless pressure pipe from Thailand (A-549-830), changing the AD rates it calculated in response to allegations of fraud. Commerce says that, shortly before the agency issued its preliminary determination on Jan. 7, domestic industry alleged Ametai and Thareus were supplying false information. After Commerce requested more information from Amatei and Thareus, the affiliated companies pulled out of participation in the investigation. Commerce issued its preliminary determination three days later. The agency is now amending the rates it set for Ametai/Thareus to apply a penalty rate. The new rate also affects the rate for all other Thai companies except for Thai-German. The new rates take effect Feb. 26.
Consumer Product Safety Commission announced on Feb. 25 the following voluntary recalls of imported products:
The Consumer Product Safety Commission will hold a meeting on April 3 in Rockville, Md. to gather input from industry on how to reduce costs of third-party testing of children’s products. At the workshop, which will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., CPSC will ask for information on products that should not be subject to third-party testing requirements because they never contain lead, phthalates, or other restricted elements in excess of CPSC standards. To give a presentation or sit on a panel at the workshop, registration is required by March 13.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is proposing to amend its regulations on disclosures of business information to the public. The proposed rule modernizes process by, for example, notifying manufacturers by email that information pertaining to them will be disclosed. It also “streamlines” the rule by “eliminating unnecessary administrative burdens to the agency, removing extra-statutory requirements,” and "eliminating redundancies in providing notice,” among other things. Comments on the proposed changes to CPSC’s 6(b) information disclosure regulations are due April 28.
On Feb. 25 the Food and Drug Administration posted new and revised versions of the following Import Alerts on the detention without physical examination of:
On Feb. 25 the Foreign Agricultural Service posted the following GAIN reports: