Notice of Extension of the Deadline for Determining the Adequacy of the Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Petitions: Certain Passenger Vehicle and Light Truck Tires From the People's Republic of China

Christian Marsh
Department of Commerce
June 24, 2014

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 121 (Tuesday, June 24, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35725-35726]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-14716]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-570-016, C-570-017]


Notice of Extension of the Deadline for Determining the Adequacy 
of the Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Petitions: Certain Passenger 
Vehicle and Light Truck Tires From the People's Republic of China

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

DATES: Effective Date: June 24, 2014.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Emily Halle, Toni Page, or Kaitlin 
Wojnar at (202) 482-0176, (202) 482-1398, or (202) 482-3857, 
respectively, AD/CVD Operations, Enforcement and Compliance, 
International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14th 
Street and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230.

Extension of Initiation of Investigations

The Petitions

    On June 3, 2014, the Department of Commerce (Department) received 
antidumping and countervailing duty petitions filed by the United 
Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied 
Industrial and Service Workers International Union, AFL-CIO-CLC 
(Petitioner) on behalf of the domestic industry producing certain 
passenger vehicle and light truck tires.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ See Petitions for the Imposition of Antidumping Duties and 
Countervailing Duties on Certain Passenger Vehicle and Light Truck 
Tires from the People's Republic of China, June 3, 2014 (Petitions).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Determination of Industry Support for the Petitions

    Sections 702(b)(1) and 732(b)(1) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as 
amended (the Act), require that a petition be filed by or on behalf of 
the domestic industry. Sections 702(c)(4)(A) and 732(c)(4)(A) of the 
Act provide that the Department's industry support determination be 
based on whether a minimum percentage of the relevant industry supports 
the petition. A petition meets this requirement if the domestic 
producers or workers who support the petition account for: (i) At least 
25 percent of the total production of the domestic like product; and 
(ii) more than 50 percent of the production of the domestic like 
product produced by that portion of the industry expressing support 
for, or opposition to, the petition. Moreover, sections 702(c)(4)(D) 
and 732(c)(4)(D) of the Act provide that, if the petition does not 
establish support of domestic producers or workers accounting for more 
than 50 percent of the total production of the domestic like product, 
the Department shall: (i) Poll the industry or rely on other 
information in order to determine if there is support for the petition, 
as required by subparagraph (A), or (ii) if there is a large number of 
producers, determine industry support using a statistically valid 
sampling method to poll the industry.

Extension of Time

    Sections 702(c)(1)(A)(ii) and 732(c)(1)(A)(ii) of the Act provide 
that within 20 days of the filing of an antidumping or countervailing 
duty petition, the Department will determine, inter alia, whether the 
petition has been filed by or on behalf of the U.S. industry producing 
the domestic like product. Sections 702(c)(1)(B) and 732(c)(1)(B) of

[[Page 35726]]

the Act provide that the deadline for the initiation determination, in 
exceptional circumstances, may be extended by 20 days in any case in 
which the Department must ``poll or otherwise determine support for the 
petition by the industry.'' Because it is not clear from the Petitions 
whether the industry support criteria have been met, the Department 
determines it should extend the time for initiating an investigation in 
order to further examine the issue of industry support.
    The Department will need additional time to gather and analyze 
additional information regarding industry support. Therefore, it is 
necessary to extend the deadline for determining the adequacy of the 
Petitions for a period not to exceed 40 days from the filing of the 
Petition. Because the extended initiation determinations date of July 
13, 2014, falls on a Sunday, a non-business day, the Department's 
initiation determinations will now be due no later than July 14, 2014, 
the next business day.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ See Notice of Clarification: Application of ''Next Business 
Day'' Rule for Administrative Determination Deadlines Pursuant to 
the Tariff Act of 1930, As Amended, 70 FR 24533 (May 10, 2005).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

International Trade Commission Notification

    The Department will contact the International Trade Commission 
(ITC) and will make this extension notice available to the ITC.

    Dated: June 17, 2014.
Christian Marsh,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty 
Operations.
[FR Doc. 2014-14716 Filed 6-23-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P