Ferrosilicon From Brazil: Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value, Postponement of Final Determination, and Extension of Provisional Measures

<NOTICE> DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE <SUBAGY>International Trade Administration</SUBAGY> <DEPDOC>[A-351-860]</DEPDOC> <SUBJECT>Ferrosilicon From Brazil: Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value, Postponement of Final Determination, and Extension of Provisional Measures</SUBJECT> <HD SOURCE="HED">AGENCY:</HD> Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce. <SUM> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUMMARY:</HD> The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that ferrosilicon from Brazil is being, or is likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV). The period of investigation (POI) is January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023. Interested parties are invited to comment on this preliminary determination. </SUM> <DATES> <HD SOURCE="HED">DATES:</HD> Applicable November 6, 2024. </DATES> <FURINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:</HD> Jaron Moore or Noah Wetzel, AD/CVD Operations, Office VIII, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-3640 or (202) 482-7466, respectively. </FURINF> <SUPLINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:</HD> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Background</HD> This preliminary determination is made in accordance with section 733(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act). Commerce published the notice of initiation of this investigation on April 24, 2024. <SU>1</SU> <FTREF/> On July 23, 2024, Commerce tolled certain deadlines in this investigation by seven days. <SU>2</SU> <FTREF/> On August 16, 2024, Commerce postponed the preliminary determination of this investigation until October 31, 2024. <SU>3</SU> <FTREF/> <FTNT> <SU>1</SU>   <E T="03">See Ferrosilicon from Brazil, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, and the Russian Federation: Initiation of Less-Than-Fair-Value Investigations,</E> 89 FR 31137 (April 24, 2024) ( <E T="03">Initiation Notice</E> ). </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>2</SU>   <E T="03">See</E> Memorandum, “Tolling of Deadlines for Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Proceedings,” dated July 23, 2024. </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>3</SU>   <E T="03">See Ferrosilicon from Brazil, Kazakhstan, and Malaysia: Postponement of Preliminary Determinations in the Less-Than-Fair-Value Investigations,</E> 89 FR 66678 (August 16, 2024). </FTNT> For a complete description of the events that followed the initiation of this investigation, <E T="03">see</E> the Preliminary Decision Memorandum. <SU>4</SU> <FTREF/> A list of topics included in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum is included as appendix II 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 <E T="03">https://access.trade.gov.</E> In addition, a complete version of the Preliminary Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly at <E T="03">https://access.trade.gov/public/FRNoticesListLayout.aspx.</E> <FTNT> <SU>4</SU>   <E T="03">See</E> Memorandum, “Decision Memorandum for the Preliminary Affirmative Determination in the Less-Than-Fair-Value Investigation of Ferrosilicon from Brazil,” dated concurrently with, and hereby adopted by, this notice (Preliminary Decision Memorandum). </FTNT> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Scope of the Investigation</HD> The product covered by this investigation is ferrosilicon from Brazil. For a complete description of the scope of this investigation, <E T="03">see</E> appendix I. <HD SOURCE="HD1">Scope Comments</HD> In accordance with the preamble to Commerce's regulations, <SU>5</SU> <FTREF/> the <E T="03">Initiation Notice</E> set aside a period of time for parties to raise issues regarding product coverage ( <E T="03">i.e.,</E> scope). <SU>6</SU> <FTREF/> As noted in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum, Commerce is correcting a minor clerical error in the language of the scope. <SU>7</SU> <FTREF/> <E T="03">See</E> the revised scope in appendix I to this notice. <FTNT> <SU>5</SU>   <E T="03">See Antidumping Duties; Countervailing Duties, Final Rule,</E> 62 FR 27296, 27323 (May 19, 1997). </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>6</SU>   <E T="03">See Initiation Notice,</E> 89 FR 31137. </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>7</SU>   <E T="03">See</E> Preliminary Decision Memorandum. </FTNT> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Methodology</HD> Commerce is conducting this investigation in accordance with section 731 of the Act. Commerce has calculated export prices in accordance with section 772(a) of the Act. Normal value is calculated in accordance with section 773 of the Act. Pursuant to sections 776(a) and (b) of the Act, Commerce has preliminarily relied upon facts otherwise available, with adverse inferences, for Ligas de Aluminio S.A. (LIASA). For a full description of the methodology underlying the preliminary determination, <E T="03">see</E> the Preliminary Decision Memorandum. <HD SOURCE="HD1">All-Others Rate</HD> Sections 733(d)(1)(ii) and 735(c)(5)(A) of the Act provide that, in the preliminary determination, Commerce shall determine an estimated all-others rate for all exporters and producers not individually examined. This rate shall be an amount equal to the weighted average of the estimated weighted-average dumping margins established for exporters and producers individually investigated, excluding any zero and <E T="03">de minimis</E> margins, and any margins determined entirely under section 776 of the Act. In this investigation, Commerce preliminarily calculated a <E T="03">de minimis</E> rate for Minasligas S.A. (Minasligas) and calculated a rate based entirely under section 776 of the Act for LIASA. Therefore, the only rate that is not zero, <E T="03">de minimis,</E> or based entirely on facts otherwise available is the rate calculated for Companhia de Ferro Ligas da Bahia S.A. (Ferbasa). Consequently, the preliminary rate calculated for Ferbasa is also the preliminary rate assigned to all other producers and exporters. <HD SOURCE="HD1">Preliminary Determination</HD> Commerce preliminarily determines that the following estimated weighted-average dumping margins exist: <GPOTABLE COLS="3" OPTS="L2,tp0,i1" CDEF="s100,26,26"> <TTITLE> </TTITLE> <CHED H="1">Exporter/producer</CHED> <CHED H="1"> Estimated weighted-average <ENT I="01">Minasligas S.A</ENT> <ENT>* 1.18</ENT> <ENT> <SU>8</SU>  1.06 </ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="01">Companhia de Ferro Ligas da Bahia S.A</ENT> <ENT>13.13</ENT> <ENT> <SU>9</SU>  13.03 </ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="01">Ligas de Aluminio S.A</ENT> <ENT>** 21.78</ENT> <ENT> <SU>10</SU>  0.00 </ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="01">All Others</ENT> <ENT>13.13</ENT> <ENT>13.03</ENT> </ROW> <TNOTE> *  <E T="03">de minimis.</E> </TNOTE> <TNOTE>** Rate based on facts available with adverse inferences.</TNOTE> </GPOTABLE> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Suspension of Liquidation</HD> In <FTREF/> accordance with section 733(d)(2) of the Act, Commerce will direct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to suspend liquidation of entries of subject merchandise, as described in appendix I, entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the date of publication of this notice in the <E T="04">Federal Register</E> . Further, pursuant to section 733(d)(1)(B) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.205(d), Commerce will instruct CBP to require a cash deposit equal to the estimated weighted-average dumping margin or the estimated all-others rate, as follows: (1) the cash deposit rate for the respondents listed above (except for Minasligas) will be equal to the company-specific estimated weighted-average dumping margins determined in this preliminary determination; (2) if the exporter is not a respondent identified above, but the producer is, then the cash deposit rate will be equal to the company-specific estimated weighted-average dumping margin established for that producer of the subject merchandise; and (3) the cash deposit rate for all other producers and exporters will be equal to the all-others estimated weighted-average dumping margin. <FTNT> <SU>8</SU>   <E T="03">See</E> Memorandum, “Preliminary Determination Margin Calculation for Minasligas S.A.,” dated October 31, 2024. <SU>9</SU>   <E T="03">See</E> Memorandum, “Preliminary Results Margin Calculation for Ferbasa,” dated October 31, 2024. <SU>10</SU>   <E T="03">See</E> Memorandum, “Preliminary Calculation of Export Subsidy Offset for LIASA,” dated October 31, 2024. </FTNT> Because the estimated weighted-average dumping margin for Minasligas is <E T="03">de minimis,</E> entries of shipments of subject merchandise from Minasligas will not be subject to suspension of liquidation or cash deposit requirements during the provisional measures period. In such situations, Commerce applies the exclusion to the provisional measures to the producer/exporter combination that was examined in the investigation. Accordingly, Commerce is directing CBP not to suspend liquidation of entries of subject merchandise produced and exported by Minasligas. Entries of shipments of subject merchandise from these companies in any other producer/exporter combination, or by third parties that sourced subject merchandise from the excluded producer/exporter combination, are subject to the provisional measures at the all-others rate. Should the final estimated weighted-average dumping margin be zero or <E T="03">de minimis</E> for the Minasligas, entries of shipments of subject merchandise from Minasligas will be excluded from the potential antidumping duty (AD) order. Such exclusion is not applicable to merchandise exported to the United States by this respo ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Preview showing 10k of 20k characters. Full document text is stored and available for version comparison. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━