Aluminum Extrusions From the People's Republic of China: Notice of Amended Final Scope Rulings Pursuant to Court Decision

<NOTICE> DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE <SUBAGY>International Trade Administration</SUBAGY> <DEPDOC>[A-570-967, C-570-968]</DEPDOC> <SUBJECT>Aluminum Extrusions From the People's Republic of China: Notice of Amended Final Scope Rulings Pursuant to Court Decision</SUBJECT> <HD SOURCE="HED">AGENCY:</HD> Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce. <SUM> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUMMARY:</HD> On October 8, 2024, in the consolidated appeal of <E T="03">Worldwide Door Components, Inc.,</E> v. <E T="03">United States, Endura Products, INC.,</E> Court No. 2023-1532 and <E T="03">Columbia Aluminum Products, LLC,</E> v. <E T="03">United States, Endura Products, INC.,</E> Court No. 2023-1534 (collectively, <E T="03">Worldwide Federal Circuit</E> ), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Federal Circuit) reversed the U.S. Court of International Trade's (CIT) <E T="03">Second Remand Order,</E> and sustained the non-protested portions of Commerce's <E T="03">First Remand Redeterminations.</E> The Federal Circuit also vacated the CIT's subsequent opinions and orders in this case following the <E T="03">Second Remand Order.</E> In the <E T="03">First Remand Redeterminations,</E> Commerce continued to find that certain door thresholds imported by Worldwide Door Components, Inc. (Worldwide) and Columbia Aluminum Products, Inc. (Columbia) are within the scope of the antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) orders on aluminum extrusions from the People's Republic of China (China). The CIT originally sustained Commerce's <E T="03">Third Remand Redeterminations</E> finding the products in question outside the scope of the <E T="03">Orders</E> under respectful protest, and on December 29, 2022, Commerce published a notice of court decisions not in harmony with its final scope ruling and notice of amended final scope ruling. However, consistent with the Federal Circuit's decision reversing and vacating the CIT's opinion and order, Commerce is now amending the final scope rulings, as they were represented in the <E T="03">Amended Final Scope Rulings,</E> to find that the Worldwide and Columbia door thresholds at issue are subject to the <E T="03">Orders.</E> </SUM> <DATES> <HD SOURCE="HED">DATES:</HD> Applicable January 7, 2024. </DATES> <FURINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:</HD> Erin Kearney, AD/CVD Operations, Office VI, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-0167. </FURINF> <SUPLINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:</HD> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Background</HD> On December 19, 2018, Commerce issued its Final Scope Rulings  <SU>1</SU> <FTREF/> that certain door thresholds imported by Worldwide and Columbia fall within the scope of the <E T="03">Orders.</E> <SU>2</SU> <FTREF/> Worldwide and Columbia appealed Commerce's Final Scope Ruling. On December 23, 2020, pursuant to the CIT's first remand orders in <E T="03">Worldwide I</E> and <E T="03">Columbia I,</E> <SU>3</SU> <FTREF/> Commerce issued its <E T="03">First Remand Redeterminations,</E> in which Commerce continued to find that Worldwide's and Columbia's door thresholds were subassemblies included in the scope of the <E T="03">Orders</E> and, therefore, failed to satisfy the requirements for the finished merchandise exclusion. <SU>4</SU> <FTREF/> <FTNT> <SU>1</SU>   <E T="03">See</E> Memorandum, “Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Order on Aluminum Extrusions from the People's Republic of China: Final Scope Rulings on Worldwide Door Components Inc., MJB Wood Group, Inc. and Columbia Door Thresholds,” dated December 19, 2018 (Final Scope Rulings). </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>2</SU>   <E T="03">See Aluminum Extrusions from the People's Republic of China: Antidumping Duty Order,</E> 76 FR 30650 (May 26, 2011); and <E T="03">Aluminum Extrusions from the People's Republic of China: Countervailing Duty Order,</E> 76 FR 30653 (May 26, 2011) (collectively, the <E T="03">Orders</E> ). </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>3</SU>   <E T="03">See Worldwide Door Components, Inc.</E> v. <E T="03">United States,</E> 466 F. Supp. 3d 1370 (CIT 2020) ( <E T="03">Worldwide I</E> ); and <E T="03">Columbia Aluminum Products, LLC</E> v. <E T="03">United States,</E> 470 F. Supp. 3d 1353 (CIT 2020) ( <E T="03">Columbia I</E> ). </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>4</SU>   <E T="03">See Final Results of Redetermination Pursuant to Court Remand, Aluminum Extrusions from the People's Republic of China, Worldwide Door Components, Inc.</E> v. <E T="03">United States,</E> Court No. 19-00012, Slip Op. 20-128 (CIT August 27, 2020), dated December 23, 2020, available at <E T="03">https://access.trade.gov/resources/remands/20-128.pdf; Final Results of Redetermination Pursuant to Court Remand, Aluminum Extrusions from the People's Republic of China, Columbia Aluminum Products, LLC</E> v. <E T="03">United States,</E> Court No. 19-00013, Slip Op. 20-129 (CIT August 27, 2020), dated December 23, 2020, available at <E T="03">https://access.trade.gov/resources/remands/20-129.pdf</E> (collectively, <E T="03">First Remand Redeterminations</E> ). </FTNT> In <E T="03">Worldwide II</E> and <E T="03">Columbia II,</E> the CIT determined that Commerce impermissibly based its analysis in the <E T="03">First Remand Redeterminations</E> on inferences that were contradicted or unsupported by other information on the record. <SU>5</SU> <FTREF/> The CIT directed Commerce to reconsider whether Worldwide's and Columbia's door thresholds required cutting or machining prior to incorporation into another product, and to determine whether Worldwide's and Columbia's door thresholds qualified for the finished merchandise exclusion. <SU>6</SU> <FTREF/> On December 13, 2021, Commerce issued its <E T="03">Second Remand Redeterminations,</E> in which Commerce determined that Worldwide's and Columbia's door thresholds were excluded from the <E T="03">Orders</E> as finished merchandise. <SU>7</SU> <FTREF/> <FTNT> <SU>5</SU>   <E T="03">See Worldwide Door Components, Inc.</E> v. <E T="03">United States,</E> 537 F. Supp. 3d 1403, 1404-05, 1408-09 (CIT 2021) ( <E T="03">Worldwide II</E> ); and <E T="03">Columbia Aluminum Products, LLC</E> v. <E T="03">United States,</E> 536 F. Supp. 3d 1346 (CIT 2021) ( <E T="03">Columbia II</E> ). </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>6</SU>   <E T="03">See Worldwide II,</E> 537 F. Supp. 3d at 1404-05, 1414; and <E T="03">Columbia II,</E> 536 F. Supp. 3d at 1354. </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>7</SU>   <E T="03">See Final Results of Redetermination Pursuant to Court Remand, Worldwide Door Components, Inc.</E> v. <E T="03">United States,</E> Court No. 19-00012, Slip Op. 21-115 (CIT September 14, 2021), dated December 13, 2021, available at <E T="03">https://access.trade.gov/resources/remands/21-115.pdf; Final Results of Redetermination Pursuant to Court Remand, Columbia Aluminum Products, LLC.</E> v. <E T="03">United States,</E> Court No. 19-00013, Slip Op. 21-116 (CIT September 14, 2021), dated December 13, 2021, available at <E T="03">https://access.trade.gov/resources/remands/21-116.pdf</E> (collectively, <E T="03">Second Remand Redeterminations</E> ). </FTNT> In <E T="03">Worldwide III</E> and <E T="03">Columbia III,</E> the CIT held that Commerce's <E T="03">Second Remand Redeterminations</E> misconstrued aspects of the CIT's decision in <E T="03">Worldwide II</E> and <E T="03">Columbia II</E> and were not submitted in a form the CIT could sustain upon judicial review. <SU>8</SU> <FTREF/> The CIT directed Commerce to issue a new determination, in a form that would go into effect if sustained upon judicial review, determining whether the extruded aluminum components of Worldwide's and Columbia's door thresholds are within the scope of the <E T="03">Orders.</E> <SU>9</SU> <FTREF/> <FTNT> <SU>8</SU>   <E T="03">See Worldwide III,</E> 589 F. Supp. 3d 1185, 1192-95 (CIT 2022); and <E T="03">Columbia III,</E> 587 F. Supp. 3d 1375, 1382-85 (CIT 2022). </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>9</SU>   <E T="03">See Worldwide III,</E> 589 F. Supp. 3d at 1195; and <E T="03">Columbia III,</E> 587 F. Supp. 3d at 1385. </FTNT> In the <E T="03">Third Remand Redeterminations,</E> Commerce continued to find, in accordance with the CIT's holdings, that Worldwide's and Columbia's door thresholds are outside the scope of the <E T="03">Orders</E> based on the finished merchandise exclusion; Commerce also provided further explanation for the basis of that finding and clarified that Commerce did not intend to issue any other scope ruling or other agency determination subsequent to the CIT's order. <SU>10</SU> <FTREF/> The CIT subsequently sustained Commerce's remand redeterminations in <E T="03">Worldwide IV</E> and <E T="03">Columbia IV.</E> <SU>11</SU> <FTREF/> On December 29, 2022, Commerce published a notice of court decisions not in harmony with its final scope ruling and notice of amended final scope ruling. <SU>12</SU> <FTREF/> <FTNT> <SU>10</SU>   <E T="03">See Final Results of Redetermination Pursuant to Court Remand, Worldwide Door Components, Inc.</E> v. <E T="03">United States,</E> Court No. 19-00012, Slip Op. 22-91 (CIT August 10, 2022), dated September 8, 2022, available at <E T="03">https://access.trade.gov/resources/remands//22-91.pdf;</E> and <E T="03">Final Results of Redetermination Pursuant to Court Remand, Columbia Aluminum Products, LLC.</E> v. <E T="03">United States,</E> Court No. 19-00013, Slip Op. 22-92 (CIT August 10, 2022), dated September 8, 2022, available at <E T="03">https://access.trade.gov/resources/remands/22-92.pdf</E> (collectively, ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Preview showing 10k of 13k characters. 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