Notice2024-13841
Certain Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Products From the People's Republic of China: Notice of Court Decision Not in Harmony With the Final Results of the Countervailing Duty Administrative Review; Notice of Amended Final Results
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
June 25, 2024
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentInternational Trade Administration
Abstract
On March 21, 2024, the U.S. Court of International Trade (the Court) issued its final judgment in Trina Solar (Changzhou) Science & Technology Co., Ltd., et al. v. United States, Court No. 23-00219 (CIT March 21, 2024), sustaining the U.S. Department of Commerce's (Commerce) final remand results pertaining to the countervailing duty administrative review on certain crystalline silicon photovoltaic products (solar products) from the People's Republic of China (China), covering the period of review (POR) January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021. Commerce is notifying the public that the Court's final judgment is not in harmony with the final results of the administrative review, and that Commerce is amending its final results.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 122 (Tuesday, June 25, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 122 (Tuesday, June 25, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53042-53043]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-13841]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[C-570-011]
Certain Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Products From the
People's Republic of China: Notice of Court Decision Not in Harmony
With the Final Results of the Countervailing Duty Administrative
Review; Notice of Amended Final Results
AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: On March 21, 2024, the U.S. Court of International Trade (the
Court) issued its final judgment in Trina Solar (Changzhou) Science &
Technology Co., Ltd., et al. v. United States, Court No. 23-00219 (CIT
March 21, 2024), sustaining the U.S. Department of Commerce's
(Commerce) final remand results pertaining to the countervailing duty
administrative review on certain crystalline silicon photovoltaic
products (solar products) from the People's Republic of China (China),
covering the period of review (POR) January 1, 2021, through December
31, 2021. Commerce is notifying the public that the Court's final
judgment is not in harmony with the final results of the administrative
review, and that Commerce is amending its final results.
DATES: Applicable March 31, 2024.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gene H. Calvert, AD/CVD Operations,
Office VII, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue
NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-3586.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On September 13, 2023, Commerce published its final results of the
2021 administrative review of solar products from China.\1\ Commerce
reached an affirmative determination for Trina Solar (Changzhou)
Science & Technology Co., Ltd. and its cross-owned affiliates
(collectively, Trina Solar). In the Final Results, Commerce exclusively
relied on freight rates published by The Descartes Systems Group Inc.
(Descartes) when determining ocean freight rates for calculating the
subsidy rates for several programs pursuant to which the Government of
China provided goods for less than adequate remuneration (LTAR).\2\
Trina Solar filed a complaint concerning this issue.
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\1\ See Certain Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Products from
the People's Republic of China: Final Results of Countervailing Duty
Administrative Review; 2021, 88 FR 62770 (Final Results), and
accompanying Issues and Decision Memorandum (IDM).
\2\ Id. at Comment 5.
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Subsequently, and considering the Court's holding in Risen Energy I
and Risen Energy II,\3\ Commerce requested that the issue be remanded
for further consideration. On December 12, 2023, the Court granted
Commerce's motion for voluntary remand with additional guidance.\4\
Specifically, the Court instructed Commerce to consider its rulings in
Risen Energy I and Risen Energy II and to use a multiple route database
in keeping with the statutory preference for relying on a broadly based
ocean freight rate, in the absence of ``the ability to concretely
explain a strong reason for a single rate source.'' \5\ Upon
reconsideration of this issue, Commerce determined not to rely on the
Descartes database for the base rates for ocean freight in constructing
world market benchmarks for LTAR programs under 19 CFR
351.511(a)(2)(ii). Instead, Commerce relied on ocean freight rates
published by Xeneta AS (Xeneta) exclusively for the base ocean freight
rates and then made certain adjustments to the Xeneta data to account
for any missing ocean freight surcharges, relying on the Descartes
data.\6\ On
[[Page 53043]]
February 22, 2024, Commerce issued its final results of redetermination
calculating an estimated countervailable subsidy rate of 9.02 percent
ad valorem for Trina Solar,\7\ and on March 21, 2024, the Court
sustained Commerce's Final Redetermination.\8\
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\3\ See Risen Energy Co., v. United States, 570 F. Supp. 3d
1369, 1372 (CIT 2022) (Risen Energy I); see also Risen Energy Co. v.
United States, Slip Op. 23-48 (CIT April 11, 2023) (Risen Energy
II).
\4\ See Trina Solar (Changzhou) Science & Technology Co., Ltd.
v. United States, Court No. 23-00219, Slip Op. No. 23-174 (CIT
December 12, 2023).
\5\ Id.
\6\ See Trina Solar (Changzhou) Science & Technology Co., Ltd.
v. United States, Court No. 23-00219, ``Final Results of
Redetermination Pursuant to Court Order,'' dated February 22, 2024
(Final Redetermination).
\7\ Id.
\8\ See Trina Solar (Changzhou) Science & Technology Co., Ltd.,
et al., v. United States, Court No. 23-00219 (CIT March 21, 2024).
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Timken Notice
In its decision in Timken,<SUP>9</SUP> as clarified by Diamond
Sawblades,<SUP>10</SUP> the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal
Circuit held that, pursuant to section 516A(c) and (e) of the Tariff
Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), Commerce must publish a notice of a
court decision that is not ``in harmony'' with a Commerce determination
and must suspend liquidation of entries pending a ``conclusive'' court
decision. The Court's March 21, 2024, judgment constitutes a final
decision of the Court that is not in harmony with Commerce's Final
Results. This notice is published in fulfillment of the publication
requirements of Timken.
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\9\ See Timken Co., v. United States, 893 F.2d 337 (Fed. Cir.
1990) (Timken).
\10\ See Diamond Sawblades Mfrs. Coal. v. United States, 626
F.3d 1374 (Fed. Cir. 2010) (Diamond Sawblades).
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Amended Final Results
Because there is now a final court judgment, Commerce is amending
its Final Results with respect to Trina Solar's countervailable subsidy
rate for the period January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2021, as
follows:
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Subsidy rate
Producer/exporter (percent ad
valorem)
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Trina Solar (Changzhou) Science & Technology Co., 9.02
Ltd.\11\...............................................
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Cash Deposit Requirements
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\11\ Commerce found Trina Solar (Changzhou) Science & Technology
Co., Ltd. to be cross-owned, within the meaning of 19 CFR
351.525(b)(6)(vi), among and across the following companies:
Yancheng Trina Solar Guoneng Science & Technology Co., Ltd.; Trina
Solar (Su Qian) Technology Co., Ltd.; Trina Solar Yiwu Technology
Co., Ltd.; Trina Solar Co., Ltd.; Trina Solar (Yancheng Dafeng) Co.,
Ltd.; Trina Solar Science & Technology (Yancheng) Co., Ltd.; Trina
Solar (Suqian) Optoelectronics Co., Ltd.; Trina Solar (Changzhou)
Optoelectronic Device Co., Ltd.; Changzhou Trina Solar Yabang Energy
Co., Ltd.; Hubei Trina Solar Energy Co., Ltd.; Turpan Trina Solar
Energy Co., Ltd.; Trina Solar (Hefei) Science and Technology Co.,
Ltd.; Changzhou Hesai PV Ribbon Materials Co., Ltd.; Changzhou Hewei
New Material Technology Co., Ltd.; Changzhou Trina Hezhong PV Co.,
Ltd.; and Changzhou Trina PV Ribbon Materials Co., Ltd. See Final
Results.
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Commerce intends to issue revised cash deposit instructions to U.S.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP) for the entries indicated above.
The revised cash deposit rate, indicated above, will be effective March
31, 2024.
Liquidation of Suspended Entries
Commerce intends to instruct CBP to assess countervailing duties on
unliquidated entries of subject merchandise produced and/or exported by
Trina Solar in accordance with 19 CFR 351.212(b). We will instruct CBP
to assess countervailing duties on all appropriate entries covered by
this administrative review where the ad valorem rate is not zero or de
minimis. Where an ad valorem subsidy rate is zero or de minimis,\12\ we
will instruct CBP to liquidate the appropriate entries without regard
to countervailing duties.
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\12\ See 19 CFR 351.106(c)(2).
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Notification to Interested Parties
This notice is issued and published in accordance with sections
516A(c) and (e), and 777(i)(1) of the Act.
Dated: June 18, 2024.
Ryan Majerus,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Negotiations, performing the
non-exclusive functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary for
Enforcement and Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2024-13841 Filed 6-24-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on June 25, 2024.
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