Notice2024-28796

Melamine From Qatar: Final Negative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value and Final Negative Determination of Critical Circumstances

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
December 9, 2024

Issuing agencies

Commerce DepartmentInternational Trade Administration

Abstract

The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that melamine from Qatar is not being, or is not 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.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 236 (Monday, December 9, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 236 (Monday, December 9, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 97592-97593]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-28796]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration

[A-518-001]


Melamine From Qatar: Final Negative Determination of Sales at 
Less Than Fair Value and Final Negative Determination of Critical 
Circumstances

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

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) determines that 
melamine from Qatar is not being, or is not 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.

DATES: Applicable December 9, 2024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrew Hart, AD/CVD Operations, Office 
II, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, 
U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, 
DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-1058.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    On September 24, 2024, Commerce published in the Federal Register 
its preliminary negative determination in the LTFV investigation of 
melamine from Qatar and invited interested parties to comment on the 
Preliminary Determination.\1\
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    \1\ See Melamine from Qatar: Preliminary Negative Determination 
of Sales at Less Than Fair Value, 89 FR 77824 (September 24, 2024) 
(Preliminary Determination), and accompanying Preliminary Decision 
Memorandum.
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    A summary of the events that occurred since Commerce published its 
Preliminary Determination, as well as a full discussion of the issues 
raised by parties for this final determination, may be found in the 
Issues and Decision Memorandum.\2\ The Issues and 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 
<a href="https://access.trade.gov">https://access.trade.gov</a>. In addition, a complete version of the Issues 
and Decision Memorandum can be accessed directly at <a href="https://access.trade.gov/public/FRNoticesListLayout.aspx">https://access.trade.gov/public/FRNoticesListLayout.aspx</a>.
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    \2\ See Memorandum, ``Issues and Decision Memorandum for the 
Final Negative Determination in the Less-Than-Fair-Value 
Investigation of Melamine from Qatar,'' dated concurrently with, and 
hereby adopted by, this notice (Issues and Decision Memorandum).
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Final Negative Determination of Critical Circumstances

    We continue to find that critical circumstances do not exist for 
imports of melamine from Qatar for all producers and exporters pursuant 
to section 733(e)(1)(A) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act) 
and 19 CFR 351.206. For a discussion and analysis of comments regarding 
Commerce's critical circumstances analysis, see the Issues and Decision 
Memorandum.

Scope of the Investigation

    The product covered by this investigation is melamine from Qatar. 
For a complete description of the scope of this investigation, see 
Appendix I to this notice.

Scope Comments

    We received no comments from interested parties on the scope of the 
investigation as it appeared in the Preliminary Determination. 
Therefore, we made no changes to the scope of the investigation.

Verification

    As provided in section 782(i)(1) of the Act, in October 2024, we 
verified the sales and cost information submitted by QMC/Muntajat \3\ 
for use in our final determination. We used standard verification 
procedures, including an examination of relevant sales and accounting 
records, and original source documents provided by QMC/Muntajat.\4\
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    \3\ As discussed in the Preliminary Determination, Commerce 
preliminarily collapsed the following companies and treated them as 
a single entity: Qatar Melamine Company (QMC); Qatar Chemical and 
Petrochemical marketing and Distribution Company (Muntajat) 
Q.P.J.S.C. (Muntajat) (collectively QMC/Muntajat); and Qatar 
Fertiliser Company P.S.C. (QAFCO). Commerce continues to collapse 
these companies and treat them as a single entity for the final 
determination.
    \4\ See Memoranda, ``Verification of the Sales Response of Qatar 
Melamine Company and Qatar Chemical and Petrochemical Marketing and 
Distribution Company Q.P.J.S.C. in the Antidumping Duty 
Investigation of Melamine from Qatar,'' dated October 17, 2024 
(Sales Verification Report); and ``Verification of the Cost 
Responses of Qatar Melamine Company in the Antidumping Duty 
Investigation of Melamine from Qatar,'' dated November 1, 2024 (Cost 
Verification Report).
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Analysis of Comments Received

    All issues raised in the case and rebuttal briefs submitted by 
interested parties in this investigation are addressed in the Issues 
and Decision Memorandum. A list of the issues addressed in the Issues 
and Decision Memorandum is attached as Appendix II to this notice.

[[Page 97593]]

Changes Since the Preliminary Determination

    We made certain changes to the margin calculation for QMC/Muntajat, 
since the Preliminary Determination.\5\ For a discussion of these 
changes, see the Issues and Decision Memorandum.
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    \5\ See Memorandum, ``Analysis for the Final Determination for 
Qatar Melamine Company and Qatar Chemical and Petrochemical 
Marketing and Distribution Company Q.P.J.S.C.,'' dated concurrently 
with this notice.
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Final Determination

    Commerce determines that the following estimated weighted-average 
dumping margins exist for the period, January 1, 2023, through December 
31, 2023:

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                               Weighted-average      Cash deposit rate
      Exporter/producer         dumping margin     (adjusted for subsidy
                                   (percent)       offset(s)) (percent)
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Qatar Melamine Company;                    0.00   Not Applicable.
 Qatar Chemical and
 Petrochemical Marketing and
 Distribution Company
 (Muntajat) Q.P.J.S.C.;
 Qatar Fertiliser Company
 (P.S.C.).
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    Commerce has not calculated an estimated weighted-average dumping 
margin for all other producers and exporters pursuant to sections 
735(c)(1)(B) and (c)(5) of the Act, because it has not made a final 
affirmative determination of sales at LTFV.

Disclosure

    Commerce intends to disclose the calculations performed in 
connection with this final determination to interested parties within 
five days of any public announcement or, if there is no public 
announcement, within five days of the publication of the notice in the 
Federal Register, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b).

Suspension of Liquidation

    In the Preliminary Determination, the estimated weighted-average 
dumping margin for QMC/Muntajat was de minimis and, therefore, we did 
not suspend liquidation of entries of melamine from Qatar. Because 
Commerce has made a final negative determination of sales at LTFV with 
regard to the subject merchandise, Commerce will not direct U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection to suspend liquidation or to require cash 
deposit of estimated antidumping duties for entries of melamine from 
Qatar.

U.S. International Trade Commission Notification

    In accordance with section 735(d) of the Act, Commerce will notify 
the U.S. international Trade Commission of its final negative 
determination of sales at LTFV. As our final determination is negative, 
this proceeding is terminated in accordance with section 735(c)(2) of 
the Act.

Administrative Protective Order

    This notice serves as a final reminder to parties subject to an 
administrative protective order (APO) of their responsibility 
concerning the return or destruction of proprietary information 
disclosed under APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305(a)(3), which 
continues to govern business proprietary information in this segment of 
the proceeding. Timely written notification of the return or 
destruction of APO materials, or conversion to judicial protective 
order, is hereby requested. Failure to comply with the regulations and 
the terms of an APO is a violation subject to sanction.

Notification to Interested Parties

    This determination and this notice are issued and published in 
accordance with sections 735(d) and 777(i) of the Act, and 19 CFR 
351.210(c).

    Dated: December 2, 2024.
Abdelali Elouaradia,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.

Appendix I

Scope of the Investigation

    The merchandise subject to this investigation is melamine 
(Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) registry number 108-78-01, 
molecular formula C<INF>3</INF> H<INF>6</INF> N<INF>6</INF>). 
Melamine is also known as 2,4,6-triamino-s-triazine; 1,3,5-Triazine-
2,4,6- triamine; Cyanurotriamide; Cyanurotriamine; Cyanuramide; and 
by various brand names. Melamine is a crystalline powder or granule. 
All melamine is covered by the scope of this investigation 
irrespective of purity, particle size, or physical form. Melamine 
that has been blended with other products is included within this 
scope when such blends include constituent parts that have been 
intermingled, but that have not been chemically reacted with each 
other to produce a different product. For such blends, only the 
melamine component of the mixture is covered by the scope of this 
investigation. Melamine that is otherwise subject to this 
investigation is not excluded when commingled with melamine from 
sources not subject to this investigation. Only the subject 
component of such commingled products is covered by the scope of 
this investigation.
    The subject merchandise is provided for in subheading 
2933.61.0000 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States 
(HTSUS). Although the HTSUS subheading and CAS registry number are 
provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written 
description of the scope is dispositive.

Appendix II

List of Topics Discussed in the Issues and Decision Memorandum

I. Summary
II. Background
III. Changes Since the Preliminary Determination
IV. Discussion of the Issues
    Comment 1: Cost-Based Particular Market Situation (PMS)
    Comment 2: Comparison Methodology
    Comment 3: Critical Circumstances
    Comment 4: Third Country Comparison Market
    Comment 5: Collapsing
    Comment 6: Major Input/Transaction Disregarded Rule
V. Recommendation

[FR Doc. 2024-28796 Filed 12-6-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P


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Indexed from Federal Register on December 9, 2024.

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