Notice2025-07805
Hexamethylenetetramine From the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value, Postponement of Final Determination, and Extension of Provisional Measures
Primary source
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Published
May 6, 2025
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentInternational Trade Administration
Abstract
The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily determines that hexamethylenetetramine (hexamine) from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Saudi Arabia) is being, or is likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV). The period of investigation is July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024. Interested parties are invited to comment on this preliminary determination.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 86 (Tuesday, May 6, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 86 (Tuesday, May 6, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19180-19182]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-07805]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[A-517-807]
Hexamethylenetetramine From the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia:
Preliminary Affirmative Determination of Sales at Less Than Fair Value,
Postponement of Final Determination, and Extension of Provisional
Measures
AGENCY: Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration,
Department of Commerce.
SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) preliminarily
determines that hexamethylenetetramine (hexamine) from the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia (Saudi Arabia) is being, or is likely to be, sold in the
United States at less than fair value (LTFV). The period of
investigation is July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024. Interested
parties are invited to comment on this preliminary determination.
DATES: Applicable May 6, 2025.
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
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 November 4,
2024.\1\ On February 21, 2025, Commerce postponed the preliminary
determination of this investigation until April 29, 2025.\2\ For a
complete description of the events that followed the initiation of this
investigation, see the Preliminary Decision Memorandum.\3\ A list of
topics included in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum is included as
Appendix
[[Page 19181]]
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 <a href="https://access.trade.gov">https://access.trade.gov</a>. In addition, a complete version of the Preliminary
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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\1\ See Hexamethylenetetramine from the People's Republic of
China, Germany, India, and Saudi Arabia: Initiation of Less-Than-
Fair-Value Investigations, 89 FR 87545 (November 4, 2024)
(Initiation Notice).
\2\ See Hexamethylenetetramine from the People's Republic of
China, Germany, India, and Saudi Arabia: Postponement of Preliminary
Determinations in the Less-Than-Fair-Value Investigations, 90 FR
10067 (February 21, 2025).
\3\ See Memorandum, ``Decision Memorandum for the Preliminary
Determination in the Less-Than-Fair-Value Investigation of
Hexamethylenetetramine from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,'' dated
concurrently with, and hereby adopted by, this notice (Preliminary
Decision Memorandum).
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Scope of the Investigation
The product covered by this investigation is hexamine from Saudi
Arabia. For a complete description of the scope of this investigation,
see Appendix I.
Scope Comments
In accordance with the Preamble to Commerce's regulations,\4\ in
the Initiation Notice, Commerce set aside a period of time for parties
to raise issues regarding product coverage (i.e., scope).\5\ No
interested parties commented on the scope of the investigation as it
appeared in the Initiation Notice. Thus, Commerce is not preliminarily
modifying the scope language as it appeared in the Initiation Notice.
See the scope in Appendix I to this notice.
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\4\ See Antidumping Duties; Countervailing Duties, Final Rule,
62 FR 27296, 27323 (May 19, 1997) (Preamble).
\5\ See Initiation Notice, 89 FR 87545, 87546.
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Methodology
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. For a full description of
the methodology underlying the preliminary determination, see the
Preliminary Decision Memorandum.
All-Others Rate
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 de minimis margins, and any margins determined entirely under
section 776 of the Act.
Commerce preliminarily calculated an individual estimated weighted-
average dumping margin for the Methanol Chemicals Company (Chemanol),
the only individually examined exporter/producer in this investigation.
Because the only individually calculated dumping margin is not zero, de
minimis, or based entirely on facts otherwise available, the estimated
weighted-average dumping margin calculated for Chemanol is the margin
assigned to all other producers and exporters, pursuant to section
735(c)(5)(A) of the Act.
Preliminary Determination
Commerce preliminarily determines that the following estimated
weighted-average dumping margins exist:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weighted-
average
Exporter/producer dumping margin
(percent)
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Methanol Chemicals Company.............................. 4.96
All Others.............................................. 4.96
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Disclosure
Commerce intends to disclose its calculations and analysis
performed to interested parties in this preliminary determination
within five days of any public announcement or, if there is no public
announcement, within five days of the date of publication of this
notice in accordance with 19 CFR 351.224(b).
Consistent with 19 CFR 351.224(e), Commerce will analyze and, if
appropriate, correct any timely allegations of significant ministerial
errors by amending the preliminary determination. However, consistent
with 19 CFR 351.224(d), Commerce will not consider incomplete
allegations that do not address the significance standard under 19 CFR
351.224(g) following the preliminary determination. Instead, Commerce
will address such allegations in the final determination together with
issues raised in the case briefs or other written comments.
Suspension of Liquidation
In 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 Federal Register. 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 respondent listed above will be equal
to the company-specific estimated weighted-average dumping margin
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. These suspension of liquidation instructions will
remain in effect until further notice.
Verification
As provided in section 782(i)(1) of the Act, Commerce intends to
verify the information relied upon in making its final determination.
Public Comment
Case briefs or other written comments may be submitted to the
Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance no later than seven
days after the date on which the last verification report is issued in
this investigation. Rebuttal briefs, limited to issues raised in the
case briefs, may be filed not later than five days after the date for
filing case briefs.\6\ Interested parties who submit case briefs or
rebuttal briefs in this proceeding must submit: (1) a table of contents
listing each issue; and (2) a table of authorities.\7\
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\6\ See 19 CFR 351.309(d); see also Administrative Protective
Order, Service, and Other Procedures in Antidumping and
Countervailing Duty Proceedings, 88 FR 67069, 67077 (September 29,
2023) (APO and Service Final Rule).
\7\ See 19 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2).
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As provided under 19 CFR 351.309(c)(2) and (d)(2), in prior
proceedings we have encouraged interested parties to provide an
executive summary of their brief that should be limited to five pages
total, including footnotes. In this investigation, we instead request
that interested parties provide at the beginning of their briefs a
public, executive summary for each issue raised in their briefs.\8\
Further, we request that interested parties limit their executive
summary of each issue to no more than 450 words, not including
citations. We intend to use the executive summaries as the basis of the
comment summaries included in the issues and decision memorandum that
will accompany the
[[Page 19182]]
final determination in this investigation. We request that interested
parties include footnotes for relevant citations in the executive
summary of each issue. Note that Commerce has amended certain of its
requirements pertaining to the service of documents in 19 CFR
351.303(f).\9\
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\8\ We use the term ``issue'' here to describe an argument that
Commerce would normally address in a comment of the Issues and
Decision Memorandum.
\9\ See APO and Service Final Rule.
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Pursuant to 19 CFR 351.310(c), interested parties who wish to
request a hearing, limited to issues raised in the case and rebuttal
briefs, must submit a written request to the Assistant Secretary for
Enforcement and Compliance, U.S. Department of Commerce, within 30 days
after the date of publication of this notice. Requests should contain:
(1) the party's name, address, and telephone number; (2) the number of
participants and whether any participant is a foreign national; and (3)
a list of the issues to be discussed. If a request for a hearing is
made, Commerce intends to hold the hearing at a date and time to be
determined. Parties should confirm by telephone the date, time, and
location of the hearing two days before the scheduled date.
Postponement of Final Determination and Extension of Provisional
Measures
Section 735(a)(2) of the Act provides that a final determination
may be postponed until not later than 135 days after the date of the
publication of the preliminary determination if, in the event of an
affirmative preliminary determination, a request for such postponement
is made by exporters who account for a significant proportion of
exports of the subject merchandise, or in the event of a negative
preliminary determination, a request for such postponement is made by
the petitioner. Section 351.210(e)(2) of Commerce's regulations
requires that a request by exporters for postponement of the final
determination be accompanied by a request for extension of provisional
measures from a four-month period to a period not more than six months
in duration.
On April 11 and 23, 2025, pursuant to 19 CFR 351.210(e), Chemanol
and the petitioner requested that Commerce postpone the final
determination and that provisional measures be extended to a period not
to exceed six months.\10\ In accordance with section 735(a)(2)(A) of
the Act and 19 CFR 351.210(b)(2)(ii), because: (1) the preliminary
determination is affirmative; (2) the requesting exporter account for a
significant proportion of exports of the subject merchandise; and (3)
no compelling reasons for denial exist, Commerce is postponing the
final determination and extending the provisional measures from a four-
month period to a period not greater than six months. Accordingly,
Commerce will make its final determination no later than 135 days after
the date of publication of this preliminary determination.
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\10\ See Chemanol's Letter, ``Request to Postpone the Final
Determination,'' dated April 11, 2025; see also, Petitioner's
Letter, ``Request to Postpone Final Determination,'' dated April 23,
2024.
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U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) Notification
In accordance with section 733(f) of the Act, Commerce will notify
the ITC of its preliminary determination. If the final determination is
affirmative, the ITC will determine before the later of 120 days after
the date of this preliminary determination or 45 days after the final
determination whether these imports are materially injuring, or
threaten material injury to, the U.S. industry.
Notification to Interested Parties
This determination is issued and published in accordance with
sections 733(f) and 777(i)(1) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.205(c).
Dated: April 29, 2025.
Christopher Abbott,
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Negotiations, performing the
non-exclusive functions and duties of the Assistant Secretary for
Enforcement and Compliance.
Appendix I
Scope of the Investigation
The scope of the investigation covers hexamine in granular form,
with a particle size of 5 millimeters or less, whether stabilized or
unstabilized, whether or not blended, mixed, pulverized, or grounded
with other products, containing 50 percent or more hexamine by
weight.
Hexamine is the common name for hexamethylene tetramine
(Chemical Abstract Service #100-97-0), and is also referred to as
1,3,5,7-tetraazaadamantanemethenamine; HMT; HMTA; 1,3,5,7-
tetraazatricyclo {3.3.1.13,7{time} decane; 1,3,5,7-tetraaza
adamantane; hexamethylenamine. Hexamine has the chemical formula
C<INF>6</INF>H<INF>12</INF>N<INF>4</INF>.
Granular hexamine that has been blended with other product(s) is
included in this scope when the resulting mix contains 50 percent or
more of hexamine by weight, regardless of whether it is blended with
inert additives, co-reactants, or any additives that undergo self-
condensation.
Subject merchandise includes merchandise matching the above
description that has been processed in a third country, including by
commingling, diluting, adding or removing additives, or performing
any other processing that would not otherwise remove the merchandise
from the scope of the investigation if performed in the subject
country.
Merchandise covered by the scope of the investigation can be
classified in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTSUS) of the United
States under the subheading 2933.69.5000. The HTSUS subheading and
Chemical Abstracts Service registry number are provided for
convenience and customs purposes only; however, the written
description of the scope is dispositive.
Appendix II
List of Topics Discussed in the Preliminary Decision Memorandum
I. Summary
II. Background
III. Period of Investigation
IV. Discussion of the Methodology
V. Currency Conversion
VI. Recommendation
[FR Doc. 2025-07805 Filed 5-5-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on May 6, 2025.
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