46 FR 30162

                             NOTICES

                     DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

   Steel Welded Wire Mesh From Italy; Preliminary Results of Administrative
                Review of Countervailing Duty Order

                         Friday, June 5, 1981

*30162

AGENCY: International Trade Administration, Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of Preliminary Results of Administrative Review of
  Countervailing Duty Order.

SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce has conducted an administrative review
of the countervailing duty order on steel welded wire mesh from Italy.
The review covers the period January 1, 1980, through December 31, 1980. As a
result of this review, the Department has preliminarily determined the net amount
of the subsidy to be the full value of the rebate for this product under Italian Law 639.
Interested parties are invited to comment on these preliminary results.

EFFECTIVE DATE: June 5, 1981.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Paul J. McGarr, Office of Compliance, Room 2803, International Trade
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Washington, D.C. 20230
(202-377- 1167).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Procedural Background

On June 1, 1968, a final countervailing duty determination on steel welded
wire mesh from Italy, T.D. 68-149, was published in the Federal Register (33 FR
8224). The notice stated that the Department of the Treasury had determined that
exports of steel welded wire mesh from Italy benefitted from bounties or grants
within the meaning of section 303 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1303) ("the
Tariff Act"). Accordingly, imports of this merchandise were subject to countervailing duties.

On January 1, 1980, the provisions of title I of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979
("the TAA") became effective. On January 2, 1980, the authority for administering
the countervailing duty law was transferredd from the Department of the
Treasury to the Department of Commerce ("the Department"). On April 3, 1980, the
International Trade Commission ("the ITC") notified the Department that an injury
determination for this order had been requested under section 104(b) of the TAA.
Therefore, following the requirements of that section, liquidation was suspended on
April 3, 1980, on all shipments of such merchandise entered, or withdrawn from
warehouse, for consumption on or after that date. The Department published in the
Federal Register of May 13, 1980 (45 FR 31455) a notice of intent to conduct
administrative reviews of all outstanding countervailing duty orders. As
required by section 751 of the Tariff Act, the Department has conducted an
administrative review of the order on steel welded wire mesh from Italy.

Scope of the Review

Imports covered by this review are steel welded wire mesh imported directly or
indirectly from Italy. These imports are currently classifiable under item
642.80, Tariff Schedules of the United States.

The review covers the period January 1, 1980, through December 31, 1980, and is
limited to rebates granted under Italian Law 639 of July 5, 1964, which 

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was the only program found countervailable in the Final Determination.

Preliminary Results of the Review

Under Italian Law 639, exporters receive rebates of customs duties and certain
indirect taxes on the export of specified products containing iron and steel. The
rates differ for particular types of products. For steel welded wire mesh the rebate is
20 lire per kilogram.

The Government of Italy provided no substantive response to our questionnaire
of July 23, 1980, nor was a response to our follow-up requests for data more
informative. Our independent investigation has confirmed that the rate legislated in
Law 639 still applies in full for exports of this merchandise to the United States.
Because we have received no information to indicate that any part of the rebate is
not countervailable, we preliminarily determine that the rate of net subsidy
conferred upon producers exporting to the United States is 20 lire per kilogram.

The Department intends to instruct the Customs Service to assess 
countervailing duties of 20 lire per kilogram on all unliquidated entries of
this merchandise entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or
after January 1, 1980, and prior to April 3, 1980. The provisions of section
303(3)(5) of the Tariff Act, prior to the enactment of the TAA, apply to all entries
prior to January 1, 1980. Accordingly, the Department also intends to instruct the
Customs Service to assess countervailing duties of 15.28 lire per kilogram,
the amount set forth in T.D. 68-149, on all unliquidated entries of this merchandise
which were entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption prior to
January 1, 1980. (The lower rate is due to allowable offsets reported on during the
initial investigation but not reported during this review.) In addition, should the ITC
find that there is injury or likelihood of injury to an industry in the United States, the
Department intends to instruct the Customs Service to assess countervailing
duties of 20 lire per kilogram on all unliquidated entries of steel welded wire
mesh entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after April 3,
1980, and exported on or before December 31, 1980.

Further, a cash deposit of estimated countervailing duties of 20 lire per
kilogram shall be required on all shipments entered, or withdrawn from warehouse,
for consumption on or after the date of publication of the final results. This
requirement shall remain in effect until publication of the final results of the next
administrative review.

Pending publication of the final results of the present review, the existing deposit of
estimated duties of 15.28 lire per kilogram shall continue to be required on each
entry, or withdrawal from warehouse, for consumption of this merchandise, and
liquidation shall continue to be suspended on entries made on or after April 3, 1980
until the Department is notified of a determination by the ITC.
Interested parties may submit written comments on these preliminary results on or
before July 6, 1981, and may request disclosure and/or a hearing on or before June
22, 1981. The Department will publish the final results of this administrative review
including the results of its analysis of any such comments or hearing.
This administrative review and notice are in accordance with section 751(a)(1) of
the Tariff Act (19 U.S.C. 1675(a)(1)) and § 355.41 of the Commerce Regulations (19
CFR 355.41).

B. Waring Partridge III,

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Import Administration.

[FR Doc. 81-16751 Filed 6-4-81; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-25-M