Polyethylene Retail Carrier Bags from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Countervailing Duty Order

AGENCY:

Import Administration, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.

SUMMARY:

Based on affirmative final determinations by the Department of Commerce (the Department) and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), the Department is issuing a countervailing duty order on polyethylene retail carrier bags (PRCBs) from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Vietnam).

EFFECTIVE DATE:

May 4, 2010.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Gene Calvert or Jun Jack Zhao, AD/CVD Operations, Office 6, Import Administration, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 14^th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-3586 and (202) 482-1396, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

In accordance with section 705(d) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), on April 1, 2010, the Department published its final determination in the countervailing duty investigation of PRCBs from Vietnam. See Polyethylene Retail Carrier Bags from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Final Affirmative Countervailing Duty Determination, 75 FR 16428 (April 1, 2010).

On April 26, 2010, the ITC notified the Department of its final determination, pursuant to sections 705(b)(1)(A)(ii) and 705(d) of the Act, that a U.S. industry is threatened with material injury by reason of subsidized imports of subject merchandise from Vietnam. See Polyethylene Retail Carrier Bags from Indonesia, Taiwan, and Vietnam, USITC Publication 4144, Investigation Nos. 701-TA-462 and 731-TA-1156-1158 (Final) (April 2010). Pursuant to section 706(a) of the Act, the Department is publishing a countervailing duty order on the subject merchandise.

Scope of the Order

The scope of this order covers polyethylene retail carrier bags, which also may be referred to as t-shirt sacks, merchandise bags, grocery bags, or checkout bags. The subject merchandise is defined as non-sealable sacks and bags with handles (including drawstrings), without zippers or integral extruded closures, with or without gussets, with or without printing, of polyethylene film having a thickness no greater than 0.035 inch (0.889 mm) and no less than 0.00035 inch (0.00889 mm), and with no length or width shorter than 6 inches (15.24 cm) or longer than 40 inches (101.6 cm). The depth of the bag may be shorter than 6 inches but not longer than 40 inches (101.6 cm).

PRCBs are typically provided without any consumer packaging and free of charge by retail establishments, e.g., grocery, drug, convenience, department, specialty retail, discount stores, and restaurants to their customers to package and carry their purchased products. The scope of this order excludes (1) polyethylene bags that are not printed with logos or store names and that are closeable with drawstrings made of polyethylene film and (2) polyethylene bags that are packed in consumer packaging with printing that refers to specific end-uses other than packaging and carrying merchandise from retail establishments, e.g., garbage bags, lawn bags, trash-can liners.

Imports of merchandise included within the scope of this order are currently classifiable under statistical category 3923.21.0085 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). This subheading may also cover products that are outside the scope of this order. Furthermore, although the HTSUS subheading is provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written description of the scope of this order is dispositive.

Countervailing Duty Order

In accordance with section 706(a)(1) of the Act, the Department will direct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to assess, upon further instruction by the Department, countervailing duties equal to the amount of the net countervailable subsidy for all relevant entries of PRCBs from Vietnam.

According to section 706(b)(2) of the Act, duties shall be assessed on subject merchandise entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the date of the ITC's notice of final determination if that determination is based upon threat of material injury. Section 706(b)(1) of the Act states, “If the Commission, in its final determination under section 705(b), finds material injury or threat of material injury which, but for the suspension of liquidation under section 703(d)(2), would have led to a finding of material injury, then entries of the merchandise subject to the countervailing duty order, the liquidation of which has been suspended under section 703(d)(2), shall be subject to the imposition of countervailing duties under section 701(a).” In addition, section 706(b)(2) of the Act requires CBP to refund any cash deposits or bonds of estimated countervailing duties posted since the Department's preliminary countervailing duty determination, if the ITC's final determination is threat-based. Because the ITC's final determination in this case is based on the threat of material injury and is not accompanied by a finding that injury would have resulted but for the imposition of suspension of liquidation of entries since the Department's Preliminary Determination ¹ was published in the Federal Register, section 706(b)(2) of the Act is applicable.

Therefore, the Department will direct CBP to reinstitute suspension of liquidation,² and to assess, upon further instruction from the Department, countervailing duties on all unliquidated entries of PRCBs from Vietnam entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption on or after the date of publication of the ITC's notice of final determination of threat of material injury in the Federal Register.

Cash Deposit Requirements

Pursuant to section 706(a)(3) of the Act, effective on the date of publication of the ITC's notice of final determination in the Federal Register, CBP will require, at the same time as importers would normally deposit estimated duties, cash deposits for the subject merchandise equal to the net subsidy rates listed below, except for subject merchandise entered by Chin Sheng Company, Ltd., whose net subsidy rate is de minimis and, hence, is excluded from this order. This exclusion applies only to subject merchandise both produced and exported by Chin Sheng Company, Ltd.

The all-others rate applies to all producers and exporters of subject merchandise not specifically listed.

Termination of the Suspension of Liquidation

Pursuant to the ITC's determination of threat of injury to a U.S. industry, the Department will instruct CBP to terminate the suspension of liquidation for entries of PRCBs from Vietnam entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption prior to the publication of the ITC's notice of final determination. The Department will also instruct CBP to refund any cash deposits made, and to release any bonds posted between September 4, 2009 (i.e., the date of publication of the Department's Preliminary Determination) and on or before January 2, 2010, the date on which the Department discontinued the suspension of liquidation pursuant to section 703(d) of the Act.

This notice constitutes the countervailing duty order with respect to PRCBs from Vietnam, pursuant to section 706(a) of the Act. Interested parties may contact the Department's Central Records Unit, Room 1117 of the main Commerce Building, for copies of an updated list of countervailing duty orders currently in effect.

This order is issued and published in accordance with section 706(a) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.211(b).