Post-Initial Determinations Regarding Eligiblity To Apply for Trade Adjustment Assistance

Download PDF
Federal RegisterMar 21, 2019
84 Fed. Reg. 10548 (Mar. 21, 2019)

In accordance with Sections 223 and 284 (19 U.S.C. 2273 and 2395) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2271, et seq.) (“Act”), as amended, the Department of Labor herein presents Notice of Affirmative Determinations Regarding Application for Reconsideration, summaries of Negative Determinations Regarding Applications for Reconsideration, summaries of Revised Certifications of Eligibility, summaries of Revised Determinations (after Affirmative Determination Regarding Application for Reconsideration), summaries of Negative Determinations (after Affirmative Determination Regarding Application for Reconsideration), summaries of Revised Determinations (on remand from the Court of International Trade), and summaries of Negative Determinations (on remand from the Court of International Trade) regarding eligibility to apply for trade adjustment assistance under Chapter 2 of the Act (“TAA”) for workers by (TA-W) number issued during the period of January 1st, 2019 through February 28th, 2019. Post-initial determinations are issued after a petition has been certified or denied. A post-initial determination may revise a certification, or modify or affirm a negative determination.

Notice of Revised Certifications of Eligibility

Revised certifications of eligibility have been issued with respect to cases where affirmative determinations and certificates of eligibility were issued initially, but a minor error was discovered after the certification was issued. The revised certifications are issued pursuant to the Secretary's authority under section 223 of the Act and 29 CFR 90.16. Revised Certifications of Eligibility are final determinations for purposes of judicial review pursuant to section 284 of the Act (19 U.S.C. 2395) and 29 CFR 90.19(a).

Notice of Determinations on Reconsideration

Post-initial determinations have been issued with respect to cases where affirmative determinations regarding applications for reconsideration were granted. For cases where the worker group eligibility requirements are met, Revised Certifications of Eligibility or Revised Determinations have been issued. Revised Certifications of Eligibility and Revised Determinations are final determinations for purposes of judicial review pursuant to section 284 of the Act (19 U.S.C. 2395) and 29 CFR 90.19(a). See 29 CFR 90.18(h). Negative Determinations on Reconsideration have been issued with respect to cases where the worker group eligibility requirements are not met. Negative Determinations on Reconsideration are final determinations for purposes of judicial review pursuant to section 284 of the Act (19 U.S.C. 2395) and 29 CFR 90.19(a). See 29 CFR 90.18(i).

Notice of Determination on Remand

Post-initial determinations have also been issued with respect to cases where negative determinations regarding eligibility to apply for TAA were issued initially or on reconsideration and were appealed to the Court of International Trade and remanded by the court to the Secretary for the taking of additional evidence. See 29 CFR 90.19(a) and (c). For cases where the worker group eligibility requirements are met, the previous determination was modified and Revised Determinations on Remand have been issued. For cases where the worker group eligibility requirements are not met, the previous determination is affirmed and Negative Determinations on Remand have been issued. The Secretary will certify and file the record of the remand proceedings in the Court of International Trade. Determinations on Remand are final determinations for purposes of judicial review pursuant to section 284 of the Act (19 U.S.C. 2395).

Summary of Statutory Requirement

(This Notice primarily follows the language of the Trade Act. In some places however, changes such as the inclusion of subheadings, a reorganization of language, or “and,” “or,” or other words are added for clarification.)

Section 222(a)—Workers of a Primary Firm

In order for an affirmative determination to be made for workers of a primary firm and a certification issued regarding eligibility to apply for TAA, the group eligibility requirements under Section 222(a) of the Act (19 U.S.C. 2272(a)) must be met, as follows:

(1) The first criterion (set forth in Section 222(a)(1) of the Act, 19 U.S.C. 2272(a)(1)) is that a significant number or proportion of the workers in such workers' firm (or “such firm”) have become totally or partially separated, or are threatened to become totally or partially separated;

AND (2(A) or 2(B) below)

(2) The second criterion (set forth in Section 222(a)(2) of the Act, 19 U.S.C. 2272(a)(2)) may be satisfied by either (A) the Increased Imports Path, or (B) the Shift in Production or Services to a Foreign Country Path/Acquisition of Articles or Services from a Foreign Country Path, as follows:

(A) Increased Imports Path:

(i) the sales or production, or both, of such firm, have decreased absolutely;

AND (ii and iii below)

(ii) (I) imports of articles or services like or directly competitive with articles produced or services supplied by such firm have increased; OR

(II)(aa) imports of articles like or directly competitive with articles into which one or more component parts produced by such firm are directly incorporated, have increased; OR

(II)(bb) imports of articles like or directly competitive with articles which are produced directly using the services supplied by such firm, have increased; OR

(III) imports of articles directly incorporating one or more component parts produced outside the United States that are like or directly competitive with imports of articles incorporating one or more component parts produced by such firm have increased;

AND

(iii) the increase in imports described in clause (ii) contributed importantly to such workers' separation or threat of separation and to the decline in the sales or production of such firm; OR

(B) Shift in Production or Services to a Foreign Country Path OR Acquisition of Articles or Services from a Foreign Country Path:

(i)(I) there has been a shift by such workers' firm to a foreign country in the production of articles or the supply of services like or directly competitive with articles which are produced or services which are supplied by such firm; OR

(II) such workers' firm has acquired from a foreign country articles or services that are like or directly competitive with articles which are produced or services which are supplied by such firm;

AND

(ii) the shift described in clause (i)(I) or the acquisition of articles or services described in clause (i)(II) contributed importantly to such workers' separation or threat of separation.

Section 222(b)—Adversely Affected Secondary Workers

In order for an affirmative determination to be made for adversely affected secondary workers of a firm and a certification issued regarding eligibility to apply for TAA, the group eligibility requirements of Section 222(b) of the Act (19 U.S.C. 2272(b)) must be met, as follows:

(1) a significant number or proportion of the workers in the workers' firm or an appropriate subdivision of the firm have become totally or partially separated, or are threatened to become totally or partially separated;

AND

(2) the workers' firm is a supplier or downstream producer to a firm that employed a group of workers who received a certification of eligibility under Section 222(a) of the Act (19 U.S.C. 2272(a)), and such supply or production is related to the article or service that was the basis for such certification (as defined in subsection 222(c)(3) and (4) of the Act (19 U.S.C. 2272(c)(3) and (4));

AND

(3) either—

(A) the workers' firm is a supplier and the component parts it supplied to the firm described in paragraph (2) accounted for at least 20 percent of the production or sales of the workers' firm; OR

(B) a loss of business by the workers' firm with the firm described in paragraph (2) contributed importantly to the workers' separation or threat of separation determined under paragraph (1).

Section 222(e)—Firms identified by the International Trade Commission

In order for an affirmative determination to be made for adversely affected workers in firms identified by the International Trade Commission and a certification issued regarding eligibility to apply for TAA, the group eligibility requirements of Section 222(e) of the Act (19 U.S.C. 2272(e)) must be met, by following criteria (1), (2), and (3) as follows:

(1) The workers' firm is publicly identified by name by the International Trade Commission as a member of a domestic industry in an investigation resulting in—

(A) an affirmative determination of serious injury or threat thereof under section 202(b)(1) of the Act (19 U.S.C. 2252(b)(1)); OR

(B) an affirmative determination of market disruption or threat thereof under section 421(b)(1)of the Act (19 U.S.C. 2436(b)(1)); OR

(C) an affirmative final determination of material injury or threat thereof under section 705(b)(1)(A) or 735(b)(1)(A) of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1671d(b)(1)(A) and 1673d(b)(1)(A));

AND

(2) the petition is filed during the 1-year period beginning on the date on which—

(A) a summary of the report submitted to the President by the International Trade Commission under section 202(f)(1) of the Trade Act (19 U.S.C. 2252(f)(1)) with respect to the affirmative determination described in paragraph (1)(A) is published in the Federal Register under section 202(f)(3) (19 U.S.C. 2252(f)(3)); OR

(B) notice of an affirmative determination described in subparagraph (B) or (C) of paragraph (1) is published in the Federal Register;

AND

(3) the workers have become totally or partially separated from the workers' firm within—

(A) the 1-year period described in paragraph (2); OR

(B) notwithstanding section 223(b) of the Act (19 U.S.C. 2273(b)), the 1-year period preceding the 1-year period described in paragraph (2).

Revised Certifications of Eligibility

The following revised certifications of eligibility to apply for TAA have been issued. The date following the company name and location of each determination references the impact date for all workers of such determination, and the reason(s) for the determination.

The following revisions have been issued.

TA-W No. Subject firm Location Impact date Reason(s)
92,754 Axeon Specialty Products LLC Paulsboro, NJ 3/24/2016 Ownership Change of a Successor Firm.
92,754A Axeon Refining LLC San Antonio, TX 3/24/2016 Ownership Change of a Successor Firm.
92,754B Axeon Refining LLC Stamford, CT 3/24/2016 Ownership Change of a Successor Firm.
93,202 Dex Media, Inc. Tucker, GA 10/3/2016 Worker Group Clarification.
93,202A Dex Media, Inc. DFW Airport, TX 10/3/2016 Worker Group Clarification.
93,202B Dex Media, Inc. Maryland Heights, MO 10/3/2016 Worker Group Clarification.
93,267 Caterpillar Inc., dba Dyersburg Transmission Facility Dyersburg, TN 11/1/2016 Worker Group Clarification.
93,450 Nike, Inc. Beaverton, OR 1/23/2017 Worker Group Clarification.
93,450A Nike, Inc. Beaverton, OR 9/7/2018 Worker Group Clarification.
93,704 Electrolux Home Products, Inc. St. Cloud, MN 4/5/2017 Worker Group Clarification.
93,714 NRG Energy, Inc. Homer City, PA 4/9/2017 Technical Error.
93,839 Arjo, Inc. San Antonio, TX 5/24/2017 Worker Group Clarification.
94,160 Zebra Technologies Corporation El Paso, TX 9/20/2017 Worker Group Clarification.
94,214 IQVIA Inc. Chesapeake, VA 10/4/2017 Worker Group Clarification.
94,214A IQVIA Inc. Collegeville, PA 10/4/2017 Worker Group Clarification.
94,329 GCL Solar Materials US I, LLC Pasadena, TX 11/12/2017 Worker Group Clarification.

Revised Determinations (After Affirmative Determination Regarding Application for Reconsideration)

The following revised determinations on reconsideration, certifying eligibility to apply for TAA, have been issued. The date following the company name and location of each determination references the impact date for all workers of such determination.

The following revised determinations on reconsideration, certifying eligibility to apply for TAA, have been issued. The requirements of Section 222(a)(2)(A) (Increased Imports Path) of the Trade Act have been met.

TA-W No. Subject firm Location Impact date
91,495 Molycorp Metals and Alloys, Inc. Mountain Pass, CA 2/19/2015
92,554 Skiva Graphics Screen Carlsbad, CA 1/13/2016
93,624 Georgia-Pacific Consumer Operations LLC Camas, WA 3/8/2017

The following revised determinations on reconsideration, certifying eligibility to apply for TAA, have been issued. The requirements of Section 222(a)(2)(B) (Shift in Production or Services to a Foreign Country Path or Acquisition of Articles or Services from a Foreign Country Path) of the Trade Act have been met.

TA-W No. Subject firm Location Impact Date
93,502 KES Acquisition Company d/b/a Kentucky Electric Steel (KES) Ashland, KY 1/26/2017
93,760 Radial South Memphis, TN 4/24/2017

I hereby certify that the aforementioned determinations were issued during the period of January 1st 2019 through February 28th 2019. These determinations are available on the Department's website https://www.doleta.gov/tradeact/taa/taa_search_form.cfm under the searchable listing determinations or by calling the Office of Trade Adjustment Assistance toll free at 888-365-6822.

Signed at Washington, DC this 6th day of March 2019.

Hope D. Kinglock,

Certifying Officer, Office of Trade Adjustment Assistance.

[FR Doc. 2019-05306 Filed 3-20-19; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4510-FN-P