MESSAGE NO: 1331201 DATE: 11 27 2001
CATEGORY: ADA TYPE: INI
REFERENCE: REFERENCE DATE:
CASES: C - 357 - 817 C - 351 - 835
C - 427 - 823 C - 580 - 849
- - - -

PERIOD COVERED: 10 26 2001 TO

LIQ SUSPENSION DATE:

TO: DIRECTORS OF FIELD OPERATIONS
PORT DIRECTORS

FROM: DIRECTOR, TRADE ENFORCEMENT & CONTROL

RE: INITIATION OF COUNTERVAILING DUTY INVESTIGATIONS OF
CERTAIN COLD-ROLLED CARBON STEEL FLAT PRODUCTS FROM KOREA,
ARGENTINA, BRAZIL, AND FRANCE

1. ON OCTOBER 26, 2001, THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE ("DOC")
PUBLISHED IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER ITS INITIATIONS OF
COUNTERVAILING DUTY INVESTIGATIONS OF CERTAIN COLD-ROLLED CARBON
STEEL FLAT PRODUCTS FROM ARGENTINA, BRAZIL, FRANCE, AND THE
REPUBLIC OF KOREA (66 FR, 54218 (October 26, 2001)).

2. FOR PURPOSES OF THESE INVESTIGATIONS, THE TERM "CERTAIN
COLD-ROLLED CARBON STEEL FLAT PRODUCTS" INCLUDES COLD-ROLLED
STEEL (COLD-REDUCED) FLAT-ROLLED CARBON-QUALITY STEEL PRODUCTS,
NEITHER CLAD, PLATED, NOR COATED WITH METAL, BUT WHETHER OR NOT
ANNEALED, PAINTED, VARNISHED, OR COATED WITH PLASTICS OR OTHER
NON-METALLIC SUBSTANCES, BOTH IN COILS, 0.5 INCH WIDE OR WIDER,
(WHETHER OR NOT IN SUCCESSIVELY SUPERIMPOSED LAYERS AND/OR
OTHERWISE COILED, SUCH AS SPIRALLY OSCILLATED COILS), AND ALSO
IN STRAIGHT LENGTHS, WHICH, IF LESS THAN 4.75 MM IN THICKNESS
HAVING A WIDTH THAT IS 0.5 INCH OR GREATER AND THAT MEASURES AT
LEAST 10 TIMES THE THICKNESS; OR, IF OF A THICKNESS OF 4.75 MM
OR MORE, HAVING A WIDTH EXCEEDING 150 MM AND MEASURING AT LEAST
TWICE THE THICKNESS. THE PRODUCTS DESCRIBED ABOVE MAY BE
RECTANGULAR, SQUARE, CIRCULAR OR OTHER SHAPE AND INCLUDE
PRODUCTS OF EITHER RECTANGULAR OR NON-RECTANGULAR CROSS-SECTION.

SPECIFICALLY INCLUDED IN THIS SCOPE ARE VACUUM DEGASSED, FULLY
STABILIZED (COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS INTERSTITIAL-FREE ("IF"))
STEELS, HIGH STRENGTH LOW ALLOY ("HSLA") STEELS, AND MOTOR
LAMINATION STEELS. IF STEELS ARE RECOGNIZED AS LOW CARBON
STEELS WITH MICRO-ALLOYING LEVELS OF ELEMENTS SUCH AS TITANIUM
AND/OR NIOBIUM ADDED TO STABILIZE CARBON AND NITROGEN ELEMENTS.
HSLA STEELS ARE RECOGNIZED AS STEELS WITH MICRO-ALLOYING LEVELS
OF ELEMENTS SUCH AS CHROMIUM, COPPER, NIOBIUM, TITANIUM,
VANADIUM, AND MOLYBDENUM. MOTOR LAMINATION STEELS CONTAIN
MICRO-ALLOYING LEVELS OF ELEMENTS SUCH AS SILICON AND ALUMINUM.

STEEL PRODUCTS INCLUDED IN THE SCOPE OF THIS INVESTIGATION,
REGARDLESS OF DEFINITIONS IN THE HARMONIZED TARIFF SCHEDULES OF
THE UNITED STATES ("HTSUS"), ARE PRODUCTS IN WHICH: (1) IRON
PREDOMINATES, BY WEIGHT, OVER EACH OF THE OTHER CONTAINED
ELEMENTS; (2) THE CARBON CONTENT IS 2 PERCENT OR LESS, BY
WEIGHT, AND; (3) NONE OF THE ELEMENTS LISTED BELOW EXCEEDS THE
QUANTITY, BY WEIGHT, RESPECTIVELY INDICATED: 1.80 PERCENT OF
MANGANESE, OR 2.25 PERCENT OF SILICON, OR 1.00 PERCENT OF
COPPER, OR 0.50 PERCENT OF ALUMINUM, OR 1.25 PERCENT OF
CHROMIUM, OR 0.30 PERCENT OF COBALT, OR 0.40 PERCENT OF LEAD, OR
1.25 PERCENT OF NICKEL, OR 0.30 PERCENT OF TUNGSTEN, OR 0.10
PERCENT OF MOLYBDENUM, OR 0.10 PERCENT OF NIOBIUM (ALSO CALLED
COLUMBIUM), OR 0.15 PERCENT OF VANADIUM, OR 0.15 PERCENT OF
ZIRCONIUM.

ALL PRODUCTS THAT MEET THE WRITTEN PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION, AND IN
WHICH THE CHEMISTRY QUANTITIES DO NOT EXCEED ANY ONE OF THE
NOTED ELEMENT LEVELS LISTED ABOVE, ARE WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THIS
INVESTIGATION UNLESS SPECIFICALLY EXCLUDED.

THE MERCHANDISE SUBJECT TO THIS INVESTIGATION IS TYPICALLY
CLASSIFIED IN THE HTSUS AT SUBHEADINGS:

7209.15.0000, 7209.16.0030, 7209.16.0060, 7209.16.0090,
7209.17.0030, 7209.17.0060, 7209.17.0090, 7209.18.1530,
7209.18.1560, 7209.18.2550, 7209.18.6000. 7209.25.0000,
7209.26.0000, 7209.27.0000, 7209.28.0000, 7209.90.0000,
7210.70.3000, 7210.90.9000, 7211.23.1500, 7211.23.2000,
7211.23.3000, 7211.23.4500, 7211.23.6030, 7211.23.6060,
7211.23.6085, 7211.29.2030, 7211.29.2090, 7211.29.4500,
7211.29.6030, 7211.29.6080, 7211.90.0000, 7212.40.1000,
7212.40.5000, 7212.50.0000, 7225.19.0000, 7225.50.6000,
7225.50.7000, 7225.50.8010, 7225.50.8085, 7225.99.0090,
7226.19.1000, 7226.19.9000, 7226.92.5000, 7226.92.7050,
7226.92.8050, AND 7226.99.0000.

ALTHOUGH THE HTSUS SUBHEADINGS ARE PROVIDED FOR CONVENIENCE AND
U.S. CUSTOMS SERVICE ("U.S. CUSTOMS") PURPOSES, THE WRITTEN
DESCRIPTION OF THE MERCHANDISE UNDER INVESTIGATION IS
DISPOSITIVE.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE ARE A NUMBER OF EXCLUSIONS INCLUDED IN THE
SCOPE LANGUAGE OF THESE INVESTIGATIONS, BUT DUE TO FORMATTING
COMPLICATIONS WE ARE UNABLE TO INCLUDE THEM IN THIS EMAIL.
THUS, THE TECHNICAL LANGUAGE SPECIFICALLY DESCRIBING THE SCOPE
OF THESE INVESTIGATIONS WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE NOTICE OF
INITIATION WHICH WILL BE PUBLISHED IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER.

3. FOR FURTHER REPORTING PURPOSES THESE CASES HAVE BEEN
ASSIGNED INVESTIGATION NUMBERS:

COUNTERVAILING DUTY
COUNTRY CASE NUMBER

ARGENTINA C-357-817
BRAZIL C-351-835
FRANCE C-427-823
KOREA C-580-849

4. IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS MATTER BY CUSTOMS
OFFICERS, PLEASE CONTACT VIA E-MAIL, THROUGH THE APPROPRIATE
SUPERVISORY CHANNELS, OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCY LIAISON, USING THE
ATTRIBUTE "HQ OAB." THE IMPORTING PUBLIC AND OTHER INTERESTED
PARTIES SHOULD CONTACT:

COUNTERVAILING DUTY PROCEEDINGS:
COUNTRY/CASE NUMBER DOC CONTACT PHONE #

ARGENTINA/C-357-817 JOHN BRINKMAN 202 482-4126
BRAZIL/C-351-835 MARK HOADLEY 202 482-0666
FRANCE/C-427-823 JOHN BRINKMAN 202 482-4126
KOREA/C-580-849 TIPTEN TROIDL 202 482-1767

OFFICE OF AD/CVD ENFORCEMENT, IMPORT ADMINISTRATION,
INTERNATIONAL TRADE ADMINISTRATION, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE.

5. THERE ARE NO RESTRICTIONS ON THE RELEASE OF THIS
INFORMATION.

PAUL SCHWARTZ