Petitions for the Imposition of Antidumping Duties and Countervailing Duties on Imports of Sodium Gluconate, Gluconic Acid, and Derivative Products from the People’s Republic of China and France - Grunfeld, Desiderio, Lebowitz, Silverman & Klestadt LLP
I. Type of Action: Antidumping Duty (“AD”): People’s Republic of China, France; Countervailing Duty (“CVD”): People’s Republic of China;
II. Product: The scope of this investigation covers all grades of sodium gluconate, liquid gluconate, and gluconic acid, regardless of physical form (including, but not limited to substrates; solutions; dry granular form or powders, regardless of particle size; or as a slurry). The scope also includes sodium gluconate, liquid gluconate, and gluconic acid that has been blended or is in solution with other product(s) where the resulting mix contains 35 percent or more of sodium gluconate, liquid gluconate, and/or gluconic acid (including glucono delta lactone, in essence dry gluconic acid, commonly referred to as GDL) by dry weight. Sodium gluconate has a molecular formula of NaC6H11O7; gluconic acid has a molecular formula of C6H12O7; liquid gluconate is a blend of gluconic acid and sodium gluconate in an aqueous solution; and GDL has a molecular formula of C6H10O6. Sodium gluconate has a Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) registry number of 527-07-1, and can also be called "sodium salt of gluconic acid" and/or sodium 2, 3, 4, 5, 6-pentahydroxy-hexanoate. Liquid gluconate has CAS registry numbers of 527-07-1, 526-95-4, and 7732-18-5, and can also be called 2, 3, 4, 5, 6-Pentahydroxycaproic acid-hexanoate. Gluconic acid has a CAS registry number of 526-95-4, and can also be called 2, 3, 4, 5, 6-Pentahydroxycaproic Acid. GDL has a CAS registry number of 90-80-2, and can also be called D-Glucono-1,5-lactone.
III. HTS classifications: The merchandise covered by the scope of this investigation is currently classified in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) at subheadings 2918.16.1000, 2918.16.5010, and 2932.20.5020. Although the HTSUS subheadings and CAS registry numbers are provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written description of the merchandise is dispositive.
IV. Date of Filing: November 30, 2017
V. Petitioners: PMP Fermentation Products, Inc. (“PMP”)
VI. Foreign Producers/Exporters - Please contact our office for a list filed with the petition.
VII. US Importers named. Please contact our office for a list filed with the petition.
VIII. Alleged Dumping Margin (No CVD Rates listed):
People’s Republic of China: 213%
France: 78.6%
IX. Comments:
A. Projected date of ITC Preliminary Conference: December 21, 2017. Please contact our office for a complete projected schedule for the AD investigation.
B. The earliest theoretical date for retroactive suspension of liquidation for the antidumping duty is February 8, 2017; for countervailing duty is December 20, 2017. Please contact our office for a complete projected schedule for the CVD Investigation.
C. Volume and Value of Imports: Please contact our office for a summary of the data filed with the petition.
If you have questions regarding how this investigation may impact future imports of scope merchandise, or whether a particular product is within the scope of the investigation, please contact one of our attorneys.
New ALB Certificate Requirements for Certain Canadian Softwood Lumber - U.S. Customs & Border Protection
The Department of Commerce (DOC) instructed U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that certain softwood lumber products certified by the Atlantic Lumber Board (ALB) as being first produced in the Provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, or Prince Edward Island from logs harvested in these three provinces are excluded from the scope of the antidumping (AD) duty investigation of softwood lumber from Canada (see DOC message number 7321302, dated November 17, 2017 and the Federal Register notice published on November 8, 2017 (82 FR 51806)). Filers must include the ALB certificate with each entry summary and the ALB certificate number must be identified on each electronic entry summary submission for such entries to be excluded from coverage by the AD investigation.
The instructions for filing the ALB Certificate and the ALB Certificate number with the entry summary are as follows:
1. Transmit the ALB Certificate via the Digital Imaging System (DIS) (ACE DIS Implementation Guide). Until such time that a specific ALB Certificate code is available, please use the CBP03 ‘Other’ code and also provide the government agency code ‘ECO’, for the Department of Commerce, Enforcement and Compliance.
2. The ALB Certificate number will be entered on the entry summary (AE) record identifier 52 (input) in the miscellaneous permit/license number field, using permit code indicator 11. Transmit the ALB certificate number without any dashes (i.e. 12-345-678 = 12345678). Follow the ACE ABI CATAIR formatting instructions for submitting a 52-record data element.
3. Importers of softwood lumber from Canada who do not submit the ALB certificate number should continue to submit the dummy SLA 2006 permit number ‘P88888888’ under permit code indicator 11 as specified in CSMS #15-000744 issued October 6, 2015. Importers who submit the ALB Certificate number should not submit the dummy SLA 2006 permit number. Questions relating to the ABI system should be directed to your assigned ABI client representative.
For more information about the ALB certificate, see Federal Register notice 82 FR 51806, dated November 8, 2017 and DOC message number 7321302, dated November 17, 2017. At present, provisional measures in the companion CVD investigation have expired. Accordingly, there are currently no similar requirements related to the CVD investigation on certain softwood lumber from Canada. CBP will issue an updated CSMS message for AD and CVD after the conclusion of the investigations to reflect any updated instructions from DOC on this issue.
Hardwood Plywood from China - U.S. International Trade Administration
The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) today determined that a U.S. industry is materially injured by reason of imports of hardwood plywood from China that the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) has determined are sold in the United States at less than fair value and subsidized by the government of China.
Chairman Rhonda K. Schmidtlein, Vice Chairman David S. Johanson, and Commissioners Irving A. Williamson and Meredith M. Broadbent voted in the affirmative.
As a result of the USITC’s affirmative determinations, Commerce will issue antidumping and countervailing duty orders on imports of this product from China.
The Commission also made a negative finding concerning critical circumstances with regard to imports of this product. As a result, imports of hardwood plywood from China will not be subject to retroactive antidumping or countervailing duties.
The Commission’s public report Hardwood Plywood from China (Investigation Nos. 701-TA-565 and 731-TA-1341 (Final), USITC Publication 4747, December 2017) will contain the views of the Commission and information developed during the investigations.
The report will be available by January 10, 2018; when available, it may be accessed on the USITC website at: http://pubapps.usitc.gov/applications/publogs/qry_publication_loglist.asp.
FACTUAL HIGHLIGHTS
Product Description: Hardwood plywood is a wood panel product made from gluing two or more layers of wood veneer to a core which may itself be composed of veneers or other type of wood material. The outer ply or face veneer is typically the identifying species for the hardwood plywood product and is the side of the product that will be visible in most uses. A wide variety of hardwood species is used in hardwood plywood manufacturing including oak, birch, maple, poplar, cherry, and tropical varieties.
Status of Proceedings:
- Type of investigation: Final phase antidumping duty and countervailing duty investigations.
- Petitioners: Columbia Forest Products, Greensboro, NC; Commonwealth Plywood Inc., Whitehall, NY; Murphy Plywood Co., Eugene, OR; Roseburg Forest Products Co., Roseburg, OR; States Industries, Inc., Eugene, OR; and Timber Products Company, Springfield, OR.
- USITC Institution Date: Friday, November 18, 2016.
- USITC Hearing Date: Thursday, October 26, 2017.
- USITC Vote Date: Friday, December 01, 2017.
- USITC Notification to Commerce Date: Wednesday, December 20, 2017.
U.S. Industry in 2016:
- Number of U.S. producers: 9
- Location of producers’ plants: Arkansas, Indiana, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.
- Production and related workers: 2,294.
- U.S. producers’ U.S. shipments: $790.9 million.
- Apparent U.S. consumption: $2.0 billion.
- Ratio of subject imports to apparent U.S. consumption: 35.3 percent.
U.S. Imports in 2016:
- Subject imports: $715.7 million.
- Nonsubject imports: $518.7 million.
- Leading import sources: China, Indonesia, Russia, Malaysia, and Ecuador (in terms of total value).
USITC - News Releases, New Documents and Announcements - U.S. International Trade Commission
Planning ahead and packing properly can facilitate the screening process and ease your travel experience at the airport. Know what you can pack in your carry-on and checked baggage before arriving at the airport by reviewing the lists below. Even if an item is generally permitted, it may be subject to additional screening or not allowed through the checkpoint if it triggers an alarm during the screening process, appears to have been tampered with, or poses other security concerns. Read about civil penalties for prohibited items.
For items not listed here, simply snap a picture or send a question to AskTSA on Facebook Messenger or Twitter. We look forward to answering your questions, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET weekdays and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekends/holidays.
CBP Officers at the Laredo Port of Entry Seize More Than $4 Million in Narcotics - U.S. Customs & Border Protection
LAREDO, Texas –U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers recently seized a significant amount of alleged crystal methamphetamine and heroin with an estimated street value of more than $4 million in one enforcement action.
“Our CBP officers play a vital role in safeguarding our communities by intercepting these dangerous narcotics and preventing them from entering our country,” said (A) Port Director Albert Flores, Laredo Port of Entry. “This seizure was significant and I commend the officers for maintaining their vigilance as they utilized the tools available to them, which have proven to be very effective against the criminal element.”
The seizure occurred on Sunday, Dec. 3, at the Juarez-Lincoln International Bridge when a CBP officer referred a 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe driven by a 34-year-old-female United States citizen who was traveling with a 25-year-old-female United States citizen and a 23-year-old male United States citizen for a secondary examination. The passengers and driver are all residents of Dallas, Texas. A canine and non-intrusive imaging system inspection of the vehicle by CBP officers resulted in the discovery of 24 packages containing 137 pounds of alleged crystal methamphetamine and six packages containing 48 pounds of alleged heroin.
The narcotics combined have an estimated street value of $4,039,622.
CBP officers seized the narcotics and the vehicle. The driver and the passengers of the vehicle were arrested and the case was turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) special agents for further investigation.
Put Safety at the Top of Your List When Decorating this Holiday Season! - Consumer Product Safety Commission
As the nation gears up to decorate their homes for the holiday season, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reminds consumers of decorating dangers and provides tips for a safe holiday. CPSC demonstrated some of the hazards, including Christmas tree and candle fires at its laboratory in Rockville, Md.
“Safety should be part of all your decorating efforts,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Ann Marie Buerkle. “Make sure your live Christmas tree has plenty of water, keep lit candles away from flammable items, and use caution when standing on a ladder or a chair to hang decorations.”
Holiday decorating-related injuries:
CPSC estimates the following holiday decoration-related emergency room-treated injuries nationwide during last year’s holiday season.
- 14,700 holiday decorating related ER-treated injuries. That’s an average of about 240 injuries per day during the holiday season of November and December!
- The most frequent holiday decorating incidents involved falls (41%), lacerations (10%) and back strains (5%).
- 3 deaths involving ladder falls.