19 USC 1673 - Termination or suspension of investigation

View all text of Part II [§ 1673 - § 1673i]

§ 1673c. Termination or suspension of investigation

(a) Termination of investigation upon withdrawal of petition

(1) In general

(A) Withdrawal of petition

(B) Refiling of petition

(2) Special rules for quantitative restriction agreements

(A) In general

(B) Public interest factorsIn making a decision under subparagraph (A) regarding the public interest the administering authority shall take into account—

(i) whether, based upon the relative impact on consumer prices and the availability of supplies of the merchandise, the agreement would have a greater adverse impact on United States consumers than the imposition of antidumping duties;

(ii) the relative impact on the international economic interests of the United States; and

(iii) the relative impact on the competitiveness of the domestic industry producing the like merchandise, including any such impact on employment and investment in that industry.

(C) Prior consultationsBefore making a decision under subparagraph (A) regarding the public interest, the administering authority shall, to the extent practicable, consult with—

(i) potentially affected consuming industries; and

(ii) potentially affected producers and workers in the domestic industry producing the like merchandise, including producers and workers not party to the investigation.

(3) Limitation on termination by Commission

(b) Agreements to eliminate completely sales at less than fair value or to cease exports of merchandiseThe administering authority may suspend an investigation if the exporters of the subject merchandise who account for substantially all of the imports of that merchandise agree—

(1) to cease exports of the merchandise to the United States within 6 months after the date on which the investigation is suspended, or

(2) to revise their prices to eliminate completely any amount by which the normal value of the merchandise which is the subject of the agreement exceeds the export price (or the constructed export price) of that merchandise.

(1) General ruleIf the administering authority determines that extraordinary circumstances are present in a case, it may suspend an investigation upon the acceptance of an agreement to revise prices from exporters of the subject merchandise who account for substantially all of the imports of that merchandise into the United States, if the agreement will eliminate completely the injurious effect of exports to the United States of that merchandise and if—

(A) the suppression or undercutting of price levels of domestic products by imports of that merchandise will be prevented, and

(B) for each entry of each exporter the amount by which the estimated normal value exceeds the export price (or the constructed export price) will not exceed 15 percent of the weighted average amount by which the estimated normal value exceeded the export price (or the constructed export price) for all less-than-fair-value entries of the exporter examined during the course of the investigation.

(2) “Extraordinary circumstances” defined

(A) Extraordinary circumstancesFor purposes of this subsection, the term “extraordinary circumstances” means circumstances in which—

(i) suspension of an investigation will be more beneficial to the domestic industry than continuation of the investigation, and

(ii) the investigation is complex.

(B) “Complex” definedFor purposes of this paragraph, the term “complex” means—

(i) there are a large number of transactions to be investigated or adjustments to be considered,

(ii) the issues raised are novel, or

(iii) the number of firms involved is large.

(d) Additional rules and conditionsThe administering authority may not accept an agreement under subsection (b) or (c) unless—

(1) it is satisfied that suspension of the investigation is in the public interest, and

(2) effective monitoring of the agreement by the United States is practicable.

Where practicable, the administering authority shall provide to the exporters who would have been subject to the agreement the reasons for not accepting the agreement and, to the extent possible, an opportunity to submit comments thereon.

(e) Suspension of investigation procedureBefore an investigation may be suspended under subsection (b) or (c) the administering authority shall—

(1) notify the petitioner of, and consult with the petitioner concerning, its intention to suspend the investigation, and notify other parties to the investigation and the Commission not less than 30 days before the date on which it suspends the investigation,

(2) provide a copy of the proposed agreement to the petitioner at the time of the notification, together with an explanation of how the agreement will be carried out and enforced, and of how the agreement will meet the requirements of subsections (b) and (d) or (c) and (d), and

(3) permit all interested parties described in section 1677(9) of this title to submit comments and information for the record before the date on which notice of suspension of the investigation is published under subsection (f)(1)(A).

(f) Effects of suspension of investigation

(1) In generalIf the administering authority determines to suspend an investigation upon acceptance of an agreement described in subsection (b) or (c), then—

(A) it shall suspend the investigation, publish notice of suspension of the investigation, and issue an affirmative preliminary determination under section 1673b(b) of this title with respect to the subject merchandise, unless it has previously issued such a determination in the same investigation,

(B) the Commission shall suspend any investigation it is conducting with respect to that merchandise, and

(2) Liquidation of entries

(A) Cessation of exports; complete elimination of dumping marginIf the agreement accepted by the administering authority is an agreement described in subsection (b), then—

(i) notwithstanding the affirmative preliminary determination required under paragraph (1)(A), the liquidation of entries of subject merchandise shall not be suspended under section 1673b(d)(2) of this title,

(ii) if the liquidation of entries of such merchandise was suspended pursuant to a previous affirmative preliminary determination in the same case with respect to such merchandise, that suspension of liquidation shall terminate, and

(iii) the administering authority shall refund any cash deposit and release any bond or other security deposited under section 1673b(d)(1)(B) of this title.

(B) Other agreements

(3) Where investigation is continuedIf, pursuant to subsection (g), the administering authority and the Commission continue an investigation in which an agreement has been accepted under subsection (b) or (c), then—

(A) if the final determination by the administering authority or the Commission under section 1673d of this title is negative, the agreement shall have no force or effect and the investigation shall be terminated, or

(B) if the final determinations by the administering authority and the Commission under such section are affirmative, the agreement shall remain in force, but the administering authority shall not issue an antidumping duty order in the case so long as—

(i) the agreement remains in force,

(ii) the agreement continues to meet the requirements of subsections (b) and (d), or (c) and (d), and

(iii) the parties to the agreement carry out their obligations under the agreement in accordance with its terms.

(g) Investigation to be continued upon requestIf the administering authority, within 20 days after the date of publication of the notice of suspension of an investigation, receives a request for the continuation of the investigation from—

(1) an exporter or exporters accounting for a significant proportion of exports to the United States of the subject merchandise, or

(2) an interested party described in subparagraph (C), (D), (E), (F), or (G) of section 1677(9) of this title which is a party to the investigation,

then the administering authority and the Commission shall continue the investigation.

(h) Review of suspension

(1) In general

(2) Commission investigation

(3) Suspension of liquidation to continue during review periodThe suspension of liquidation of entries of the subject merchandise shall terminate at the close of the 20-day period beginning on the day after the date on which notice of suspension of the investigation is published in the Federal Register, or, if a review petition is filed under paragraph (1) with respect to the suspension of the investigation, in the case of an affirmative determination by the Commission under paragraph (2), the date on which notice of an affirmative determination by the Commission is published. If the determination of the Commission under paragraph (2) is affirmative, then the administering authority shall—

(A) terminate the suspension of liquidation under section 1673b(d)(2) of this title, and

(B) release any bond or other security, and refund any cash deposit, required under section 1673b(d)(1)(B) of this title.

(i) Violation of agreement

(1) In generalIf the administering authority determines that an agreement accepted under subsection (b) or (c) is being, or has been, violated, or no longer meets the requirements of such subsection (other than the requirement, under subsection (c)(1), of elimination of injury) and subsection (d), then, on the date of publication of its determination, it shall—

(A) suspend liquidation under section 1673b(d)(2) of this title of unliquidated entries of the merchandise made on the later of—

(i) the date which is 90 days before the date of publication of the notice of suspension of liquidation, or

(ii) the date on which the merchandise, the sale or export to the United States of which was in violation of the agreement, or under an agreement which no longer meets the requirements of subsections (b) and (d), or (c) and (d), was first entered, or withdrawn from warehouse, for consumption,

(B) if the investigation was not completed, resume the investigation as if its affirmative preliminary determination were made on the date of its determination under this paragraph,

(C) if the investigation was completed under subsection (g), issue an antidumping duty order under section 1673e(a) of this title effective with respect to entries of merchandise liquidation of which was suspended,

(D) if it considers the violation to be intentional, notify the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection who shall take appropriate action under paragraph (2), and

(E) notify the petitioner, interested parties who are or were parties to the investigation, and the Commission of its action under this paragraph.

(2) Intentional violation to be punished by civil penalty

(j) Determination not to take agreement into account

(k) Termination of investigation initiated by administering authority

(l) Special rule for nonmarket economy countries

(1) In general

(A) such agreement satisfies the requirements of subsection (d), and

(B) will prevent the suppression or undercutting of price levels of domestic products by imports of the merchandise under investigation.

(2) Failure of agreements

(m) Special rule for regional industry investigations

(1) Suspension agreements

(2) Requirements for suspension agreements

(3) Effect of suspension agreement on antidumping duty order

(June 17, 1930, ch. 497, title VII, § 734, as added Pub. L. 96–39, title I, § 101, July 26, 1979, 93 Stat. 165; amended Pub. L. 98–573, title VI, §§ 604(b), 612(b)(2), Oct. 30, 1984, 98 Stat. 3026, 3034; Pub. L. 100–418, title I, §§ 1316(c), 1326(d)(2), Aug. 23, 1988, 102 Stat. 1187, 1204; Pub. L. 103–465, title II, §§ 216(b), 217(b), 218(a)(2), 219(c)(2)–(5), 233(a)(1)(B), (2)(A)(ii), (5)(S)–(U), Dec. 8, 1994, 108 Stat. 4853, 4854, 4857, 4898, 4900; Pub. L. 114–125, title VIII, § 802(d)(2), Feb. 24, 2016, 130 Stat. 210.)