Certain Softwood Lumber Products from Canada: Notice of Initiation of Countervailing Duty Changed Circumstances Review

AGENCY:

Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.

SUMMARY:

Based on a request from TRAPA Forest Products Ltd. (TRAPA), the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) is initiating a changed circumstances review (CCR) of the countervailing duty (CVD) order on certain softwood lumber products from Canada to determine whether TRAPA is the successor-in-interest (SII) to Trans-Pacific Trading Ltd. (Trans-Pacific).

DATES:

Applicable July 29, 2024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kristen Johnson, AD/CVD Operations, Office III, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482-4793.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On January 3, 2018, Commerce published the CVD order on certain softwood lumber products from Canada. On April 11, 2024, TRAPA requested that Commerce initiate a CCR of the Order, pursuant to section 751(b)(1) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), 19 CFR 351.216, and 19 CFR 251.221(c)(3). We found TRAPA's CCR request to be deficient and issued a letter to TRAPA on May 8, 2024. On June 7, 2024, TRAPA submitted an amended CCR request providing additional information and documentation. In its CCR request, TRAPA stated that there was a company name change from Trans-Pacific to TRAPA on April 8, 2024, and thus, TRAPA is the SII to Trans-Pacific. TRAPA requests that Commerce assign to TRAPA the same CVD cash deposit rate that it has or may assign to Trans-Pacific and to conduct the CCR on an expedited basis.

On July 22, 2024, Commerce tolled certain deadlines in this administrative proceeding by seven days. The deadline for the initiation is now July 29, 2024.

Scope of the Order

The merchandise covered by this Order is softwood lumber, siding, flooring and certain other coniferous wood (softwood lumber products). The scope includes:

• Coniferous wood, sawn, or chipped lengthwise, sliced or peeled, whether or not planed, whether or not sanded, or whether or not finger-jointed, of an actual thickness exceeding six millimeters.
• Coniferous wood siding, flooring, and other coniferous wood (other than moldings and dowel rods), including strips and friezes for parquet flooring, that is continuously shaped (including, but not limited to, tongued, grooved, rebated, chamfered, V-jointed, beaded, molded, rounded) along any of its edges, ends, or faces, whether or not planed, whether or not sanded, or whether or not end-jointed.
• Coniferous drilled and notched lumber and angle cut lumber.
• Coniferous lumber stacked on edge and fastened together with nails, whether or not with plywood sheathing.
• Components or parts of semi-finished or unassembled finished products made from subject merchandise that would otherwise meet the definition of the scope above.

Finished products are not covered by the scope of this Order. For the purposes of this scope, finished products contain, or are comprised of, subject merchandise and have undergone sufficient processing such that they can no longer be considered intermediate products, and such products can be readily differentiated from merchandise subject to this Order at the time of importation. Such differentiation may, for example, be shown through marks of special adaptation as a particular product. The following products are illustrative of the type of merchandise that is considered “finished,” for the purpose of this scope: I-joists; assembled pallets; cutting boards; assembled picture frames; garage doors.

The following items are excluded from the scope of this Order:

• Softwood lumber products certified by the Atlantic Lumber Board as being first produced in the Provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, or Prince Edward Island from logs harvested in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, or Prince Edward Island.
• U.S.-origin lumber shipped to Canada for processing and imported into the United States if the processing occurring in Canada is limited to one or more of the following: (1) kiln drying; (2) planing to create smooth-to-size board; or (3) sanding.
• Box-spring frame kits if they contain the following wooden pieces—two side rails, two end (or top) rails and varying numbers of slats. The side rails and the end rails must be radius-cut at both ends. The kits must be individually packaged and must contain the exact number of wooden components needed to make a particular box-spring frame, with no further processing required. None of the components exceeds 1″ in actual thickness or 83″ in length.
• Radius-cut box-spring-frame components, not exceeding 1″ in actual thickness or 83″ in length, ready for assembly without further processing. The radius cuts must be present on both ends of the boards and must be substantially cut so as to completely round one corner.

Softwood lumber product imports are generally entered under Chapter 44 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). This chapter of the HTSUS covers “Wood and articles of wood.” Softwood lumber products that are subject to this Order are currently classifiable under the following ten-digit HTSUS subheadings in Chapter 44: 4406.11.00.00; 4406.91.00.00; 4407.10.01.01; 4407.10.01.02; 4407.10.01.15; 4407.10.01.16; 4407.10.01.17; 4407.10.01.18; 4407.10.01.19; 4407.10.01.20; 4407.10.01.42; 4407.10.01.43; 4407.10.01.44; 4407.10.01.45; 4407.10.01.46; 4407.10.01.47; 4407.10.01.48; 4407.10.01.49; 4407.10.01.52; 4407.10.01.53; 4407.10.01.54; 4407.10.01.55; 4407.10.01.56; 4407.10.01.57; 4407.10.01.58; 4407.10.01.59; 4407.10.01.64; 4407.10.01.65; 4407.10.01.66; 4407.10.01.67; 4407.10.01.68; 4407.10.01.69; 4407.10.01.74; 4407.10.01.75; 4407.10.01.76; 4407.10.01.77; 4407.10.01.82; 4407.10.01.83; 4407.10.01.92; 4407.10.01.93; 4407.11.00.01; 4407.11.00.02; 4407.11.00.42; 4407.11.00.43; 4407.11.00.44; 4407.11.00.45; 4407.11.00.46; 4407.11.00.47; 4407.11.00.48; 4407.11.00.49; 4407.11.00.52; 4407.11.00.53; 4407.12.00.01; 4407.12.00.02; 4407.12.00.17; 4407.12.00.18; 4407.12.00.19; 4407.12.00.20; 4407.12.00.58; 4407.12.00.59; 4407.13.00.00; 4407.14.00.00; 4407.19.00.01; 4407.19.00.02; 4407.19.00.54; 4407.19.00.55; 4407.19.00.56; 4407.19.00.57; 4407.19.00.64; 4407.19.00.65; 4407.19.00.66; 4407.19.00.67; 4407.19.00.68; 4407.19.00.69; 4407.19.00.74; 4407.19.00.75; 4407.19.00.76; 4407.19.00.77; 4407.19.00.82; 4407.19.00.83; 4407.19.00.92; 4407.19.00.93; 4407.19.05.00; 4407.19.06.00; 4407.19.10.01; 4407.19.10.02; 4407.19.10.54; 4407.19.10.55; 4407.19.10.56; 4407.19.10.57; 4407.19.10.64; 4407.19.10.65; 4407.19.10.66; 4407.19.10.67; 4407.19.10.68; 4407.19.10.69; 4407.19.10.74; 4407.19.10.75; 4407.19.10.76; 4407.19.10.77; 4407.19.10.82; 4407.19.10.83; 4407.19.10.92; 4407.19.10.93; 4409.10.05.00; 4409.10.10.20; 4409.10.10.40; 4409.10.10.60; 4409.10.10.80; 4409.10.20.00; 4409.10.90.20; 4409.10.90.40; 4418.30.01.00; 4418.50.00.10; 4418.50.00.30; 4418.50.0050; and 4418.99.10.00; 4418.99.91.05; 4418.99.91.20; 4418.99.91.40; 4418.99.91.95; 4421.99.98.80.

Subject merchandise as described above might be identified on entry documentation as stringers, square cut box-spring-frame components, fence pickets, truss components, pallet components, flooring, and door and window frame parts. Items so identified might be entered under the following ten-digit HTSUS subheadings in Chapter 44: 4415.20.40.00; 4415.20.80.00; 4418.99.90.05; 4418.99.90.20; 4418.99.90.40; 4418.99.90.95; 4421.99.70.40; and 4421.99.97.80.

Although these HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written description of the scope of this Order is dispositive.

Initiation of Changed Circumstances Review

Pursuant to section 751(b) of the Act, Commerce will conduct a CCR upon receipt of a request from an interested party that shows changed circumstances sufficient to warrant a review of an order. In accordance with 19 CFR 351.216(d), Commerce determines that the information submitted by TRAPA in its request for a CCR constitutes a sufficient basis to conduct a CCR of the Order. Therefore, in accordance with section 751(b)(1)(A) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.216(d), we are initiating a CCR based upon the information contained in TRAPA's CCR Request.

Neither the Act, the Statement of Administrative Action Accompanying the Uruguay Round Agreements Act, or Commerce's regulations offer a definition of the term “changed circumstances,” nor do they explain what aspects of a determination may be reconsidered in light of such changed circumstances. Commerce has in the past conducted CCRs regarding a variety of issues. Here, TRAPA requests that Commerce initiate a CCR to determine that it is the SII to Trans-Pacific based on a name change.

In the event that Commerce determines an expedited action is warranted, 19 CFR 351.221(c)(3)(ii) permits Commerce to combine the notice of initiation of the review and the preliminary results of review into a single notice. However, we are not combining this notice of initiation with the preliminary results, pursuant to 19 CFR 351.221(c)(3)(ii), because Commerce determines that it requires additional time to analyze the CCR request.

Preliminary and Final Results of the CCR

Commerce intends to publish in the Federal Register a notice of the preliminary results of this CCR in accordance with 19 CFR 351.221(b)(4) and (c)(3)(i). Commerce will set forth its preliminary factual and legal conclusions in that notice regarding TRAPA's CCR Request. Unless extended, Commerce will issue the final results of this CCR in accordance with the time limits set forth in 19 CFR 351.216(e).

Notification to Interested Parties

We are issuing and publishing this initiation notice in accordance with sections 751(b)(1) and 777(i) of the Act, 19 CFR 351.216(b), and 19 CFR 351.221(b)(1).