Mattresses From Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burma, India, Italy, Kosovo, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and Taiwan: Initiation of Less-Than-Fair-Value Investigations

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Federal RegisterAug 23, 2023
88 Fed. Reg. 57433 (Aug. 23, 2023)

AGENCY:

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

DATES:

Applicable August 17, 2023.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Amaris Wade (Bosnia and Herzegovina), TJ Worthington (Bulgaria), Paul Gill (Burma), Steven Seifert (India), Caroline Carroll (Italy), Sean Carey (Kosovo), Benjamin Blythe (Mexico), Emily Halle (the Philippines), Dakota Potts (Poland), Benjamin A. Luberda (Slovenia), Matthew Palmer (Spain), and Paul Gill (Taiwan), AD/CVD Operations, Offices II, III, IV, V, VII, and IX, Enforcement and Compliance, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 1401 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20230; telephone: (202) 482–6334, (202) 482–4567, (202) 482–5673, (202) 482–3350, (202) 482–4948, (202) 482–3964, (202) 482–3457, (202) 482–0176, (202) 482–0223, (202) 482–2185, (202) 482–1678, and (202) 482–5673, respectively.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Petitions

On July 28, 2023, the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) received antidumping duty (AD) petitions concerning imports of mattresses from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burma, India, Italy, Kosovo, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and Taiwan, filed in proper form on behalf of the petitioners, U.S. producers of mattresses and certified unions that represent workers engaged in the domestic production of mattresses. These AD petitions were accompanied by a countervailing duty (CVD) petition concerning imports of mattresses from Indonesia.

Brooklyn Bedding; Carpenter Co.; Corsicana Mattress Company; Future Foam Inc.; FXI, Inc.; Kolcraft Enterprises Inc.; Leggett & Platt, Incorporated; Serta Simmons Bedding Inc.; Southerland, Inc.; Tempur Sealy International; the International Brotherhood of Teamsters; and the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union (collectively, the petitioners).

See Petitioners' Letter, “Mattresses from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burma, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kosovo, Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Spain and Taiwan: Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Petitions,” dated July 28, 2023 (Petitions).

Id.

On August 1, 8, and 9, 2023, Commerce requested supplemental information pertaining to certain aspects of the Petitions. Additionally, on August 7, 9, and 10, 2023, the petitioners filed timely responses to these requests for additional information.

See Commerce's Letters, “Petitions for the Imposition of Antidumping Duties on Imports of Mattresses from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burma, India, Italy, Kosovo, Mexico, the Philippines, Slovenia, Spain, and Taiwan and Countervailing Duties on Imports from Indonesia: Supplemental Questions,” dated August 1, 2023 (General Issues Supplemental); Country-Specific Supplemental Questionnaires: Bosnia Supplemental; Bulgaria Supplemental; Burma Supplemental; Burma Supplemental; India Supplemental; Italy Supplemental; Kosovo Supplemental; Mexico Supplemental; the Philippines Supplemental; Slovenia Supplemental; Spain Supplemental; and Taiwan Supplemental, dated August 1, 2023; “Petitions for the Imposition of Antidumping Duties on Imports of Mattresses from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burma, India, Italy, Kosovo, Mexico, the Philippines, Slovenia, Spain, and Taiwan and Countervailing Duties on Imports from Indonesia: Supplemental Questions,” dated August 8, 2023 (Second General Issues Supplemental); see also Memoranda, “Phone Call with Counsel to the Petitioners,” dated August 9, 2023.

See Petitioners' Letters, “Mattresses from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burma, India, Italy, Kosovo, Mexico, Philippines, Slovenia, Spain, and Taiwan: Responses to Petition Supplemental Questionnaires,” dated August 7, 2023, at Volume I (First General Issues Supplement) and Volume II (Country-Specific AD Supplements); “Mattresses from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burma, India, Italy, Kosovo, Mexico, Philippines, Slovenia, Spain, and Taiwan: Responses to the Department's Second General Issues Supplemental Questionnaire,” dated August 9, 2023 (Second General Issues Supplement); “Mattresses from Mexico: Mattress Petitioners' Response to the Department of Commerce's Second Supplemental Questionnaire,” dated August 10, 2023; and “Mattresses from India: Mattress Petitioners' Response to the Department of Commerce's Second Supplemental Questionnaire,” dated August 10, 2023.

In accordance with section 732(b) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended (the Act), the petitioners allege that imports of mattresses from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burma, India, Italy, Kosovo, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and Taiwan are being, or are likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value (LTFV) within the meaning of section 731 of the Act, and that imports of such products are materially injuring, or threatening material injury to, the mattresses industry in the United States. Consistent with section 732(b)(1) of the Act, the Petitions are accompanied by information reasonably available to the petitioners supporting their allegations.

Commerce finds that the petitioners filed the Petitions on behalf of the domestic industry, because the petitioners are interested parties, as defined in sections 771(9)(C) and (D) of the Act. Commerce also finds that the petitioners demonstrated sufficient industry support for the initiation of the requested AD investigations.

See the section on “Industry Support for the Petitions,” infra.

Periods of Investigation

Because the Petitions were filed on July 28, 2023, pursuant to 19 CFR 351.204(b)(1), the periods of investigation (POI) for the Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burma, India, Italy, Kosovo, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and Taiwan AD investigations are July 1, 2022, through June 30, 2023.

Scope of the Investigations

The products covered by these investigations are mattresses from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burma, India, Italy, Kosovo, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and Taiwan. For a full description of the scope of these investigations, see the appendix to this notice.

Comments on the Scope of the Investigations

On August 1 and 8, 2023, Commerce requested further information and clarification from the petitioners regarding the proposed scope to ensure that the scope language in the Petitions is an accurate reflection of the products for which the domestic industry is seeking relief. On August 7 and 9, 2023, the petitioners revised the scope. The description of the merchandise covered by these investigations, as described in the appendix to this notice, reflects these clarifications.

See General Issues Supplemental Questionnaire at 3–4; see also Second General Issues Supplemental Questionnaire at 3.

See First General Issues Supplement at 4 and Exhibit 3; see also Second General Issues Supplement at 1 and Exhibit 2.

As discussed in the Preamble to Commerce's regulations, we are setting aside a period of time for interested parties to raise issues regarding product coverage ( i.e., scope). Commerce will consider all comments received from interested parties and, if necessary, will consult with interested parties prior to the issuance of the preliminary determinations. If scope comments include factual information, all such factual information should be limited to public information. To facilitate preparation of its questionnaires, Commerce requests that all interested parties submit such comments by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on September 6, 2023, which is 20 calendar days from the signature date of this notice. Any rebuttal comments, which may include factual information, must be filed by 5:00 p.m. ET on September 18, 2023, which is the next business day after 10 calendar days from the initial comment deadline.

See Antidumping Duties; Countervailing Duties,62 FR 27296, 27323 (May 19, 1997) ( Preamble).

See19 CFR 351.102(b)(21) (defining “factual information”).

See19 CFR 351.303(b)(1) (“For both electronically filed and manually filed documents, if the applicable due date falls on a non-business day, the Secretary will accept documents that are filed on the next business day.”). The initial deadline for rebuttal comments falls on September 16, 2023, which is a Saturday.

Commerce requests that any factual information that parties consider relevant to the scope of the investigations be submitted during that period. However, if a party subsequently finds that additional factual information pertaining to the scope of the investigations may be relevant, the party may contact Commerce and request permission to submit the additional information. All such submissions must be filed simultaneously on the records of the concurrent AD and CVD investigations.

Filing Requirements

All submissions to Commerce must be filed electronically using Enforcement and Compliance's Antidumping Duty and Countervailing Duty Centralized Electronic Service System (ACCESS), unless an exception applies. An electronically-filed document must be received successfully in its entirety by the time and date it is due.

See Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Proceedings: Electronic Filing Procedures; Administrative Protective Order Procedures,76 FR 39263 (July 6, 2011); see also Enforcement and Compliance; Change of Electronic Filing System Name,79 FR 69046 (November 20, 2014) for details of Commerce's electronic filing requirements, effective August 5, 2011. Information on help using ACCESS can be found at https://access.trade.gov/help.aspx and a handbook can be found at https://access.trade.gov/help/Handbook_on_Electronic_Filing_Procedures.pdf.

See19 CFR 351.303(b)(1).

Comments on Product Characteristics

Commerce is providing interested parties an opportunity to comment on the appropriate physical characteristics of mattresses to be reported in response to Commerce's AD questionnaires. This information will be used to identify the key physical characteristics of the subject merchandise in order to report the relevant costs of production (COP) accurately, as well as to develop appropriate product comparison criteria where appropriate.

Subsequent to the publication of this notice, Commerce intends to release a proposed list of physical characteristics and product-comparison criteria, and interested parties may provide any information or comments that they feel are relevant to the development of an accurate list of physical characteristics. Specifically, they may provide comments as to which characteristics are appropriate to use as: (1) general product characteristics; and (2) product comparison criteria. We note that it is not always appropriate to use all product characteristics as product comparison criteria. We base product comparison criteria on meaningful commercial differences among products. In other words, although there may be some physical product characteristics utilized by manufacturers to describe mattresses, it may be that only a select few product characteristics take into account commercially meaningful physical characteristics. In addition, interested parties may comment on the order in which the physical characteristics should be used in matching products. Generally, Commerce attempts to list the most important physical characteristics first and the least important characteristics last.

In order to consider the suggestions of interested parties in developing and issuing the AD questionnaires, all product characteristics comments must be filed by 5:00 p.m. ET on September 6, 2023, which is 20 calendar days from the signature date of this notice. Any rebuttal comments must be filed by 5:00 p.m. ET on September 18, 2023, which is the next business day after ten calendar days from the initial comment deadline. All comments and submissions to Commerce must be filed electronically using ACCESS, as explained above, on the record of each of the AD investigations.

See19 CFR 351.303(b)(1) (“For both electronically filed and manually filed documents, if the applicable due date falls on a non-business day, the Secretary will accept documents that are filed on the next business day.”). The initial deadline for rebuttal comments falls on September 16, 2023, which is a Saturday.

Determination of Industry Support for the Petitions

Section 732(b)(1) of the Act requires that a petition be filed on behalf of the domestic industry. Section 732(c)(4)(A) of the Act provides that a petition meets this requirement if the domestic producers or workers who support the petition account for: (i) at least 25 percent of the total production of the domestic like product; and (ii) more than 50 percent of the production of the domestic like product produced by that portion of the industry expressing support for, or opposition to, the petition. Moreover, section 732(c)(4)(D) of the Act provides that, if the petition does not establish support of domestic producers or workers accounting for more than 50 percent of the total production of the domestic like product, Commerce shall: (i) poll the industry or rely on other information in order to determine if there is support for the petition, as required by subparagraph (A); or (ii) determine industry support using a statistically valid sampling method to poll the “industry.”

Section 771(4)(A) of the Act defines the “industry” as the producers as a whole of a domestic like product. Thus, to determine whether a petition has the requisite industry support, the statute directs Commerce to look to producers and workers who produce the domestic like product. The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), which is responsible for determining whether “the domestic industry” has been injured, must also determine what constitutes a domestic like product in order to define the industry. While both Commerce and the ITC must apply the same statutory definition regarding the domestic like product, they do so for different purposes and pursuant to a separate and distinct authority. In addition, Commerce's determination is subject to limitations of time and information. Although this may result in different definitions of the like product, such differences do not render the decision of either agency contrary to law.

See section 771(10) of the Act.

See USEC, Inc. v. United States, 132 F. Supp. 2d 1, 8 (CIT 2001) (citing Algoma Steel Corp., Ltd. v. United States, 688 F. Supp. 639, 644 (CIT 1988), aff'd 865 F.2d 240 (Fed. Cir. 1989)).

Section 771(10) of the Act defines the domestic like product as “a product which is like, or in the absence of like, most similar in characteristics and uses with, the article subject to an investigation under this title.” Thus, the reference point from which the domestic like product analysis begins is “the article subject to an investigation” ( i.e., the class or kind of merchandise to be investigated, which normally will be the scope as defined in the petition).

With regard to the domestic like product, the petitioners do not offer a definition of the domestic like product distinct from the scope of the investigations. Based on our analysis of the information submitted on the record, we have determined that mattresses, as defined in the scope, constitute a single domestic like product, and we have analyzed industry support in terms of that domestic like product.

See Petitions at Volume I (pages I–19 through I–23); see also First General Issues Supplement at 2 and Exhibit 1.

For a discussion of the domestic like product analysis as applied to these cases and information regarding industry support, see Antidumping Duty Initiation Checklists: Mattresses from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burma, India, Italy, Kosovo, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and Taiwan, dated concurrently with this notice (Country-Specific AD Initiation Checklists), at Attachment II (Analysis of Industry Support for the Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Petitions Covering Mattresses from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burma, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kosovo, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and Taiwan).

In determining whether the petitioners have standing under section 732(c)(4)(A) of the Act, we considered the industry support data contained in the Petitions with reference to the domestic like product as defined in the “Scope of the Investigations,” in the appendix to this notice. To establish industry support, the petitioners provided the total 2022 shipments of the domestic like product for the supporters of the Petitions, and compared this to the estimated total shipments of the domestic like product for the entire domestic industry. Because total industry production data for the domestic like product for 2022 are not reasonably available to the petitioners, and the petitioners have established that shipments are a reasonable proxy for production data, we have relied on the data provided by the petitioners for purposes of measuring industry support.

See Petitions at Volume I (pages I–7 through I–8 and Exhibit I–6); see also First General Issues Supplement at 5–7 and Exhibits 4–8; and Second General Issues Supplement at 2–3 and Exhibits 3–5.

See Petitions at Volume I (pages I–7 through I–8 and Exhibit I–6); see also First General Issues Supplement at 5–6.

See Petitions at Volume I (pages I–7 through I–8 and Exhibit I–6); see also First General Issues Supplement at 5–7 and Exhibits 4–8; and Second General Issues Supplement at 2–3 and Exhibits 3–5.

Our review of the data provided in the Petitions, the First General Issues Supplement, the Second General Issues Supplement, and other information readily available to Commerce indicates that the petitioners have established industry support for the Petitions. First, the Petitions established support from domestic producers (or workers) accounting for more than 50 percent of the total production of the domestic like product and, as such, Commerce is not required to take further action in order to evaluate industry support ( e.g., polling). Second, the domestic producers (or workers) have met the statutory criteria for industry support under section 732(c)(4)(A)(i) of the Act because the domestic producers (or workers) who support the Petitions account for at least 25 percent of the total production of the domestic like product. Finally, the domestic producers (or workers) have met the statutory criteria for industry support under section 732(c)(4)(A)(ii) of the Act, because the domestic producers (or workers) who support the Petitions account for more than 50 percent of the production of the domestic like product produced by that portion of the industry expressing support for, or opposition to, the Petitions. Accordingly, Commerce determines that the Petitions were filed on behalf of the domestic industry within the meaning of section 732(b)(1) of the Act.

Id.

See Country-Specific AD Initiation Checklists at Attachment II; see also section 732(c)(4)(D) of the Act.

See Country-Specific AD Initiation Checklists at Attachment II.

Id.

Id.

Allegations and Evidence of Material Injury and Causation

The petitioners allege that the U.S. industry producing the domestic like product is being materially injured, or is threatened with material injury, by reason of the imports of the subject merchandise sold at LTFV. In addition, with regard to Burma, Kosovo, Mexico, and Taiwan, the petitioners allege that subject imports exceed the negligibility threshold provided for under section 771(24)(A) of the Act. With regard to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, India, Italy, the Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, and Spain, while the allegedly dumped imports from each of these countries do not individually exceed the statutory requirements for negligibility, the petitioners provided data demonstrating that the aggregate import share from these eight countries is 12.30 percent, which exceeds the seven percent threshold established by the exception in section 771(24)(A)(ii) of the Act.

See Petitions at Volume I (pages I–24 through I–25 and Exhibit I–12).

Id.

The petitioners contend that the industry's injured condition is illustrated by the significant and increasing volume of subject imports; declining market share; underselling and price suppression; lost sales and revenues; and adverse impact on the domestic industry's operations, capacity utilization, production, commercial shipment volumes, employment variables, and financial performance. We assessed the allegations and supporting evidence regarding material injury, threat of material injury, causation, as well as negligibility, and we have determined that these allegations are properly supported by adequate evidence and meet the statutory requirements for initiation.

See Petitions at Volume I (pages I–24 through I–52 and Exhibits I–1 through I–5 and I–9 through I–16); see also First General Issues Supplement at 7 and Exhibit 1.

See Country-Specific AD Initiation Checklists at Attachment III (Analysis of Allegations and Evidence of Material Injury and Causation for the Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Petitions Covering Mattresses from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burma, India, Indonesia, Italy, Kosovo, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and Taiwan).

Allegations of Sales at LTFV

The following is a description of the allegations of sales at LTFV upon which Commerce based its decision to initiate AD investigations of imports of mattresses from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burma, India, Italy, Kosovo, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and Taiwan. The sources of data for the deductions and adjustments relating to U.S. price and normal value (NV) are discussed in greater detail in the Country-Specific AD Initiation Checklists.

U.S. Price

For Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burma, India, Italy, Kosovo, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and Taiwan, the petitioners based export price (EP) on POI average unit values (AUVs) derived from official U.S. import statistics for imports of mattresses produced in and exported from each country. The petitioners did not make any adjustments to U.S. price to calculate a net ex-factory U.S. price.

See Country-Specific AD Initiation Checklists.

Id.

Normal Value

In accordance with section 773(b)(2) of the Act, for these investigations, Commerce will request information necessary to calculate the constructed value and COP to determine whether there are reasonable grounds to believe or suspect that sales of the foreign like product have been made at prices that represent less than the COP of the product.

For Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burma, India, Italy, Kosovo, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and Taiwan, the petitioners based NV on home market prices obtained through market research for mattresses produced in and sold, or offered for sale, in each country during the applicable time period. The petitioners made certain adjustments to home market price to calculate a net ex-factory home market price, where appropriate.

See Country-Specific AD Initiation Checklists.

Id.

Fair Value Comparisons

Based on the data provided by the petitioners, there is reason to believe that imports of mattresses from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burma, India, Italy, Kosovo, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and Taiwan, are being, or are likely to be, sold in the United States at LTFV. Based on comparisons of EP to NV in accordance with sections 772 and 773 of the Act, the estimated dumping margins for mattresses for each of the countries covered by this initiation are as follows: (1) Bosnia and Herzegovina—217.38 percent; (2) Bulgaria—106.27 percent; (3) Burma—181.71 percent; (4) India—42.76 percent; (5) Italy—257.06 percent; (6) Kosovo—654.67 percent, (7) Mexico—61.97 percent; (8) the Philippines—538.23 percent; (9) Poland—330.71 percent; (10) Slovenia—744.81 percent; (11) Spain—280.28 percent; and (12) Taiwan—624.50 percent.

Id. for details of the calculations.

Initiation of LTFV Investigations

Based upon the examination of the Petitions and supplemental responses, we find that they meet the requirements of section 732 of the Act. Therefore, we are initiating AD investigations to determine whether imports of mattresses from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burma, India, Italy, Kosovo, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and Taiwan are being, or are likely to be, sold in the United States at LTFV. In accordance with section 733(b)(1)(A) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.205(b)(1), unless postponed, we will make our preliminary determinations no later than 140 days after the date of these initiations.

Respondent Selection

In the Petitions, the petitioners identified four companies in Bosnia and Herzegovina, eight companies in Bulgaria, four companies in Burma, 39 companies in India, 39 companies in Italy, three companies in Kosovo, 36 companies in Mexico, nine companies in the Philippines, 19 companies in Poland, six companies in Slovenia, 24 companies in Spain, and 98 companies in Taiwan as producers/exporters of mattresses. Following standard practice in AD investigations involving market economy countries, in the event Commerce determines that the number of exporters or producers is large such that Commerce cannot individually examine each company based on its resources, where appropriate, Commerce intends to select mandatory respondents in these cases based on U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data for U.S. imports under the appropriate Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States subheadings listed in the “Scope of the Investigations,” in the appendix.

See First General Issues Supplement at 2–4 and Exhibit 2.

On August 14, 2023, Commerce released CBP data on imports of mattresses from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burma, India, Italy, Kosovo, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and Taiwan under administrative protective order (APO) to all parties with access to information protected by APO and indicated that interested parties wishing to comment on CBP data and/or respondent selection must do so within three business days of the publication date of the notice of initiation of these investigations. Comments must be filed electronically using ACCESS. An electronically-filed document must be received successfully in its entirety via ACCESS by 5:00 p.m. ET on the specified deadline. Commerce will not accept rebuttal comments regarding the CBP data or respondent selection.

See Memoranda, “Antidumping Duty Petition on Imports of Mattresses from Bosnia and Herzegovina: Release of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Data,” dated August 14, 2023; “Antidumping Duty Petition on Imports of Mattresses from Bulgaria: Release of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Data,” dated August 14, 2023; “Antidumping Duty Petition on Imports of Mattresses from Burma: Release of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Data,” dated August 14, 2023; “Antidumping Duty Petition on Imports of Mattresses from India: Release of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Data,” dated August 14, 2023; “Antidumping Duty Petition on Imports of Mattresses from Italy: Release of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Data,” dated August 14, 2023; “Antidumping Duty Petition on Imports of Mattresses from Kosovo: Release of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Data,” dated August 14, 2023. “Antidumping Duty Petition on Imports of Mattresses from Mexico: Release of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Data,” dated August 14, 2023; “Antidumping Duty Petition on Imports of Mattresses from the Philippines: Release of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Data,” dated August 14, 2023; “Antidumping Duty Petition on Imports of Mattresses from Poland: Release of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Data,” dated August 14, 2023; “Antidumping Duty Petition on Imports of Mattresses from Slovenia: Release of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Data,” dated August 14, 2023; “Antidumping Duty Petition on Imports of Mattresses from Spain: Release of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Data,” dated August 14, 2023; and “Antidumping Duty Petition on Imports of Mattresses from Taiwan: Release of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Data,” dated August 14, 2023.

Interested parties must submit applications for disclosure under APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305(b). Instructions for filing such applications may be found on Commerce's website at https://access.trade.gov/Resources/Administrative_Protective_Order.aspx.

Distribution of Copies of the Petitions

In accordance with section 732(b)(3)(A) of the Act and 19 CFR 351.202(f), copies of the public version of the Petitions have been provided to the governments of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burma, India, Italy, Kosovo, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and Taiwan via ACCESS. To the extent practicable, we will attempt to provide a copy of the public version of the AD Petitions to each exporter named in the Petitions, as provided under 19 CFR 351.203(c)(2).

ITC Notification

Commerce will notify the ITC of its initiation, as required by section 732(d) of the Act.

Preliminary Determinations by the ITC

The ITC will preliminarily determine, within 45 days after the date on which the Petitions were filed, whether there is a reasonable indication that imports of mattresses from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Burma, India, Italy, Kosovo, Mexico, the Philippines, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and/or Taiwan, are materially injuring, or threatening material injury to, a U.S. industry. A negative ITC determination for any country will result in the investigation being terminated with respect to that country. Otherwise, these AD investigations will proceed according to statutory and regulatory time limits.

See section 733(a) of the Act.

Id.

Submission of Factual Information

Factual information is defined in 19 CFR 351.102(b)(21) as: (i) evidence submitted in response to questionnaires; (ii) evidence submitted in support of allegations; (iii) publicly available information to value factors under 19 CFR 351.408(c) or to measure the adequacy of remuneration under 19 CFR 351.511(a)(2); (iv) evidence placed on the record by Commerce; and (v) evidence other than factual information described in (i)–(iv). Section 351.301(b) of Commerce's regulations requires any party, when submitting factual information, to specify under which subsection of 19 CFR 351.102(b)(21) the information is being submitted and, if the information is submitted to rebut, clarify, or correct factual information already on the record, to provide an explanation identifying the information already on the record that the factual information seeks to rebut, clarify, or correct. Time limits for the submission of factual information are addressed in 19 CFR 351.301, which provides specific time limits based on the type of factual information being submitted. Interested parties should review the regulations prior to submitting factual information in these investigations.

See19 CFR 351.301(b).

See19 CFR 351.301(b)(2).

Particular Market Situation Allegation

Section 773(e) of the Act addresses the concept of particular market situation (PMS) for purposes of CV, stating that “if a particular market situation exists such that the cost of materials and fabrication or other processing of any kind does not accurately reflect the cost of production in the ordinary course of trade, the administering authority may use another calculation methodology under this subtitle or any other calculation methodology.” When an interested party submits a PMS allegation pursuant to section 773(e) of the Act, Commerce will respond to such a submission consistent with 19 CFR 351.301(c)(2)(v). If Commerce finds that a PMS exists under section 773(e) of the Act, then it will modify its dumping calculations appropriately.

Neither section 773(e) of the Act, nor 19 CFR 351.301(c)(2)(v), sets a deadline for the submission of PMS allegations and supporting factual information. However, in order to administer section 773(e) of the Act, Commerce must receive PMS allegations and supporting factual information with enough time to consider the submission. Thus, should an interested party wish to submit a PMS allegation and supporting new factual information pursuant to section 773(e) of the Act, it must do so no later than 20 days after submission of a respondent's initial response to section D of Commerce's AD questionnaire.

Extensions of Time Limits

Parties may request an extension of time limits before the expiration of a time limit established under 19 CFR 351.301, or as otherwise specified by Commerce. In general, an extension request will be considered untimely if it is filed after the expiration of the time limit established under 19 CFR 351.301. For submissions that are due from multiple parties simultaneously, an extension request will be considered untimely if it is filed after 10:00 a.m. ET on the due date. Under certain circumstances, Commerce may elect to specify a different time limit by which extension requests will be considered untimely for submissions which are due from multiple parties simultaneously. In such a case, Commerce will inform parties in a letter or memorandum of the deadline (including a specified time) by which extension requests must be filed to be considered timely. An extension request must be made in a separate, standalone submission; under limited circumstances, Commerce will grant untimely filed requests for the extension of time limits, where we determine, based on 19 CFR 351.302, that extraordinary circumstances exist. Parties should review Commerce's regulations concerning the extension of time limits and the Time Limits Final Rule prior to submitting factual information in these investigations.

See19 CFR 351.302; see also, e.g., Extension of Time Limits; Final Rule,78 FR 57790 (September 20, 2013) ( Time Limits Final Rule), available at https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-09-20/html/2013-22853.htm.

Certification Requirements

Any party submitting factual information in an AD or CVD proceeding must certify to the accuracy and completeness of that information. Parties must use the certification formats provided in 19 CFR 351.303(g). Commerce intends to reject factual submissions if the submitting party does not comply with the applicable certification requirements.

See section 782(b) of the Act.

See Certification of Factual Information to Import Administration During Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Proceedings,78 FR 42678 (July 17, 2013) ( Final Rule). Answers to frequently asked questions regarding the Final Rule are available at https://enforcement.trade.gov/tlei/notices/factual_info_final_rule_FAQ_07172013.pdf.

Notification to Interested Parties

Interested parties must submit applications for disclosure under APO in accordance with 19 CFR 351.305. Parties wishing to participate in these investigations should ensure that they meet the requirements of 19 CFR 351.103(d) ( e.g., by filing the required letter of appearance). Note that Commerce has temporarily modified certain of its requirements for serving documents containing business proprietary information, until further notice.

See Temporary Rule Modifying AD/CVD Service Requirements Due to COVID–19; Extension of Effective Period,85 FR 41363 (July 10, 2020).

This notice is issued and published pursuant to sections 732(c)(2) and 777(i) of the Act, and 19 CFR 351.203(c).

Dated: August 17, 2023.

Lisa W. Wang,

Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance.

Appendix—Scope of the Investigations

The products covered by these investigations are all types of youth and adult mattresses. The term “mattress” denotes an assembly of materials that at a minimum includes a “core,” which provides the main support system of the mattress, and may consist of innersprings, foam, other resilient filling, or a combination of these materials. Mattresses also may contain: (1) “upholstery,” the material between the core and the top panel of the ticking on a single-sided mattress, or between the core and the top and bottom panel of the ticking on a double-sided mattress; and/or (2) “ticking,” the outermost layer of fabric or other material ( e.g., vinyl) that encloses the core and any upholstery, also known as a cover.

The scope of these investigations is restricted to only “adult mattresses” and “youth mattresses.” “Adult mattresses” are frequently described as “twin,” “extra-long twin,” “full,” “queen,” “king,” or “California king” mattresses. “Youth mattresses” are typically described as “crib,” “toddler,” or “youth” mattresses. All adult and youth mattresses are included regardless of size and size description or how they are described ( e.g., frameless futon mattress and tri-fold mattress).

The scope encompasses all types of “innerspring mattresses,” “non-innerspring mattresses,” and “hybrid mattresses.” “Innerspring mattresses” contain innersprings, a series of metal springs joined together in sizes that correspond to the dimensions of mattresses. Mattresses that contain innersprings are referred to as “innerspring mattresses” or “hybrid mattresses.” “Hybrid mattresses” contain two or more support systems as the core, such as layers of both memory foam and innerspring units.

“Non-innerspring mattresses” are those that do not contain any innerspring units. They are generally produced from foams ( e.g., polyurethane, memory (viscoelastic), latex foam, gel infused viscoelastic (gel foam), thermobonded polyester, polyethylene) or other resilient filling.

Mattresses covered by the scope of these investigations may be imported independently, as part of furniture or furniture mechanisms ( e.g., convertible sofa bed mattresses, sofa bed mattresses imported with sofa bed mechanisms, corner group mattresses, day-bed mattresses, roll-away bed mattresses, high risers, trundle bed mattresses, crib mattresses), or as part of a set (in combination with a “mattress foundation”). “Mattress foundations” are any base or support for a mattress. Mattress foundations are commonly referred to as “foundations,” “boxsprings,” “platforms,” and/or “bases.” Bases can be static, foldable, or adjustable. Only the mattress is covered by the scope if imported as part of furniture, with furniture mechanisms, or as part of a set, in combination with a mattress foundation.

Excluded from the scope of these investigations are “futon” mattresses. A “futon” is a bi-fold frame made of wood, metal, or plastic material, or any combination thereof, that functions as both seating furniture (such as a couch, love seat, or sofa) and a bed. A “futon mattress” is a tufted mattress, where the top covering is secured to the bottom with thread that goes completely through the mattress from the top through to the bottom, and it does not contain innersprings or foam. A futon mattress is both the bed and seating surface for the futon.

Also excluded from the scope are airbeds (including inflatable mattresses) and waterbeds, which consist of air- or liquid-filled bladders as the core or main support system of the mattress.

Also excluded is certain multifunctional furniture that is convertible from seating to sleeping, regardless of filler material or components, where such filler material or components are upholstered, integrated into the design and construction of, and inseparable from, the furniture framing, and the outermost layer of the multifunctional furniture converts into the sleeping surface. Such furniture may, and without limitation, be commonly referred to as “convertible sofas,” “sofabeds,” “sofa chaise sleepers,” “futons,” “ottoman sleepers,” or a like description.

Also excluded from the scope of these investigations are any products covered by the existing antidumping duty orders on uncovered innerspring units from the People's Republic of China, South Africa, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. See Uncovered Innerspring Units from the People's Republic of China, South Africa, and Socialist Republic of Vietnam: Continuation of Antidumping Duty Orders,84 FR 55285 (October 16, 2019).

Also excluded from the scope of these investigations are bassinet pads with a nominal length of less than 39 inches, a nominal width of less than 25 inches, and a nominal depth of less than 2 inches.

Additionally, also excluded from the scope of these investigations are “mattress toppers.” A “mattress topper” is a removable bedding accessory that supplements a mattress by providing an additional layer that is placed on top of a mattress. Excluded mattress toppers have a height of four inches or less.

The products subject to these investigations are currently classifiable under Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS) subheadings: 9404.21.0010, 9404.21.0013, 9404.21.0095, 9404.29.1005, 9404.29.1013, 9404.29.1095, 9404.29.9085, 9404.29.9087, and 9404.29.9095. Products subject to these investigations may also enter under HTSUS subheadings: 9401.41.0000, 9401.49.0000, and 9401.99.9081. Although the HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written description of the merchandise subject to these investigations is dispositive.

[FR Doc. 2023–18165 Filed 8–22–23; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510–DS–P