19 U.S.C. § 1671a Procedures For Initiating a Countervailing Duty Investigation

• Library: United States Statutes
• Edition: 2023
• Currency: Current through P.L. 118-34 (published on www.congress.gov on 12/26/2023), except for [P. L. 118-31]
• Year: 2023
• Citation: 19 U.S.C. § 1671a

(a) Initiation by administering authority

A countervailing duty investigation shall be initiated whenever the administering authority determines, from information available to it, that a formal investigation is warranted into the question of whether the elements necessary for the imposition of a duty under section 1671(a) of this title exist.

(b) Initiation by petition

(1) Petition requirements

A countervailing duty proceeding shall be initiated whenever an interested party described in subparagraph (C), (D), (E), (F), or (G) of section 1677(9) of this title files a petition with the administering authority, on behalf of an industry, which alleges the elements necessary for the imposition of the duty imposed by section 1671(a) of this title, and which is accompanied by information reasonably available to the petitioner supporting those allegations. The petition may be amended at such time, and upon such conditions, as the administering authority and the Commission may permit.

(2) Simultaneous filing with Commission

The petitioner shall file a copy of the petition with the Commission on the same day as it is filed with the administering authority.

(3) Petition based upon a derogation of an international undertaking on official export credits

If the sole basis of a petition filed under paragraph (1) is the derogation of an international undertaking on official export credits, the Administering Authority shall immediately notify the Secretary of the Treasury who shall, in consultation with the Administering Authority, within 5 days after the date on which the administering authority initiates an investigation under subsection (c), determine the existence and estimated value of the derogation, if any, and shall publish such determination in the Federal Register.

(4) Action with respect to petitions

(A) Notification of governments

Upon receipt of a petition filed under paragraph (1), the administering authority shall-

(i) notify the government of any exporting country named in the petition by delivering a public version of the petition to an appropriate representative of such country; and

(ii) provide the government of any exporting country named in the petition that is a Subsidies Agreement country an opportunity for consultations with respect to the petition.

(B) Acceptance of communications

The administering authority shall not accept any unsolicited oral or written communication from any person other than an interested party described in section 1677(9)(C), (D), (E), (F), or (G) of this title before the administering authority makes its decision whether to initiate an investigation, except as provided in subparagraph (A)(ii) and subsection (c)(4)(D), and except for inquiries regarding the status of the administering authority's consideration of the petition.

(C) Nondisclosure of certain information

The administering authority and the Commission shall not disclose information with regard to any draft petition submitted for review and comment before it is filed under paragraph (1).