19 U.S.C. § 1671c Termination Or Suspension of 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. § 1671c

(a) Termination of investigation upon withdrawal of petition

(1) In general

(A) Withdrawal of petition

Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3), an investigation under this part may be terminated by either the administering authority or the Commission, after notice to all parties to the investigation, upon withdrawal of the petition by the petitioner or by the administering authority if the investigation was initiated under section 1671a(a) of this title.

(B) Refiling of petition

If, within 3 months after the withdrawal of a petition under subparagraph (A), a new petition is filed seeking the imposition of duties on both the subject merchandise of the withdrawn petition and the subject merchandise from another country, the administering authority and the Commission may use in the investigation initiated pursuant to the new petition any records compiled in an investigation conducted pursuant to the withdrawn petition. This subparagraph applies only with respect to the first withdrawal of a petition.

(2) Special rules for quantitative restriction agreements

(A) In general

Subject to subparagraphs (B) and (C), the administering authority may not terminate an investigation under paragraph (1) by accepting, with the government of the country in which the countervailable subsidy practice is alleged to occur, an understanding or other kind of agreement to limit the volume of imports into the United States of the subject merchandise unless the administering authority is satisfied that termination on the basis of that agreement is in the public interest.

(B) Public interest factors

In 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 countervailing 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 consultations

Before 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

The Commission may not terminate an investigation under paragraph (1) before a preliminary determination is made by the administering authority under section 1671b(b) of this title.

(b) Agreements to eliminate or offset completely a countervailable subsidy or to cease exports of subject merchandise

The administering authority may suspend an investigation if the government of the country in which the countervailable subsidy practice is alleged to occur agrees, or exporters who account for substantially all of the imports of the subject merchandise agree-

(1) to eliminate the countervailable subsidy completely or to offset completely the amount of the net countervailable subsidy, with respect to that merchandise exported directly or indirectly to the United States, within 6 months after the date on which the investigation is suspended, or

(2) to cease exports of that merchandise to the United States within 6 months after the date on which the investigation is suspended.

(c) Agreements eliminating injurious effect

(1) General rule

If the administering authority determines that extraordinary circumstances are present in a case, it may suspend an investigation upon the acceptance of an agreement from a government described in subsection (b), or from exporters described in subsection (b), if the agreement will eliminate completely the injurious effect of exports to the United States of the subject merchandise.

(2) Certain additional requirements

Except in the case of an agreement by a foreign government to restrict the volume of imports of the subject merchandise into the United States, the administering authority may not accept an agreement under this subsection unless-

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

(B) at least 85 percent of the net countervailable subsidy will be offset.

(3) Quantitative restrictions agreements

The administering authority may accept an agreement with a foreign government under this subsection to restrict the volume of imports of subject merchandise into the United States, but it may not accept such an agreement with exporters.

(4) Definition of extraordinary circumstances

(A) Extraordinary circumstances

For 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

For purposes of this paragraph, the term "complex" means-

(i) there are a large number of alleged countervailable subsidy practices and the practices are complicated,

(ii) the issues raised are novel, or

(iii) the number of exporters involved is large.

(d) Additional rules and conditions

(1) Public interest; monitoring