US commerce department extends trade investigation deadline

In the ongoing biodiesel trade dispute between the U.S. and Argentina and Indonesia, the U.S. Department of Commerce has extended the deadline for making its preliminary determination on the countervailing duties claim until August.

The extension was requested by the petitioner, the National Biodiesel Board Fair Trade Coalition, which allows the commerce department to analyze information that it will be collecting during the next two months. 

“This is standard procedure,” NBB Vice President of Federal Affairs Anne Steckel told Biodiesel Magazine. “It is typical to extend the timing of the commerce department’s preliminary determination in these cases. This is consistent with the statute and with the agency’s regulations, in order to give the department more time to process all of the information being received. The case is proceeding as expected, with preliminary determinations on the estimated rates of subsidization and dumping still anticipated in late August and October, respectively, as we communicated at the start of this process.”

On March 23, the NBB Fair Trade Coalition petitioned the commerce department and the U.S. International Trade Commission to investigate illegal dumping and countervailing duties on biodiesel from Argentine and Indonesian producers.

USITC announced May 5 that it had made unanimous affirmative determinations in its preliminary phase antidumping and countervailing duty investigations. As a result of the commission’s unanimous vote, the USITC stated that the commerce department would continue to conduct its investigations with preliminary countervailing duty determinations due by June 16, and its preliminary antidumping duty determinations due by Aug. 30.

While the USITC expected an expeditious timeline for the commerce department’s preliminary determinations, the NBB stated in a press release April 13 that it expected the department’s preliminary determinations on the estimated rates of subsidization and dumping on Aug. 22 and Oct. 20, respectively.