The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) voted on March 7 to conduct full five-year “sunset” reviews concerning antidumping duty orders on carbon steel butt-weld pipe fittings from Brazil, China, Japan, Thailand, and Taiwan (Inv. Nos. 731-TA-308-310, 520 and 521 (2nd Review)).

The reviews will determine whether revocation of these orders would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury within a reasonably foreseeable time.

The Uruguay Round Agreements Act requires the Department of Commerce to revoke an antidumping or countervailing duty order, or terminate a suspension agreement, after five years unless the Department of Commerce and the ITC determine that revoking the order or terminating the suspension agreement would be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of dumping or subsidies (Commerce) and of material injury (ITC) within a reasonably foreseeable time.

The ITC also scheduled a sunset review hearing for April 8 on malleable cast iron pipe fittings from Japan and Korea. Antidumping duty orders on Korean fittings date back to 1986 and to 1987 on imports of malleable iron fittings from Japan. The Department of Commerce conducted five-year reviews in February 2000, and issued a continuation of those duties.