1. On 05/31/2013, in response to a request by United States Steel Corporation, TMK IPSCO, Wheatland Tube Company, Boomerang Tube LLC, and V&M Star L.P. (Petitioners), Commerce issued a preliminary scope determination that seamless unfinished oil country tubular goods (OCTG) that are produced in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and further processed into certain grades of finished OCTG by particular finishing processes (indicated below) are within the scope of the countervailing duty order on OCTG from the PRC (C-570-944), regardless of the country in which the further processing occurs.

2. Because the imported finished products do not undergo any significant physical and chemical changes from, and are of the same class or kind of merchandise as seamless unfinished OCTG produced in the PRC, Commerce preliminarily found these products to be within the scope of the order. Specifically, Commerce preliminarily found seamless unfinished OCTG manufactured in the PRC and finished in countries other than the United States and the PRC (i.e., third countries) are within the scope of the order where (a) the finishing consists of heat treatment by quenching and tempering, upsetting and threading (with integral joint), or threading and coupling; and (b) the products are made to the following specifications and grades: API specification 5CT, grades P-110, T-95 and Q-125. CBP should suspend entries of the in-scope products described above, regardless of the listed country of exportation or country of origin.

3. CBP should suspend liquidation of entries of OCTG from the PRC as described in paragraph 2 above, subject to the countervailing duty order on OCTG from PRC effective 06/20/2012, which is the date of initiation of the scope inquiry.

4. If there are any questions by the importing public regarding this message, please contact the Call Center for the Office of AD/CVD Operations, Import Administration, International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce at (202) 482-0984. CBP ports should submit their inquiries through authorized CBP channels only. (This message was generated by O7:PE.)

5. There are no restrictions on the release of this information.

Michael B. Walsh