On February 8, the US Department of Commerce (DOC) announced that it has decided to postpone the date for its preliminary determination in the antidumping (AD) investigation on seamless carbon and alloy steel standard, line and pressure pipe from China.
The deadline for the preliminary determination has been extended by 50 days from February 23, 2010 to April 14, 2010. The deadline for the final determination will continue to be 75 days after the date of the preliminary determination, unless extended.
The petitioners in the investigation are United States Steel Corporation (US Steel), V&M Star L.P., TMK IPSCO, and United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union.
In early January, US Steel, along with other petitioning parties in ongoing antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) investigations relating to the product mentioned, made an allegation of "critical circumstances" in the proceeding. The petitioners allege that Chinese imports of seamless standard line and pressure pipe increased by more than 290 percent in the three months after the filing of the AD and CVD petitions, as compared to the three months prior to the filing.