Nucor Corp. v. U.S.
| Citation | 594 F.Supp.2d 1320 |
| Decision Date | 23 December 2008 |
| Docket Number | Slip Op. 08-141.,No. 07-00071.,07-00071. |
| Parties | NUCOR CORP. and Steel Dynamics, Inc., Plaintiffs, and Thyssenkrupp Steel AG, Thyssenkrupp Steel N.A., Inc. and Salzgitter AG Stahl Und Technologie, Consolidated Plaintiffs, and Ak Steel Corp. and United States Steel Corp., Plaintiff-Intervenors, v. UNITED STATES, Defendants, and JFE Steel Corp.; Kobe Steel, Ltd.; Nippon Steel Corp.; Nisshin Steel Co., Ltd.; Sumitomo Metal Indus., Ltd.; Bluescope Steel Americas LLC; Bluescope Steel Ltd.; ArcelorMittal USA Inc.; and ArcelorMittal Dofasco Inc., Defendant-Intervenors. |
| Court | U.S. Court of International Trade |
Wiley Rein LLP, Washington, DC (Alan H. Price; Timothy C. Brightbill; Robert DeFrancesco), for Plaintiff, Nucor Corporation and Steel Dynamics, Inc.
King & Spalding LLP, Washington, DC (Joseph W. Dorn; Elizabeth E. Duall; Jeffrey M. Telep), for Plaintiff-Intervenor AK Steel Corporation.
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, Washington, DC (Stephen J. Narkin; Robert E. Lighthizer; John J. Mangan; James C. Hecht; Stephen P. Vaughn), for Plaintiff-Intervenor United States Steel Corporation.
Sharretts, Paley, Carter & Blauvelt, PC, Washington, DC (Gail T. Cumins; Beatrice A. Brickell; Donna L. Shira), for Consolidated Plaintiffs ThyssenKrupp Steel AG, ThyssenKrupp Steel N.A., Inc. and Salzgitter AG Stahl und Technologie.
James M. Lyons, General Counsel; Neal J. Reynolds, Assistant General Counsel Office of the General Counsel, United States International Trade Commission (June B. Brown; Andrea C. Casson; David B. Fishberg), for Defendant, United States.
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, LLP, Washington, DC (Daniel J. Plaine; J. Christopher Wood; Gracia M. Berg; Dave M. Wharwood), for Defendant-Intervenors JFE Steel Corporation, Kobe Steel, Ltd., Nippon Steel Corporation, Nisshin Steel Co., Ltd., and Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd.
Leonard M. Shambon, Esq. (Leonard M. Shambon) and Fischer Fox Global PLLC, Washington, DC (Lynn M. Fischer Fox, Esq.; Gracia M. Berg, Esq.), for Defendant-Intervenors BlueScope Steel Americas LLC and BlueScope Steel Limited.
Stewart and Stewart, Washington, DC (Terrence P. Stewart; Patrick J. McDonough; Elizabeth A. Argenti), for Defendant-Intervenor ArcelorMittal USA Inc.
Hunton & Williams LLP (William Silverman; Douglas J. Heffner; Richard P. Ferrin), for Defendant-Intervenor ArcelorMittal Dofasco Inc.
Hogan & Hartson, LLP, Washington, DC (Mark S. McConnell; Jonathan T. Stoel; Lewis E. Leibowitz), for Chrysler LLC, Ford Motor Company, General Motors Corporation, Honda of America Mfg., Inc., Honda Trading America Corporation, Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc., Nissan North America, Inc., and Toyota Motor North America, Inc. Amici Curiae.
This consolidated matter is before the Court on several motions for judgment upon the agency record brought by plaintiffs/plaintiff-intervenors Nucor Corporation ("Nucor"), Steel Dynamics, Inc. ("SDI"), AK Steel Corporation ("AK Steel") (together the "Joint Plaintiffs"), and United States Steel Corporation ("USS"), along with consolidated plaintiffs ThyssenKrupp Steel, AG, ThyssenKrupp N.A., Inc., and Salzgitter AG Stahl und Technologie (together the "German Plaintiffs") pursuant to U.S. CIT Rule 56.2.
Joint Plaintiffs, USS, and German Plaintiffs respectively challenge particular aspects of the final determination by the United States International Trade Commission ("ITC" or "Commission") in certain five-year sunset reviews pursuant to 19 U.S.C. §§ 1675(c), 1675a(a) (2000) concerning corrosion-resistant carbon steel products from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and Korea. JFE Steel Corporation, Kobe Steel, Ltd., Nippon Steel Corporation, Nisshin Steel Co., Ltd., Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd., Blue-Scope Steel Limited, BlueScope Steel Americas LLC, ArcelorMittal Dofasco Inc., and ArcelorMittal USA Inc. participated as Defendant-Intervenors in this consolidated action. Finally, Chrysler LLC, Ford Motor Company, General Motors Corporation, Honda of America Mfg., Inc., Honda Trading America Corporation, Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, Inc., Nissan North America, Inc., and Toyota Motor North America, Inc. (together, the "Auto Producers") participated as Amici Curiae in support of the ITC's determination pertaining to its decision on Australia, Canada, France and Japan.
The Court has jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1581(c) (2000) and 19 U.S.C. § 1516a(a)(2)(A)(i)(I) and (B)(iii) (2000).
This consolidated matter stems from several appeals of the ITC's second sunset review determination, for the period of review ("POR") 2000 to 2005, concerning corrosion-resistant carbon steel products ("CoRe steel" or "subject imports") from Australia, France, Japan, Germany, Korea and Canada. Certain Carbon Steel Products From Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom, Inv. Nos. AA1921-197 (2d Review); 701-TA-319,320,325-327,348, and 350 (2d Review); and 731-TA-573, 574, 576, 578, 582-587, 612, and 614-618 (2d Review), USITC Pub. No. 3899 (January 2007) (C.R. 831 or P.R. 940) ("2007 Commission Views").1
In 1993, the ITC found that unfairlytraded imports of corrosion-resistant CoRe steel from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Korea were causing material injury to the domestic industry. See Certain Flat-Rolled Carbon Steel Products from Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, USITC Pub. 2664, Inv. Nos. 701-TA-319-332,334, 336-342, 344 and 347-353 (Final) and Inv. Nos. 731-TA-573-579, 581-592, 594-597, 599-609 and 612-619 (Final) (Aug.1993) (P.R. 137) ("1993 Determination"). As a result, the Department of Commerce published countervailing duty ("CVD") orders on CoRe steel from France and Korea and antidumping duty ("ADD") orders on CoRe steel from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan and Korea. See 2007 Sunset Review Information at OVERVIEW-3 (P.R. 941).
In 2000, the ITC conducted its first five-year sunset reviews of these orders. In this first sunset review, inter alia, the ITC exercised its discretion to cumulate all subject imports together. See Certain Carbon Steel Products from Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico, The Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, and The United Kingdom, USITC Pub. 3364, Inv. Nos. AA 1921-197 (Review), 701-TA-231, 319-320, 322, 325-328, 340, 342, and 348-350 (Review), and 731-TA-573-576, 578, 582-587, 604, 607-608, 612, and 614-618 (Review) (Nov.2000) at 47 (P.R. 124) ("2000 Sunset Determinations"). The ITC also found that revocation of the ADD/CVD orders would result in the continuation or recurrence of material injury. Id. at 58. Consequently, the ADD and CVD orders continued.
On November 1, 2005, the ITC instituted a second five-year sunset review of these orders. See Certain Carbon Steel Products From Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, and United Kingdom, 70 Fed.Reg. 62,324 (Oct. 31, 2005); see also 2007 Sunset Review Information at OVERVIEW-1 (P.R. 941).
On February 6, 2006, the ITC decided to conduct full reviews pursuant to section 751(c)(5) of the Tariff Act of 1930, 19 U.S.C. § 1675(c)(5). See Certain Carbon Steel Products From Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom, 71 Fed.Reg. 8,874 (Feb. 21, 2006). All parties engaged in this lawsuit actively participated in all stages of these reviews.
On December 14, 2006, the Commission voted, and by a vote of four to two (4 to 2) determined that revocation of the orders on CoRe steel from Australia, Canada, France and Japan would not be likely to lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury to the domestic industry (i.e., a negative determination). 2007 Commission Views at 1 (P.R. 940). The ITC unanimously decided, however, that revocation of the orders on CoRe steel from Germany and Korea would be likely to lead to a continuation or recurrence of material injury to the domestic industry (i.e., an affirmative determination.) Id. The ITC also decided on a subsidiary preliminary issue, by a vote of four to two (4 to 2), to cumulate the subject imports into two groups: (i) Australia, France and Japan; and (ii) Germany and Korea. Id. at 106. With respect to Canada, the ITC decided not to cumulate Canadian CoRe steel imports with any of the subject imports from the other countries. Id. These final determinations were published in the Federal Register on January 31, 2007. Certain Carbon Steel Products From Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom, 72 Fed. Reg. 4,529 (Int'l Trade Comm'n Jan. 31, 2007) (P.R. 932) ("Final Sunset Determination").
Plaintiffs/Plaintiff-Intervenors/Consolidated Plaintiffs subsequently filed separate appeals to the U.S. Court of International Trade ("CIT") (Case Nos. 07-00071, 07-00075, 07-00076, and 07-00087), which were consolidated under this action (Consol. Case No. 07-00071) on September 7, 2007, challenging, inter alia, the following agency determinations: (1) the ITC's decision to cumulate the subject imports into two separate groups—Australia/France/Japan and Germany/Korea; (2) its negative determination with respect to CoRe steel from Australia, France & Japan; (3) its negative determination with respect to CoRe...
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