Nucor Corp. v. U.S.
| Decision Date | 19 February 2004 |
| Docket Number | Slip Op. 04-15. Court No. 02-00612. |
| Citation | 318 F.Supp.2d 1207 |
| Parties | NUCOR CORPORATION; Bethlehem Steel Corporation; National Steel Corporation; and United States Steel Corporation, Plaintiffs, and Steel Dynamics, Inc.; Weirton Steel Corporation; and Independent Steelworkers Union, Plaintiff-Intervenors, v. UNITED STATES of America, Defendant, and AB Sandvik Steel, Aceralia Corporation Siderurgica; Arcelor International America Inc.; Arcelor Packaging International; Association of German Specialty Cold Rolled Steel Strip Producers; BHP Steel Americas, LLC; BHP Steel Ltd.; Borcelik Celik Sanayii Ticaret A.S.; Companhia Siderurgica Nacional; Companhia Suderurgica Paulista; Corus Staal BV; Corus Steel USA, Inc.; Dongbu Steel Co., Ltd.; Hyundai Hysco, Co., Ltd.; Iscor (Pty.) Ltd.; JFE Steel Corp. (Formerly Kawasaki Steel Corp. & NKK Corporation); Kobe Steel Ltd.; New Zealand Steel, Ltd.; Nippon Steel Corporation Ltd.; Nisshin Steel Company Ltd; Posco; Salzgitter AG; Sandvik Steel Company; Siderar S.A.I.C.; Siderurgica del Orinoco C.A.; Sidmar, N.V.; Sollac Atlantique; Sollac Lorraine; Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd.; Thai Cold Rolled Steel Sheet Public Co., Ltd.; Thyssen Krupp Stahl AG; Tradearbed, Inc.; and Usinas Siderúrgica de Minas Gerais, S.A., Defendant-Intervenors. |
| Court | U.S. Court of International Trade |
Lighthizer, John J. Mangan, James C. Hecht), Washington, D.C., on behalf of United States Steel Corp. and National Steel Corp.; Wiley Rein & Fielding LLP, Washington, DC (Charles Owen Verrill, Jr., Alan H. Price, Timothy C. Brightbill), Washington, D.C., on behalf of Nucor Corp., for Plaintiffs.
Schagrin Associates (Roger B. Schagrin), Washington, D.C., for Steel Dynamics, Inc., Weirton Steel Corp., and Independent Steelworkers Union, for Plaintiff-Intervenors.
Lyn M. Schlitt, General Counsel, James M. Lyons, Deputy General Counsel, Charles A. St. Charles, Attorney-Advisor, United States International Trade Commission, for Defendant.
Barnes, Richardson & Colburn (Matthew T. McGrath, Stephen W. Brophy), Washington, D.C., on behalf of Association of German Specialty Cold Rolled Steel Strip Producers; Hunton and Williams (William Silverman), Washington, D.C., on behalf of AB Sandvik Steel and Sandvik Steel Company; Kaye Scholer, LLP (Donald B. Cameron, Julie C. Mendoza, Randi Turner, Deborah Wengel Heitmann, Margaret Scicluna Rudin), Washington, D.C., on behalf of POSCO, Dongbu Steel Co., Ltd., and Hyundai HYSCO, Co., Ltd; Lafave and Sailer LLP (Arthur J. Lafave, III) Washington, D.C., on behalf of Borcelik Celik Sanayii ve Ticaret A.S.; Sharretts, Palet, Carter & Blauvelt, P.C. (Peter Jay Baskin, Gail T. Cumins), Washington, D.C., on behalf of Thyssen Krupp Stahl AG and Salzgitter AG; Shearman & Sterling (Robert S. LaRussa, Christopher M. Ryan, Thomas B. Wilner), Washington, D.C., on behalf of Sollac Atlantique, Sollace Lorraine, Arcelor Packaging International, Arcelor International America Inc., Aceralia Corporacion Siderurgica, Sidmar, N.V., and TradeArbed, Inc.; Steptoe & Johnson, LLP (Eric C. Emerson, Richard O. Cunningham, Tina Potuto Kimble), Washington, D.C., on behalf of Corus Staal BV and Corus Steel USA, Inc.; White & Case, LLP (David P. Houlihan, Richard J. Burke), Washington, D.C., on behalf of Siderurgica del Orinoco, C.A. and Siderar S.A.I.C.; Willkie, Farr & Gallagher LLP (Kenneth J. Pierce, Jocelyn C. Flynn, Robert Edward DeFrancesco) Washington, D.C., on behalf of Nippon Steel Corp., JFE Steel Corp (formerly Kawasaki Steel Corp. and NKK Corp.), Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd., Kobe Steel Ltd., Nisshin Steel Co., Ltd., Companhia Siderurgica Nacional, Companhia Siderurgica Paulista, Usinas Siderurgica de Minas Gerais, S.A., and Thai Cold Rolled Steel Sheet Public, Co., Ltd.; Wilmer Cutler Pickering LLP (Lynn M. Fischer, John D. Greenwald, Leonard M. Shambon), Washington, D.C., on behalf of BHP Steel LLC, New Zealand Steel, Ltd., and BHP Steel Americas, Ltd.; Wilmer Cutler Pickering LLP (Kristin H. Mowry, Gary N. Horlick), Washington, D.C., on behalf of Iscor (Pty.) Ltd., for Defendant-Intervenors.
In this consolidated action, Plaintiffs have filed two Rule 56.2 Motions for Judgment on the Agency Record: the first filed by Nucor Corporation ("Nucor"); the second filed jointly by Bethlehem Steel Corporation, National Steel Corporation, and United States Steel Corporation (collectively "Domestic Integrated Producers"). Plaintiffs challenge two final negative material injury determinations of the United States International Trade Commission ("ITC"): 1) Certain Cold-Rolled Steel Products from Australia, India, Japan, Sweden, and Thailand, Invs. Nos. 731-TA-965, 971-972, 979, 981 (Final), USITC Pub. 3536 (Sept.2002) ("Cold-Rolled I"); and 2) Certain Cold-Rolled Steel Products from Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, China France, Germany, Korea, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, and Venezuela, Invs. Nos. 701-TA-423-425, 731-TA-964, 966-970, 973-978, 980, 982-983 (Final), USITC Pub. 3551 (Nov.2002) ("Cold-Rolled II"). This Court has jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1581(c) (2000). For the reasons set forth below, Plaintiffs' Rule 56.2 Motions for Judgment on the Agency Record are denied. Defendant-Intervenors' consent Motion for Oral Argument is also denied.
In reviewing the ITC's final determinations, the Court will hold unlawful a determination that is "unsupported by substantial evidence on the record, or otherwise not in accordance with law." 19 U.S.C. § 1516a(b)(1)(B)(i). The ITC is entitled to appropriate deference in its interpretation of the material injury statute. See Chevron U.S.A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc., 467 U.S. 837, 844, 104 S.Ct. 2778, 81 L.Ed.2d 694 (1984). Under Chevron, the Court must determine "whether Congress has directly spoken to the precise question at issue." Id. at 842, 104 S.Ct. 2778. "If the intent of Congress is clear, that is the end of the matter; for the court, as well as the agency, must give effect to the unambiguously expressed intent of Congress." Id. at 842-843, 104 S.Ct. 2778. However, "if the statute is silent or ambiguous with respect to the specific issue, the question for the court is whether the agency's answer is based on a permissible construction of the statute." Id. at 843, 104 S.Ct. 2778 (footnote omitted). Therefore, the Court will uphold the ITC's interpretation of the statute "if it is reasonable in light of the language, policies and legislative history of the statute." Enercon GmbH v. Int'l Trade Comm'n, 151 F.3d 1376, 1381 (Fed.Cir.1998) (citing Corning Glass Works v. United States Int'l Trade Comm'n, 799 F.2d 1559, 1565 (Fed.Cir.1986)).
The Court reviews the ITC's factual findings whether various provisions of the material injury statute have been met to determine if they are supported by substantial evidence. 19 U.S.C. § 1516a(b)(1)(B)(i). Substantial evidence is "such relevant evidence as a reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion." Consol. Edison Co. v. NLRB, 305 U.S. 197, 229, 59 S.Ct. 206, 83 L.Ed. 126 (1938) (citations omitted). In determining if substantial evidence exists, the court must "review the record as a whole, including evidence that supports as well as evidence that `fairly detracts from the substantiality of the evidence.'" Nippon Steel Corp. v. United States, 337 F.3d 1373, 1379 (Fed.Cir.2003) (quoting Atl. Sugar, Ltd. v. United States, 744 F.2d 1556, 1562 (Fed.Cir.1984)). In reviewing the ITC's factual findings, the Court should not "re-weigh the evidence but rather [ ] ascertain whether there exists `such relevant evidence as a reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion.'" Chefline Corp. v. United States, 219 F.Supp.2d 1303, 1305 (CIT 2002) (quoting Consol. Edison Co., 305 U.S. at 229, 59 S.Ct. 206).
"As long as the agency's methodology and procedures are reasonable means of effectuating the statutory purpose, and there is substantial evidence in the record supporting the agency's conclusions, the court will not impose its own views as to the sufficiency of the agency's investigation or question the agency's methodology." Ceramica Regiomontana, S.A. v. United States, 636 F.Supp. 961, 966 (CIT 1986), aff'd, 810 F.2d 1137 (Fed.Cir.1987) (citations omitted).
I. Procedural History.
On September 28, 2001, several domestic producers filed petitions with the United States Department of Commerce ("Commerce") and the ITC alleging that imports of cold-rolled steel products from the twenty countries identified above were being, or were likely to be, sold in the United States at less than fair value and that imports from Argentina, Brazil, France, and Korea had received countervailable subsidies. Notice of Initiation of Antidumping Duty Investigations: Certain Cold-Rolled Carbon Steel Flat Products From Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, India, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the People's Republic of China, the Russian Federation, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, and Venezuela, 66 Fed.Reg. 54,198 (Oct. 26, 2001); Notice of Initiation of Countervailing Duty Investigations: Certain Cold-Rolled Carbon Steel Flat Products From Argentina, Brazil, France, and the Republic of Korea, 66 Fed.Reg. 54,218 (Oct. 26, 2001). The petitions alleged that these imports were a cause of material injury to the cold-rolled steel industry in the United States. Cold-Rolled I at 1; Cold-Rolled II at 1. On November 19, 2001, the ITC published its preliminary affirmative determination that there was a reasonable indication that an industry in the Untied States was materially injured or threatened with...
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