WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Department of Commerce has determined preliminarily there is insufficient evidence to pursue antidumping action against Indian tire makers ATC Tires Pvt. Ltd. and Balkrishna Industries Ltd. on certain pneumatic OTR tires imported into the U.S.
The ruling means Commerce will not require ATC or Balkrishna to make any deposits at this time. Commerce, however, will continue its investigation and disclose its final determination on or about Jan. 4, 2017.
Earlier, Commerce ruled that it had found evidence of OTR tire imports from India and Sri Lanka were being subsidized and therefore subject to countervailing duties.
The subsidies, however, were relatively minor: 4.7 percent for Balkrishna Industries Ltd.; 7.64 percent from ATC Tires; and 6.17 percent for all others, as well as 2.9 percent on imports Sri Lanka.
Titan Tire Corp. and the United Steelworkers union filed the antidumping petition in this matter in January. Commerce originally was to issue its ruling June 25.
The USW said it was “disappointed in the preliminary results,” stating it is still convinced that its members have suffered harm from OTR tire imports and it will be “looking to the Commerce Department to address all issues raised by (Titan and the USW) in their final to ensure that any dumping is in fact addressed and offset.”
USW President Leo Gerard said his union and Titan have raised a “number of important issues in advance of the preliminary comments. Until disclosure materials are provided to USW trade counsel, we won't know if those issues were addressed in the preliminary or not.”
The USW president explained that typically there are important factual and legal issues at this stage of the case.
Neither Titan Tire, ACT nor BKT have responded to requests for comment.
If Commerce makes an affirmative final determination, and the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) makes an affirmative final determination that imports of certain pneumatic OTR