17-3-3659 U.S. Purchasers' Questionnaire

OMB No. 3117-0016/USITC No. 17-1-3659; Expiration Date: 6/30/2017
(No response is required if currently valid OMB control number is not displayed)

LOST SALES AND LOST REVENUE SURVEY
BIODIESEL FROM ARGENTINA AND INDONESIA
This survey must be received by the Commission by APRIL 10, 2017
See last page for filing instructions.
The information called for in this survey is for use by the United States International Trade Commission in connection
with its countervailing duty and antidumping investigations concerning biodiesel from Argentina and Indonesia (Inv. Nos.
701-TA-571-572 and 731-TA-1347-1348 (Preliminary)). The information requested in the survey is requested under the
authority of the Tariff Act of 1930, title VII. This report is mandatory and failure to reply as directed can result in a
subpoena or other order to compel the submission of records or information in your possession (19 U.S.C. § 1333(a)).
Further information on this survey can be obtained from Michele Breaux (202-205-2781, Michele.breaux@usitc.gov).

Name of firm
Address
City

State

Zip Code

Website
Has your firm purchased biodiesel (as defined on next page) at any time since January 1, 2014?

NO

(Sign the certification below and promptly return only this page of the survey to the Commission)

YES

(Complete all parts of the survey, and return the entire survey to the Commission)

Return questionnaire via the U.S. International Trade Commission Drop Box by clicking on the
following link: https://dropbox.usitc.gov/oinv/. (PIN: BIOD)
CERTIFICATION
I certify that the information herein supplied in this survey is complete and correct to the best of my knowledge and belief and
understand that the information submitted is subject to audit and verification by the Commission. By submitting this certification I
also grant consent for the Commission, and its employees and contract personnel, to use the information provided in this survey
and throughout this proceeding in any other import-injury proceedings conducted by the Commission on the same or similar
merchandise.
I, the undersigned, acknowledge that information submitted in response to this request for information and throughout this
investigation or other proceeding may be disclosed to and used: (i) by the Commission, its employees and Offices, and contract
personnel (a) for developing or maintaining the records of this or a related proceeding, or (b) in internal investigations, audits,
reviews, and evaluations relating to the programs, personnel, and operations of the Commission including under 5 U.S.C.
Appendix 3; or (ii) by U.S. government employees and contract personnel, solely for cybersecurity purposes. I understand that all
contract personnel will sign appropriate nondisclosure agreements.
Name of Authorized Official

Title of Authorized Official

Date

Signature

Phone

Email address

Business Proprietary
Lost Sales and Lost Revenue Survey- Biodiesel (Preliminary)

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GENERAL INFORMATION
Background. --This proceeding was instituted in response to a petition filed on March 23, 2017, by
National Biodiesel Board Fair Trade Coalition (Washington, DC) and its individual members.
Countervailing and/or antidumping duties may be assessed on the subject imports as a result of these
proceedings if the Commission makes an affirmative determination of injury, threat, or material
retardation, and if the U.S. Department of Commerce (“Commerce”) makes an affirmative
determination of subsidization and/or dumping. Questionnaires and other information pertinent to this
proceeding are available at
https://www.usitc.gov/investigations/701731/2017/biodiesel_argentina_and_indonesia/preliminary.htm
Biodiesel covered by these investigations is a fuel comprised of monoalkyl esters of long chain fatty
acids derived from vegetable oils or animal fats, including waste oils or greases, and other biologically
based oil or fat sources. This includes biodiesel in pure form (“B100”) as well as fuel mixtures containing
at least 99 percent biodiesel by volume (“B99”). For fuel mixtures containing less than 99 percent
biodiesel by volume, only the biodiesel component of the mixture is covered by the scope of the
petitions. 1
Biodiesel covered by these investigations is currently imported primarily under subheadings 3826.00.10
and 3826.00.30 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). The HTSUS provisions
are for convenience and customs purposes.
Reporting of information.-- If information is not readily available from your records, provide carefully
prepared estimates.
Confidentiality.--The data furnished in response to this survey that reveal the individual operations of
your firm will be treated as confidential by the Commission to the extent that such data are not
otherwise available to the public and will not be disclosed except as may be required by law (see 19
U.S.C. 1677f). Such confidential information will not be published in a manner that will reveal the
individual operations of your firm; however, general characterizations of numerical business proprietary
information (such as discussion of trends) will be treated as confidential business information only at the
request of the submitter for good cause shown.
Release of information.--The information provided by your firm in response to this survey, as well as
any other business proprietary information submitted by your firm to the Commission in connection
with this proceeding, may become subject to, and released under, the administrative protective order
provisions of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. § 1677f) and section 207.7 of the Commission’s Rules of
Practice and Procedure (19 CFR § 207.7). This means that certain lawyers and other authorized
individuals may temporarily be given access to the information for use in connection with this
proceeding or other import-injury proceedings conducted by the Commission on the same or similar
merchandise; those individuals would be subject to severe penalties if the information were divulged to
unauthorized individuals. Please also retain a copy of the final document that you submit.
Biodiesel is generally produced to American Society for Testing and Materials International (“ASTM”) D6751
specifications, but it can also be made to other specifications. Biodiesel commonly has one of the following
Chemical Abstracts Service (“CAS”) numbers, generally depending upon the feedstock used: 67784-80-9 (soybean
oil methyl esters); 91051-34- 2 (palm oil methyl esters); 91051-32-0 (palm kernel oil methyl esters); 73891-99-3
(rapeseed oil methyl esters); 61788-61-2 (tallow methyl esters); 68990-52-3 (vegetable oil methyl esters); 12982816-6 (canola oil methyl esters); 67762-26-9 (unsaturated alkylcarboxylic acid methyl ester); or 68937-84-8 (fatty
acids, Cl2-C18, methyl ester).
1

Business Proprietary
Lost Sales and Lost Revenue Survey- Biodiesel (Preliminary)

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Contact information.--Please identify the responsible individual and the manner by which Commission
staff may contact that individual regarding the confidential information submitted in this survey. This
may or may not be the person whose signature is at the bottom of page 1.
Name
Title
Email
Telephone
PURCHASE INFORMATION
1. Purchases.—Report your firm’s total U.S. purchases of biodiesel. Estimates are acceptable.
2014
Item

2015

2016

Quantity (in gallons)

Purchases of biodiesel produced in-United States
Argentina
Indonesia
All other countries:1
Sources unknown
Total purchases
1

0

0

Please identify these countries:

2. Changes in purchasing patterns.--Please indicate how the shares of your firm’s purchases of
biodiesel from different sources have changed since January 1, 2014.
Source of purchases
United States

Argentina

Indonesia

All other countries

Sources unknown

Did not
purchase

Decreased Increased

Constant

Fluctuated

Explanation for trend

0

Business Proprietary
Lost Sales and Lost Revenue Survey- Biodiesel (Preliminary)

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3. Major purchasing factors.--Please list, in order of their importance, the main factors your firm
considers in deciding from whom to purchase biodiesel.
1.
2.
3.
Please list any other factors that are very important in your purchase decisions:

4. Purchasing subject imports rather than domestic products.—
(a)

Since January 2014, did your firm purchase imports of biodiesel from Argentina and/or
Indonesia instead of U.S.-produced biodiesel? Respond for each subject country.

Source

Yes
(also respond to parts (b) and (c))

No
(If “No” for all countries, skip to next
question)

Argentina
Indonesia
(b)

If you responded “Yes” to part (a), was the imported product priced lower than the
domestic product?
Source

Yes

No

Argentina
Indonesia
(c)

If you responded “Yes” to part (a), was price a primary reason for purchasing subject
imports rather than domestic product?

Source

Argentina
Indonesia

Yes

If Yes, estimate the quantity
of imports purchased instead
of domestic product since
January 2014
(in gallons)

No

If No, please indicate the
reason your firm purchased
imports instead of domestic
product

Business Proprietary
Lost Sales and Lost Revenue Survey- Biodiesel (Preliminary)
5.

Page 5

U.S. producers and import competition.—
(a)

Since January 1, 2014, in connection with a sale or offer to sell biodiesel to your firm, did
U.S. producers reduce their prices of domestically produced biodiesel in order to
compete with lower-priced imports of biodiesel from the subject countries? Respond
for each subject country.
Source

Yes (also respond to
question part (b))

No (If “No” for all countries,
skip to next question)

Don’t know

Argentina
Indonesia
(b)

If your firm responded “yes” to any of the above countries, please provide an estimate
of the reduction in U.S. producers’ prices, and any additional explanations, such as
timing (e.g., months/years), frequency of price reductions, or other market/competitive
factors.

Source

Estimated
reduction in U.S.
prices
(percent)

Argentina

%

Indonesia

%

Additional explanation, including such information as
timing (e.g., months/years), frequency of price
reductions, or other market/competitive factors

6. Method of purchase--Please provide a general description of your firm’s method(s) of purchase
(e.g., individual purchase, contract, bids, Internet purchases, etc.) for biodiesel.

7. Other explanations--Please provide any additional comments in this box.

Business Proprietary
Lost Sales and Lost Revenue Survey- Biodiesel (Preliminary)

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OMB INFORMATION
8. OMB statistics.--Please report the actual number of hours required and the cost to your firm of
completing this survey.
Hours

Dollars

The questions in this survey have been reviewed with market participants to ensure that issues of
concern are adequately addressed and that data requests are sufficient, meaningful, and as limited
as possible. Public reporting burden for this survey is estimated to average 4 hours per response,
including the time for reviewing instructions, gathering data, and completing and reviewing the
survey.
We welcome comments regarding the accuracy of this burden estimate, suggestions for reducing
the burden, and any suggestions for improving this survey. Please attach such comments to your
response or send to the Office of Investigations, USITC, 500 E St. SW, Washington, DC 20436.

HOW TO FILE YOUR SURVEY RESPONSE
Please do not attempt to modify the format or permissions of the survey document.
Please submit the completed survey using one of the methods noted below. If your firm
is unable to complete the MS Word survey or cannot use one of the electronic methods
of submission, please contact the Commission for further instructions.
• Upload via Secure Drop Box.—Upload the MS Word questionnaire along with a scanned copy of the
signed certification page (page 1) through the Commission’s secure upload facility:
Web address: https://dropbox.usitc.gov/oinv/

Pin: BIOD

• E-mail.—E-mail the MS Word survey to Michele.breaux@usitc.gov; include a scanned copy of the
signed certification page (page 1). Submitters are strongly encouraged to encrypt nonpublic documents
that are electronically transmitted to the Commission to protect your sensitive information from
unauthorized disclosure. The USITC secure drop-box system and the Electronic Document Information
System (EDIS) use Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-2 cryptographic algorithms to
encrypt data in transit. Submitting your nonpublic documents by a means that does not use these
encryption algorithms (such as by email) may subject your firm’s nonpublic information to unauthorized
disclosure during transmission. If you choose a non-encrypted method of electronic transmission, the
Commission warns you that the risk of such possible unauthorized disclosure is assumed by you and not
by the Commission.
If your firm did not purchase this product, please fill out page 1, print, sign, and submit a scanned copy
to the Commission.