Canadian Solar, Inc. v. United States

23 F.4th 1372
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Federal Circuit
DecidedJanuary 28, 2022
Docket21-1434
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 23 F.4th 1372 (Canadian Solar, Inc. v. United States) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Canadian Solar, Inc. v. United States, 23 F.4th 1372 (Fed. Cir. 2022).

Opinion

Case: 21-1434 Document: 42 Page: 1 Filed: 01/28/2022

United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ______________________

CANADIAN SOLAR, INC., CANADIAN SOLAR INTERNATIONAL LIMITED, CANADIAN SOLAR MANUFACTURING (LUOYANG), INC., CANADIAN SOLAR MANUFACTURING (CHANGSHU), INC., CSI CELLS CO., LTD., CSI SOLAR POWER (CHINA) INC., CSI SOLARTRONICS (CHANGSHU) CO., LTD., CSI SOLAR TECHNOLOGIES INC., CSI SOLAR MANUFACTURE INC., CSI NEW ENERGY HOLDING CO., LTD., CSI-GCL SOLAR MANUFACTURING (YANCHENG) CO., LTD., CHANGSHU TEGU NEW MATERIALS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., CHANGSHU TLIAN CO., LTD., SUZHOU SANYSOLAR MATERIALS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., CANADIAN SOLAR (USA), INC., Plaintiffs-Appellants

SUMEC HARDWARE & TOOLS CO., LTD., CHANGZHOU TRINA SOLAR ENERGY CO., LTD., TRINA SOLAR (CHANGZHOU) SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., YANCHENG TRINA SOLAR ENERGY TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., CHANGZHOU TRINA SOLAR YABANG ENERGY CO., LTD., TURPAN TRINA SOLAR ENERGY CO., LTD., HUBEI TRINA SOLAR ENERGY CO., LTD., CHANGZHOU TRINA PV RIBBON MATERIALS CO., LTD., Plaintiffs

v.

UNITED STATES, Case: 21-1434 Document: 42 Page: 2 Filed: 01/28/2022

Defendant-Appellee

SOLARWORLD AMERICAS, INC., Defendant ______________________

2021-1434 ______________________

Appeal from the United States Court of International Trade in Nos. 1:18-cv-00184-JAR, 1:18-cv-00185-JAR, 1:18-cv-00186-JAR, 1:18-cv-00187-JAR, Senior Judge Jane A. Restani. ______________________

Decided: January 28, 2022 ______________________

SARAH WYSS, Mowry & Grimson, PLLC, Washington, DC, argued for plaintiffs-appellants. Also represented by BRYAN CENKO, JILL CRAMER, JEFFREY S. GRIMSON, WENHUI JI, KRISTIN HEIM MOWRY.

JUSTIN REINHART MILLER, International Trade Field Office, Civil Division, United States Department of Justice, New York, NY, argued for defendant-appellee. Also repre- sented by BRIAN M. BOYNTON, JEANNE DAVIDSON, TARA K. HOGAN; PAUL KEITH, Office of the Chief Counsel for Trade Enforcement & Compliance, United States Department of Commerce, Washington, DC. ______________________

Before MOORE, Chief Judge, CLEVENGER and CHEN, Circuit Judges. CHEN, Circuit Judge. Case: 21-1434 Document: 42 Page: 3 Filed: 01/28/2022

CANADIAN SOLAR, INC. v. US 3

Appellants Canadian Solar, Inc. et al. 1 (collectively, Ca- nadian Solar) are producers and exporters of certain crys- talline silicon photovoltaic cells. These photovoltaic cells were imported into the United States from the People’s Re- public of China, and the United States Department of Com- merce (Commerce), after an investigation, issued an order imposing a duty to counteract subsidies Canadian Solar re- ceived from the government of China. During its fourth administrative review of that coun- tervailing duty order, Commerce determined on remand that Canadian Solar received regionally specific electricity subsidies subject to countervailing duties under 19 U.S.C. § 1677(5A)(D)(iv). Final Results of Redetermination Pur- suant to Court Remand at 14–19, Canadian Solar Inc. v. United States, No. 18-00184 (Ct. Int’l Trade June 26, 2020), ECF No. 95-1 (Remand Redetermination). To reach this conclusion, Commerce identified electricity price variation across the different provinces and applied adverse facts available—due to the central government of China’s failure to cooperate in Commerce’s investigation—to conclude that the central government sets variable electricity pricing that is region-specific for development purposes. See id. at 19. The Court of International Trade (CIT) sustained Commerce’s Remand Redetermination. Canadian Solar

1 In addition to Canadian Solar, Inc., Appellants in- clude Canadian Solar International Ltd., Canadian Solar Manufacturing (Luoyang), Inc., Canadian Solar Manufac- turing (Changshu), Inc., CSI Cells Co., Ltd., CSI Solar Power (China) Inc., CSI Solartronics (Changshu) Co., Ltd., CSI Solar Technologies Inc., CSI Solar Manufacture Inc., CSI New Energy Holding Co., Ltd., CSI-GCL Solar Manu- facturing (Yancheng) Co., Ltd., Changshu Tegu New Mate- rials Technology Co., Ltd., Changshu Tlian Co., Ltd., Suzhou Sanysolar Materials Technology Co., Ltd., and Ca- nadian Solar (USA), Inc. Case: 21-1434 Document: 42 Page: 4 Filed: 01/28/2022

Inc. v. United States, No. 18-00184, slip op. 20-149, 2020 WL 6129754 (Ct. Int’l Trade Oct. 19, 2020) (Canadian So- lar II). For the reasons stated herein, we affirm. BACKGROUND A Commerce is required to impose a countervailing duty on imported merchandise when it “determines that the government of a country or any public entity within the ter- ritory of a country is providing, directly or indirectly, a countervailable subsidy.” 19 U.S.C. § 1671(a)(1). A sub- sidy is countervailable when it is “specific.” Id. § 1677(5)(A). One type of specific subsidy is a subsidy “lim- ited to an enterprise or industry located within a desig- nated geographical region within the jurisdiction of the authority providing the subsidy.” Id. § 1677(5A)(D)(iv). Such a subsidy is referred to as a regionally specific sub- sidy. If, during investigation or review of a countervailing duty order, Commerce determines that (a) “necessary in- formation is not available on the record” or (b) “an inter- ested party or any other person . . . withholds information that has been requested by [Commerce],” “fails to provide such information by the deadlines . . . or in the form and manner requested,” “significantly impedes a proceeding,” or “provides such information but the information cannot be verified,” Commerce must use “facts otherwise availa- ble.” 19 U.S.C. § 1677e(a); see also Changzhou Trina Solar Energy Co. v. United States, 975 F.3d 1318, 1327 (Fed. Cir. 2020). If Commerce further “finds that an interested party has failed to cooperate by not acting to the best of its ability to comply with a request for information,” then Commerce “may use an inference that is adverse to the interests of that party in selecting from among the facts otherwise available.” 19 U.S.C. § 1677e(b). To reach an adverse in- ference, Commerce can rely on information from the peti- tion, a final determination in the investigation, prior Case: 21-1434 Document: 42 Page: 5 Filed: 01/28/2022

CANADIAN SOLAR, INC. v. US 5

administrative reviews, or “any other information placed on the record.” 19 U.S.C. § 1677e(b)(2); see also 19 C.F.R. § 351.308(c); Gallant Ocean (Thai.) Co. v. United States, 602 F.3d 1319, 1321 (Fed. Cir. 2010). B On February 13, 2017, Commerce initiated the fourth administrative review of the countervailing duty order at issue. See Initiation of Antidumping and Countervailing Duty Admin. Revs., 82 Fed. Reg. 10,457, 10,457, 10,462 (Dep’t Commerce Feb. 13, 2017). The order imposed duties on crystalline silicon photovoltaic cells manufactured in China and imported into the United States. As part of its review, Commerce initiated an investigation and selected Canadian Solar as one of the mandatory respondents. Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells, Whether or Not As- sembled Into Modules, From China: Preliminary Results of Countervailing Duty Admin.

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23 F.4th 1372, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/canadian-solar-inc-v-united-states-cafc-2022.