This Week in Federal Regulations2026-W17April 26, 2026

This Week in Federal Regulations — 2026-04-26

TITLE: This Week in Federal Regulations — Fisheries quotas, O'Hare slots, and a new NRC early site permit (Apr 27, 2026)

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Commerce Department (NOAA / NMFS)

The headline item is a final rule setting 2026 catch entitlements for the Northeast Multispecies Fishery, which will drive groundfish quota allocations across New England sectors for the season.

2026-08172 is a final rule under the Magnuson-Stevens Act allocating 2026 Northeast Multispecies annual catch entitlements and noticing default specifications — touching 50 CFR Part 648 and binding sector operations across the Northeast groundfish fleet.
2026-08153 opens incidental-take authorization for marine mammals during USACE pile dike repairs at Miller Sands, Rice Island, and Cottonwood Island on the Lower Columbia River — an MMPA action under 50 CFR Part 216 of interest to West Coast dredging and habitat-restoration contractors.
The North Pacific Fishery Management Council noticed two public meetings (2026-08164, 2026-08165); stakeholders in Alaska/Bering Sea fisheries should track agendas for in-season adjustments.

Transportation Department (FAA / OST)

Most consequential: a slot-control order at Chicago O'Hare that directly constrains airline scheduling at one of the busiest U.S. hubs.

2026-08163 establishes scheduling limits at Chicago O'Hare International Airport via an OST order — a capacity action carriers must build into Summer/Fall 2026 schedule filings.
2026-08154 is an FAA proposed airworthiness directive for The Boeing Company Airplanes under 14 CFR Part 39; operators should monitor the comment window and applicability tables for affected fleets.

Energy Department / FERC

A relatively routine FERC week dominated by environmental assessments and PRA renewals, with the Transco abandonment EA the most operationally significant.

2026-08170 announces availability of the Environmental Assessment for Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line's North Padre Island Lateral Abandonment Project — a NEPA milestone for Gulf Coast pipeline decommissioning.
2026-08167 notices an EA for Ampersand Gilman Hydro LP, advancing the hydro licensing record under 18 CFR.
2026-08171 is FERC's standard Combined Notice of Filings #1, sweeping in this week's tariff and rate filings.
FERC also extended two PRA collections: 2026-08169 (FERC-73) and 2026-08168 (FERC-725B, the NERC reliability standards collection) — comment periods open for industry burden estimates.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission

2026-08155 is the most strategically important item this week for the nuclear sector: NRC noticed scoping and intent to prepare an EIS for Duke Energy Carolinas' Early Site Permit at the Belews Creek, NC site under 10 CFR Part 52 — an early signal of new nuclear siting activity in the Carolinas. Scoping comments should be a priority for utility, environmental, and state stakeholders.

Securities and Exchange Commission

A trio of PRA extensions touching cross-border and intrastate offering exemptions; no substantive rule change, but registrants relying on these exemptions should confirm current paperwork burden assumptions.

2026-08159 extends the Regulation S collection (offers and sales outside the U.S. without '33 Act registration).
2026-08158 and 2026-08157 extend the purchaser-residency representation collections under Rules 147(f)(1)(iii) and 147A(f)(1)(iii) governing intrastate offerings — relevant for issuers using state-level crowdfunding and intrastate exemptions under 17 CFR Part 230.

Federal Reserve System

Routine bank-structure notices were posted this week with no novel policy content.

2026-08162 (BHC formations, acquisitions, and mergers) and 2026-08161 (Change in Bank Control filings) open the standard public comment windows under Regulation Y (12 CFR Part 225) — counsel for affected institutions should diary the deadlines.

Veterans Affairs

2026-08166 is a PRA notice extending the VA Loan Electronic Reporting Interface (VALERI) collection and title requirements for conveyance of real property to the Secretary — relevant to VA mortgage servicers under 38 CFR Part 36, particularly servicers handling foreclosure conveyances.

Health and Human Services

HHS posted two generic PRA notices (2026-08160, 2026-08156) without identifying the underlying collection in the captured metadata; readers tracking specific HHS information collections should pull the full notices to identify the component agency and form.

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Compliance calendar highlights

NEPA scoping: Belews Creek ESP (2026-08155) and Transco North Padre Island abandonment EA (2026-08170).
Schedule-impact: O'Hare slot order (2026-08163) — feeds into airline summer scheduling.
Quota-impact: NE Multispecies 2026 ACE allocations (2026-08172) — sector operations plans should reflect default specs immediately.
Comment-period PRA renewals: FERC-73, FERC-725B, Reg S, Rules 147/147A, and VALERI — all open this week.