This Week in Federal Regulations — 2026-07-13

TITLE: Weekly Reg Digest — FAA Grounds Boeing Fleet Fixes, FDA Eyes Distributed Manufacturing Rules, FERC Docket Overload (Week of 2026-07-13)

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Transportation Department

The FAA's new airworthiness directive for Boeing airplanes is the headline compliance item this week, forcing operators to act on a safety-critical fix under a tight implementation window.

• 2026-14090 issues a new Airworthiness Directive for Boeing Company airplanes, touching 14 CFR Part 39; operators should check applicability and compliance timelines immediately as this is a final Rule, not a proposal.
• 2026-14071 issues PHMSA guidance to strengthen Distribution Integrity Management Programs under pipeline safety rules (49 CFR Part 192); utilities should review documentation and leak-management practices against the updated guidance.
• 2026-14070 opens an information-collection notice tied to pipeline safety reporting — a heads-up for gas distribution operators ahead of renewed PRA burden-hour estimates.

Energy Department (FERC)

FERC published a heavy slate of pipeline and hydro-project notices this week, with the Northern Natural Gas scoping notice for the Permian Basin Expansion Project standing out for its environmental-review implications.

• 2026-14082 opens the scoping comment period on Northern Natural Gas Company's proposed Permian Basin Expansion Project, inviting public input on environmental issues before FERC proceeds.
• 2026-14081 establishes an intervention deadline for Steel Reef Pipelines US LLC's pending application — stakeholders wishing to formally participate must act before the cutoff.
• 2026-14080 approves the traditional licensing process for Molitor, LLC's hydropower project and opens the pre-application document for review.
• 2026-14079 covers an onsite environmental review for the Rockies Express/Cheyenne Connector/East Cheyenne Gas Storage system, part of ongoing FERC environmental compliance oversight.
• 2026-14083 solicits comments, motions to intervene, and protests on Duke Energy Carolinas' request for a temporary variance.
• 2026-14078 grants a waiver of water quality certification to Oswego Hydro Partners, LP, clearing a procedural hurdle for that project.
• 2026-14077 and 2026-14076 are routine FERC filings — a Western Area Power Administration notice of filing and Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line's request for an extension of time, respectively.
• 2026-14075 renews the FERC-521 information collection request, a standard PRA extension with no substantive rule change.

Homeland Security Department

DHS's most notable action is a new insider-threat reporting collection, reflecting continued agency focus on internal security data gathering.

• 2026-14074 launches OMB review of a new "Insider Threat Incident Reporting Tool" information collection — component agencies handling personnel security should watch for downstream reporting obligations.
• 2026-14072 establishes a safety zone on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal (33 CFR), restricting vessel traffic for a defined period; mariners operating in that corridor should note the restriction.

Health and Human Services Department

FDA's proposed rule on distributed manufacturing is the most consequential HHS item, potentially reshaping registration obligations for decentralized drug production.

• 2026-14073 proposes new drug establishment registration and listing requirements specifically for distributed manufacturing arrangements and certain foreign establishments (21 CFR Part 207); manufacturers using decentralized or multi-site production models should prepare comments before the deadline.

Other Agencies

• 2026-14084 (Veterans Affairs) implements Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act updates to Loan Guaranty penalty amounts (38 CFR), a routine but mandatory inflation-indexing action.
• C1-2026-13078 (Education Department) reopens comment on the Foreign Gifts and Contracts Disclosures information collection, relevant to universities and institutions reporting foreign funding under Section 117.
• 2026-14069 (Commerce Department) issues preliminary results and partial rescission in the antidumping duty administrative review of Carbon and Alloy Steel Threaded Rod from India (2024–2025) — importers should assess duty-rate exposure.
• 2026-14086 (OMB) requests comments on proposed 2027 updates to the NAICS classification system under Statistical Policy Directive No. 8 — businesses tracking industry codes for federal reporting should weigh in.
• 2026-14068 (NARA) announces the Office of Government Information Services Annual Meeting — informational only, no compliance action required.