Three Federal Agencies Set September 10 Comment Deadlines on Privacy, Wildlife, and Nuclear Rules

FMCSA Customer Relationship Records System

The Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has published notice of a proposed new Privacy Act system of records titled "DOT/FMCSA 016, Customer Relationship Records (CRR)." The system is designed to enable the agency to receive, respond to, and refer customer inquiries regarding agency services, with contacts arriving via a toll-free number (1-800-832-5660), email, or chat. The notice states that the system will be effective immediately upon publication, while the routine uses will take effect September 10, 2026 — also the deadline for public comments.

According to the notice, the system creates a unique Customer Contact Record for each customer, available to all FMCSA authorized users, and includes all inquiry responses to facilitate consistency across engagements and to limit what the document terms "answer shopping." The document explains that answer shopping can cause inconsistent responses and increase time to answer, which is why the activity should be limited within the contact center. Records are maintained in a FedRAMP-authorized third-party cloud environment — specifically the Amazon Web Services (AWS) GovCloud East region — with contracts maintained by U.S. DOT at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. The system manager is the FMCSA Office of Registration at the same address.

The notice identifies six operational purposes for the system: executing regulatory oversight for registration, licensing, and financial responsibility under 49 U.S.C. Chapter 139; facilitating constituent engagement for motor carriers, drivers, and the public; coordinating inter-agency enforcement and safety initiatives with federal, state, and local partners; maintaining administrative records under 49 U.S.C. 504; supporting data-driven safety programs by analyzing interaction trends; and providing administrative quality control, performance monitoring, and management improvement at the FMCSA contact center. The agency notes it has provided a report of this system of records to the Office of Management and Budget and to Congress, as required by 5 U.S.C. 552a(r). DOT may publish an amended Systems of Records Notice taking into account any comments received.

FWS Proposed Incidental Harassment Authorization, Unalaska Harbor

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is proposing to authorize incidental take by harassment of small numbers of Southwest Alaska stock northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni) in connection with pile driving and marine construction at the Robert Storrs Harbor in Unalaska, Alaska. The authorization, if finalized, would cover both Level A harassment (acts with the potential to injure a marine mammal) and Level B harassment (acts with the potential to disturb behavioral patterns including migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, feeding, or sheltering), for a period of up to 1 year from the date of issuance.

The request was submitted on June 25, 2025, and was prepared by PND Engineers, Inc. on behalf of the City of Unalaska. The FWS states that under Section 101(a)(5)(D) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972, it may allow such incidental harassment if it finds that the total taking will affect only small numbers of individuals of the species or stock, will have no more than a negligible impact on the species or stock, and will not have an unmitigable adverse impact on the availability of these species or stock for subsistence use by Alaska Natives. The document explains that "negligible impact" means an impact that cannot be reasonably expected to adversely affect the species or stock through effects on annual rates of recruitment or survival.

The proposed authorization would specify permissible methods of taking, means of effecting the least practicable adverse impact on the species and its habitat, and requirements for monitoring and reporting. The FWS is inviting comments from the public, Tribes, and local, state, and federal agencies on both the proposed incidental harassment authorization and an accompanying draft environmental assessment. Comments must be received by September 10, 2026.

NRC Direct Final Rule: Regulatory Modernization

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a direct final rule amending its regulations in three areas: streamlining procedural provisions related to information withholding and post-promulgation comment periods; aligning NRC regulations with Committee Management Secretariat (CMS) Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) standards; and updating national security eligibility criteria. The rule affects 10 CFR parts 2, 7, and 10.

The document states that this action is being taken in response to Executive Order 14300, "Ordering the Reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission," signed by President Donald J. Trump on May 23, 2025. Specifically, the rule addresses Section 5 of that Executive Order, which requires the NRC to undertake a review and wholesale revision of its regulations and guidance documents. The NRC describes the action as non-controversial and states that the goal is to modernize and clarify the NRC's regulatory framework to ensure consistency with government-wide standards and improve administrative efficiency.

Because the NRC considers the rule non-controversial, it is using the direct final rule procedure. The final rule is effective October 26, 2026, unless significant adverse comments are received by September 10, 2026. The document defines a significant adverse comment as one in which the commenter explains why the rule would be inappropriate, challenges the rule's underlying premise or approach, or argues that the rule would be ineffective or unacceptable without a change. If significant adverse comments are received, the NRC will publish a document withdrawing the action and will address the comments in a subsequent final rule responding to a companion proposed rule published simultaneously in the Proposed Rules section of the Federal Register. Comments must be submitted electronically at regulations.gov, referencing Docket ID NRC-2025-1139, by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on September 10, 2026.

What to Watch

All three actions share a September 10, 2026 comment deadline. For the NRC direct final rule, that date is also the threshold for determining whether the rule proceeds to its October 26, 2026 effective date or is withdrawn for further rulemaking. For the FMCSA system of records, the routine uses become effective on that same date, though the system itself is effective upon publication. DOT has indicated it may publish an amended SORN based on comments received.

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