Federal Register Roundup: Trade, Marine Mammals, Civil Rights Portal, and Agency Surveys

Commerce Finds Preliminary Dumping of Spanish Steel Wire Strand

The U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration has preliminarily determined that Global Special Steel Products S.A.U. (doing business as Trenzas y Cables de Acero PSC, S.L., or TYCSA) made sales of prestressed concrete steel wire strand (PC strand) from Spain at less than normal value during the period of review, which runs from June 1, 2024, through May 31, 2025. The preliminary weighted-average dumping margin for TYCSA is 13.57 percent.

The notice explains that the administrative review was initiated on July 25, 2025, based on timely requests for review, in accordance with 19 CFR 351.221(c)(1)(i), and a questionnaire was issued to TYCSA on August 8, 2025. The underlying antidumping duty order on PC strand from Spain was published on June 4, 2021. The document notes that Commerce tolled all deadlines in administrative proceedings by 47 days on November 14, 2025, due to a lapse in appropriations and a Federal Government shutdown, and then tolled all deadlines by an additional 21 days on November 24, 2025, to address a backlog of documents filed electronically during the shutdown. Commerce subsequently extended the preliminary results by 31 days on April 24, 2026, and by a further eight days on June 3, 2026, to no later than June 17, 2026. Commerce states it intends to disclose its calculations and analysis to interested parties within five days of any public announcement or, if there is no public announcement, within five days of the date of publication. Commerce is conducting the review in accordance with section 751(a) of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended; export price and constructed export price are calculated under section 772 of the Act, and normal value under section 773. Interested parties are invited to comment on the preliminary results.

NMFS Issues Marine Mammal Harassment Authorization for Alaska Dock Repair

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has issued an incidental harassment authorization (IHA) to Coeur Alaska, Inc. (Coeur) for the Kensington Dock Repair Project in Berners Bay, Alaska. The authorization is effective for one year from the date of notification by the IHA-holder, not to exceed one year from the date of issuance on June 16, 2026.

The document explains that the Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits the take of marine mammals, with certain exceptions, including section 101(a)(5)(D), which directs NMFS to allow, upon request, the incidental but not intentional taking by harassment of small numbers of marine mammals by U.S. citizens engaged in a specified activity within a specified geographical region, provided certain findings are made and the public has an opportunity to comment. NMFS states it determined that the taking will have a negligible impact on the relevant species or stocks and will not have an unmitigable adverse impact on availability for subsistence uses. A notice of the proposed IHA was published in the Federal Register on April 29, 2026 (91 FR 23065); two comment letters from Coeur were received during the public comment period, both supporting issuance, and no new information became available that would substantively change any preliminary analyses. Among the species authorized for incidental take are the humpback whale — specifically the Mexico distinct population segment (Mexico-North Pacific stock, ESA-listed as threatened) and the Western North Pacific distinct population segment (Western North Pacific stock, ESA-listed as endangered) — and the Steller sea lion (Western distinct population segment, Western stock, ESA-listed as endangered). NMFS determined that the action qualifies for a categorical exclusion from further NEPA review, consistent with Categorical Exclusion B4 (IHAs with no anticipated serious injury or mortality).

Justice Department Seeks Comment on Civil Rights Reporting Portal Collection

The Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division is submitting a reinstatement of a previously approved information collection — the Reporting Portal for Civil Rights Violations — to the Office of Management and Budget for review and approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Public comments will be accepted for 60 days until August 21, 2026.

The notice states that the Civil Rights Division enforces the nation's federal civil rights statutes and that members of the public play a critical role in this effort by reporting violations. The portal, the document explains, is designed to facilitate and enhance individual complainants' reporting opportunities through a streamlined online system. The collection is authorized by 18 U.S.C. 245 (Federally Protected Activities) and 18 U.S.C. 241 and 242 (Official Misconduct). The obligation to respond is voluntary. The document estimates the total number of respondents at 159,036, with a time per response of 6 minutes, yielding total annual burden hours of 15,903 hours and a total annual cost burden of $566,000.

FTC Seeks Comment on Generic Clearance for Consumer Behavior Surveys

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is seeking public comment on a proposed generic clearance for information collection using voluntary surveys titled "Generic Clearance for Information Collection Using Voluntary Surveys for Studies Conducted by the Federal Trade Commission Bureau of Economics to Support the FTC's Missions to Protect Consumers and Competition." Comments must be filed by July 22, 2026.

The document states that understanding consumers' perceptions and behaviors plays an important role in improving the FTC's regulatory decision-making processes and communications. The notice explains that information will be collected through one-on-one telephone, internet, or in-person interviews, online focus groups, individual interviews, self-administered online surveys, or online or in-person economics experiments, depending on the target audience and research needs. The FTC states the research would not be conducted specifically for the purposes of making policy or regulatory decisions or for allocating or redirecting significant resources, but that the Bureau of Economics will use such studies to test communications and social and behavioral methods about consumer behavior and beliefs in ways that increase understanding of the economic effects of regulation and of business practices that may be inflicting harm on consumers. As one example, the notice states the FTC intends to use this clearance to survey American consumers about their experiences of fraud in the marketplace. The FTC projects about 10 social and behavioral studies annually under this clearance, with estimated annual burden hours of 10,000 hours.

What to Watch

• July 22, 2026 — Deadline for public comments on the FTC's proposed generic clearance for consumer behavior surveys.
• August 21, 2026 — Deadline for public comments on the DOJ Civil Rights Division's Reporting Portal for Civil Rights Violations information collection.
• June 24, 2026, 10:00 a.m. — The National Credit Union Administration holds an open board meeting in Alexandria, VA, to receive briefings on a regulatory update, the Share Insurance Fund Quarterly Report, and the 2026 Mid-Year Budget Update.