NRC Seeks OMB Renewal on Three Info Collections; USDA, NMFS Issue Fishery and Lumber Rules

NMFS Closes Aleutian Islands "Other Rockfish" Retention

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued a temporary closure prohibiting retention of "other rockfish" in the Aleutian Islands subarea of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) management area, effective 1200 hours Alaska local time September 21, 2026, through 2400 hours Alaska local time December 31, 2026. The action was triggered because the 2026 "other rockfish" total allowable catch (TAC) of 415 metric tons in the Aleutian Islands subarea of the BSAI will soon be or has been reached, as established by the final 2026 and 2027 harvest specifications for groundfish in the BSAI (91 FR 11750, March 10, 2026).

The closure requires that "other rockfish" in the Aleutian Islands subarea be treated in the same manner as a prohibited species, as described under 50 CFR § 679.21(a), for the remainder of the year — with one exception: "other rockfish" species caught by catcher vessels using hook-and-line, pot, or jig gear, as described under § 679.20(j), remain exempt. NMFS manages the BSAI groundfish fishery under the Fishery Management Plan for Groundfish of the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands Management Area, prepared by the North Pacific Fishery Management Council under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. The agency waived prior notice-and-comment, citing the impracticality of delay: the most recent relevant data on total "other rockfish" catch in the Aleutian Islands subarea only became available as of September 18, 2026, and delay would have prevented NMFS from responding to that data in a timely fashion.

USDA Finalizes Softwood Lumber Assessment Rate Clarification

The Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service issued a final rule amending the Softwood Lumber Research, Promotion, Consumer Education and Industry Information Order (7 CFR part 1217), effective October 22, 2026. The rule clarifies the assessment rate for softwood lumber imported into the United States and revises the membership of the Softwood Lumber Board (SLB).

The assessment rate on softwood lumber is $0.41 per thousand board feet (MBF) for both domestically manufactured and imported softwood lumber. The clarification addresses a longstanding measurement discrepancy: North American lumber is traditionally sized by "nominal" dimensions — the thickness and width of a board when first cut, before drying and planing — while lumber from European countries is often measured by its "net" size, meaning actual dimensions after processing. According to the Board, this difference is significant: a 2-inch by 4-inch nominal board with a volume of 8 inches has an actual or net size of 1½-inch by 3½-inch, representing a volume of 5¼ inches, a difference of 2.75 inches. Because assessments calculated with net size result in lower payments, the Board determined this has created an imbalance in assessment obligations between North American, European, and other importing countries.

Assessments from importers are collected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection when lumber enters the country. The unit of measurement used for most imported softwood lumber is cubic meters, with a small amount imported in square meters. The SLB unanimously recommended these changes at a public meeting on March 12, 2025. The program is authorized by the Commodity Promotion, Research, and Information Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7411–7425).

NRC Information Collection Renewals: Three Separate Actions

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is simultaneously pursuing renewal of three separate information collections submitted to OMB, each tied to a distinct aspect of NRC operations.

NRC Form 974 — Privacy Act Complaints: The NRC submitted a request for renewal of NRC Form 974, "Privacy Act Complaints, Concerns or Questions Form" (OMB approval number 3150-0262), to OMB for review as an extension. The form is used by the public on occasion to submit privacy-related complaints, concerns, or questions. The NRC estimates 12 annual responses from 12 annual respondents. A 60-day comment period was previously published on May 14, 2026 (91 FR 27378); written comments on the renewed OMB submission are due by October 22, 2026.

Notice of Enforcement Discretion (NOED): The NRC also submitted for renewal the information collection entitled "Notice of Enforcement Discretion (NOED) for Operating Power Reactors and Gaseous Diffusion Plants (GDP), NRC Enforcement Policy" (OMB approval number 3150-0136), also as an extension. This collection applies to licensees that voluntarily request enforcement discretion through the NOED process, on an occasional basis. A 60-day comment period on this collection was published May 14, 2026 (91 FR 27375). Comments on this OMB submission are due by October 22, 2026.

IMPEP Agreement State Programs: The NRC is separately inviting public comment — at an earlier stage in the Paperwork Reduction Act process — on the renewal of OMB approval for the collection entitled "Criteria for Guidance of States and NRC in Discontinuance of NRC Regulatory Authority and Assumption Thereof by States Through Agreement," along with Maintenance of Existing Agreement State Programs, Requests for Information Through the Integrated Materials Performance Evaluation Program (IMPEP) Questionnaire, and Agreement State Participation in IMPEP (OMB approval number 3150-0183). Unlike the first two NRC actions, this submission is classified as a revision rather than a plain extension. Comments are due by November 23, 2026, through the Federal rulemaking website under Docket ID NRC-2026-1552.

What to Watch

• September 21 – December 31, 2026: NMFS "other rockfish" retention prohibition in effect for the Aleutian Islands subarea of the BSAI (50 CFR 679).
• October 22, 2026: Effective date of the USDA final rule on softwood lumber assessment rate clarification and SLB membership revision (7 CFR 1217).
• October 22, 2026: Deadline for public comments to OMB on both the NRC Form 974 (Docket ID NRC-2026-0067) and the NOED information collection (Docket ID NRC-2026-0430) renewals.
• November 23, 2026: Deadline for public comments to the NRC on the IMPEP Agreement State Programs information collection revision (Docket ID NRC-2026-1552).

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