This week in ridiculous regulations: NEPA and refrigerators

President Trump delayed some tariffs against Canada and Mexico, but let others take effect. He also enacted a sixth round of tariffs against China and threatened tariffs against Russia. Stock markets reeled from the uncertainty. So far, the labor market is holding up, though few tariffs took effect in February, and other economic indicators are less sanguine. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from cod stocks to radioactive job sites.

 On to the data:

• Agencies issued 45 final regulations last week, after 33 the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every three hours and 44 minutes.
• With 458 final regulations so far in 2025, agencies are on pace to issue 2,602 final regulations this year.
• For comparison, there were 3,248 final regulations in 2024, 3,018 in 2023, and 3,168 in 2022.
• Agencies issued 20 proposed regulations in the Federal Register last week, after 13 the previous week.
• With 220 proposed regulations so far in 2025, agencies are on pace to issue 1,250 proposed regulations this year.
• For comparison, there were 1,769 proposed regulations in 2024, 2,102 proposed regulations in 2023, and 2,044 in 2022.
• Agencies published 315 notices last week, after 332 notices the previous week.
• With 3,112 notices so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 17,682 notices this year.
• For comparison, there were 25,506 notices in 2024, 22,902 in 2023, and 28,932 in 2022.
• Last week, 570 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 564 pages the previous week.
• The average Federal Register issue in 2025 contains 263 pages.
• With 11,584 pages so far, the 2025 Federal Register is on pace for 65,818 pages.
• For comparison, the 2024 Federal Register has an all-time record 107,261 pages. The 2023 edition has 90,402 pages, and the 2022 Federal Register has 80,756 pages.
• Rules with $200 million or more of economic effects in at least one year qualify as major under Section 3(f)(1). This replaced the former economically significant tag for $100 million-plus regulations.
• However, the $100 million economically significant tag is now revived under a Trump Executive Order, and the $200 million 3(f)(1) tag is going away. We will likely see rules from both categories this year.
• There are two 3(f)1 or economically significant regulations so far in 2025, with none in the last week.
• This is on pace for 11 3(f)(1) or economically significant regulations in 2025.
• For comparison, there were 20 3(f) significant regulations in 2024, 28 3(f)(1) and/or economically significant regulations in 2023, and 43 economically significant rules in 2022. Note that these are not apples-to-apples comparisons, since 3(f)(1) and economically significant rules have different thresholds.
• This year’s section 3(f)(1) and economically significant regulations cost an estimated $870 million.
• For context, the cost tally for 2024’s 3(f)(1) significant regulations is net savings of $16.42 billion to 26.45 billion. 2023’s 3(f)(1) and/or economically significant regulations estimated costs range from $62.60 billion to 90.48 billion. Cost estimates for 2022’s economically significant rules range $45.28 billion to $78.05 billion. The exact numbers depend on discount rates and other assumptions.
• There was one new final regulation meeting the broader definition of “significant” last week, after two the previous week.
• So far this year, there are 45 new regulations meeting the broader definition of “significant.” This is on pace for 256 significant regulations in 2025.
• For comparison, there were 339 such regulations in 2024, 290 in 2023, and 255 in 2022.
• So far in 2025, 132 new regulations affect small businesses, on pace for 750. Seven of them are significant, on pace for 40.
• For comparison, in 2024 there were 770 regulations affecting small businesses, 76 of them significant. In 2023 there were 789 regulations affecting small businesses, 79 of them significant. In 2022 there were 912 regulations affecting small businesses, 70 of them significant.

Highlights from last week’s new final regulations:

• Cross-state air pollution involving South Carolina.
• Delayed energy conservation standards for commercial refrigerators, freezers, and refrigerator-freezers.
• Delayed energy conservation standards for compressors.
• Spectrum allocation for private space launches.
• Removal of NEPA regulations.
• Broadband Serviceable Location Fabric.
• Schempp-Hirth Flugzeugbau gliders.
• Buy America requirements from the Federal Highway Administration.
• Vehicle Safety Act whistleblower provisions.
• Bus rollovers.
• HHS rules for adhering to the Administrative Procedure Act.
• A Farm Credit Administration statement on regulatory burdens.

And from last week’s proposed regulations:

• Extended comment period for a CFPB regulation on identity theft and coerced debt.
• Moving radioactive material around a temporary jobsite.
• Atlantic cod stocks.
• Extended comment period on a CFPB rule on data brokers.
• The EPA is reopening a comment period for a regulation regarding C.I. Pigment Violet 29.
• The National Suicide Hotline.

For more data, see Ten Thousand Commandments and follow @10KC and @RegoftheDay on Twitter. See also CEI’s Agenda for Congress.