The week in regulations: Nuclear coolant and medical food

President Trump’s Liberation Day tariffs are set to take effect on August 7 for countries he did not strike deals with. He is also ending the de minimis tariff exemption altogether. GDP grew faster than expected in the second quarter, but there is some trouble underneath the surface. The Federal Reserve held interest steady. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from small business subsidies to ozone noncompliance.

 On to the data:

• Agencies issued 41 final regulations last week, after 49 the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every four hours and six minutes.
• With 1,507 final regulations so far in 2025, agencies are on pace to issue 2,580 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 23 proposed regulations in the Federal Register last week, after 34 the previous week.
• With 952 proposed regulations so far in 2025, agencies are on pace to issue 1,630 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 444 notices last week, after 433 notices the previous week.
• With 11,774 notices so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 20,161 notices this year.
• For comparison, there were 25,506 notices in 2024, 22,902 in 2023, and 28,973 in 2022.
• Last week, 986 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 1,217 pages the previous week.
• The average Federal Register issue in 2025 contains 249 pages.
• With 36,372 pages so far, the 2025 Federal Register is on pace for 62,281 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 three 3(f)(1) or economically significant regulations so far in 2025, with none in the last week.
• This is on pace for six 3(f)(1) or economically significant regulations in 2025.
• For comparison, there were 20 3(f)(1) 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 have estimated costs ranging from $1.87 billion to $22.57 billion.
• 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 from $45.28 billion to $78.05 billion. The exact numbers depend on discount rates and other assumptions.
• There were no new final regulations last week meeting the broader definition of “significant,” after one the previous week.
• So far this year, there are 76 new regulations meeting the broader definition of “significant.” This is on pace for 130 significant regulations in 2025.
• For comparison, there were 339 such regulations in 2024, 290 in 2023, and 255 in 2022.
• So far in 2025, 401 new regulations affect small businesses, on pace for 687. Seventeen of them are significant, on pace for 29.
• 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.

Highlights from last week’s new final regulations:

• Regulatory hearings before the FDA.
• Education Department project funding.
• Nuclear Regulatory Commission fees.
• Reliability standards for frequency and voltage protection settings and ride-through for inverter-based resources.
• The EPA is extending deadlines for a 2024 regulation on oil and gas sector emissions.
• Revised spectrum-sharing rules for satellites.
• Updating the Veterans Affairs Department’s 81-month rule for dependents’ education assistance.
• EPA rules for ozone noncompliance by the Shinnecock Indian Nation.
• Dornier Luftfahrt airplanes.
• A Coast Guard safety zone around the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland.
• Drilling permits.
• Regulations for intermittent energy.
• Onshore oil and gas leasing.
• General oil and gas leasing.
• Revised stipulations and information notices for oil and gas leasing.
• Coal royalties.
• Removing regulations for sulphur operations.
  
  

And from last week’s proposed regulations:

• The EPA is reconsidering its endangerment finding about carbon dioxide emissions.
• The EPA is holding a public meeting about its endangerment finding.
• Loss-of-coolant regulations for nuclear plants.
• Voluntary adoption of new dosage standards from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
• Housing subsidies.
• FDIC regulatory thresholds.
• EPA rules for vehicle inspections in Rhode Island.
• Food additives for medical food.
• Big plans for small businesses.
• A food additive petition for animal food.
• Waiver or recovery of Veterans Affairs Department overpayments.

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