The week in regulations: From postal possession to foreign atomic energy

It was a four-day week due to Thanksgiving. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from postage pricing to non-endangered woodpeckers.

 On to the data:

• Agencies issued 58 final regulations last week, after 71 the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every two hours and 54 minutes.
• With 2,209 final regulations so far in 2025, agencies are on pace to issue 2,443 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 35 proposed regulations in the Federal Register last week, after 73 the previous week.
• With 1,375 proposed regulations so far in 2025, agencies are on pace to issue 1,520 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 805 notices last week, after 593 notices the previous week.
• With 17,185 notices so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 19,002 notices this year.
• For comparison, there were 25,506 notices in 2024, 22,902 in 2023, and 28,973 in 2022.
• Last week, 2,209 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 1,764 pages the previous week.
• The average Federal Register issue in 2025 contains 242 pages.
• With 55,039 pages so far, the 2025 Federal Register is on pace for 60,858 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. Rules from both categories have appeared this year.
• There are 14 3(f)(1) or economically significant regulations so far in 2025, with three in the last week.
• This is on pace for 15 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 net savings of $1.46 billion to net costs of $3.77 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 seven new final regulations last week meeting the broader definition of “significant,” after six the previous week.
• So far this year, there are 131 new regulations meeting the broader definition of “significant.” This is on pace for 145 significant regulations in 2025.
• For comparison, there were 339 such regulations in 2024, 290 in 2023, and 255 in 2022.
• So far in 2025, 554 new regulations affect small businesses, on pace for 610. Twenty-six 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:

• Medicare payments for renal disease.
• Medicare rules for hospital star ratings and various treatments.
• The National Indian Gaming Commission is withdrawing a rule on facility license notifications.
• The EPA is delegating some of its federal landfill planning authority to North Carolina and to Forsyth County.
• The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is changing some of its rules of practice and procedure.
• Extended deadline for veteran debtor waiver requests.
• Two rules for FDA medical device classification.
• Internal governance rules for the US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board.
• International Registered Mail.
• The Postal Service is discontinuing its International Surface air Lift service.
• FCC national security authorization of communications equipment.
• Surface mining.
• Assistance to foreign atomic energy activities.
• Postmarks and postal possession.
• IRS tax treatment of excise taxes on repurchased corporate stock.
• Broadcaster royalty rates.
• Farm subsidies.
• Don’t misuse the FDIC’s logo.
• Updated Medicare payment policies.
• Mine reclamation requirements.
• Rescission of some subsidence controls for underground mines.
  
  

And highlights from last week’s proposed regulations:

• Contraband wireless use in prisons.
• IP interconnection.
• Filing Insured Mail claims.
• Transparency for bank stress tests.
• Request for comments on a proposed amendment to a proposed order for reclassification of nucleic acid-based test systems for use with a corresponding approved oncology therapeutic product.
• FERC’s duty of candor.
• Authorization of certain activities at liquified natural gas plants.
• Five-year review of the Oil Pipeline Index.
• Emissions from secondary lead smelting.
• Coal combustion residual extended deadline.
• ID requirements for tax preparers.
• NHTSA requirements for event data recorders.
• Medicare updates.
• Schempp-Hirth Flugzeugbau.
• The FDA is withdrawing asbestos testing rules for talc-containing cosmetics.

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