The week in regulations: Blacksmith shops and airman certificates

Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan passed away. Neither the Reflecting Pool debacle nor its algae have faded away. PCE inflation is over 4 percent, more than double the Fed’s 2 percent target. The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from hunting migratory birds to identifying stablecoin users.

On to the data:

• Agencies issued 88 new final regulations last week.
• This is equivalent to one new final regulation every three hours and 55 minutes.
• Agencies have issued 1,413 final regulations so far in 2026.
• At this pace, agencies will issue 2,895 final regulations this year.
• For comparison, there were 2,441 final regulations in 2025, 3,248 in 2024, and 3,018 in 2023.
• Agencies issued 55 new proposed regulations last week.
• With 887 proposed regulations so far in 2026, agencies are on pace to issue 1,818 proposed regulations this year.
• For comparison, there were 1,498 proposed regulations in 2025, 1,769 in 2024, and 2,102 in 2023.
• Agencies issued 461 notices last week.
• With 10,290 notices so far in 2026, agencies are on pace to issue 21,086 notices this year.
• For comparison, there were 19,820 notices in 2025, 25,506 in 2024, and 22,902 in 2023.
• There were 2,026 new Federal Register pages last week.
• With 38,989 pages so far, the 2026 Federal Register is on pace to reach 79,895 pages.
• For comparison, the 2025 Federal Register had 61,461 pages, and 2024 had an all-time record 107,261 pages. The 2023 edition had 90,402 pages.
• The average Federal Register issue in 2026 contains 320 pages.
• Rules with annual economic effects of $100 million or more in at least one year qualify as economically significant.
• During the Biden administration, this category was temporarily scrapped and replaced with a $200 million annual threshold for being called significant under Section 3(f)(1) of Executive Order 12866 as amended.
• A 2025 Trump executive order scrapped the $200 million 3(f)(1) threshold and revived the $100 million economically significant category. Because of the length of time the rulemaking process takes, rules under both thresholds are still appearing.
• So far in 2026, there are 16 new regulations that are either 3(f)(1) or economically significant. No such regulations appeared in the previous week.
• This pace will yield 33 new regulations in 2026 that are either 3(f)(1) or economically significant.
• For comparison, there were 17 new regulations in 2025 that were either 3(f)(1) or economically significant, 20 in 2024, and 28 in 2023. Note that these are not apples-to-apples comparisons, since 3(f)(1) and economically significant rules have different thresholds.
• Regulations that are new in 2026 and are either 3(f)(1) or economically significant are estimated to produce net annual savings between $132 billion and $907 billion.
• For context, 3(f)(1) or economically significant regulations in 2025 had estimated net annual costs of $219 million to $1.64 billion. The figures for 2024 are net annual savings of $16.42 billion to $26.45 billion. The exact numbers depend on discount rates and other assumptions.
• There were seven final regulations last week meeting the broader definition of “significant.”
• So far this year, 107 new final regulations meet the broader definition of “significant.” This pace will yield 219 significant final regulations in 2026.
• For comparison, there were 155 such regulations in 2025, 339 in 2024, and 290 in 2023.
• So far in 2026, 311 new regulations affect small businesses, making a yearly pace of 645. Fifteen of them are significant, making a yearly pace of 31.
• For comparison, in 2025 there were 597 regulations affecting small businesses, 30 of them significant. In 2024 there were 770 regulations affecting small businesses, 76 of them significant. In 2023 there were 789 regulations affecting small businesses, 106 of them significant.

Highlights from last week’s new final regulations:

• FCC data collection.
• Patent applications.
• Vitamin D requirements for SNAP-eligible yogurt.
• US Customs is ending the de minimis tariff exemption for all imports not arriving through the international postal network.
• A second US Customs rule takes care of that.
• Yet another Schedule I controlled substance.
• Operating limitations at LaGuardia Airport.
• And at JFK Airport.
• Cephalopods are now included in the Fish and Wildlife Service’s definition of shellfish.
• Tanker security.
• The FCC is deleting some obsolete regulations.
• Application to authorize transmitting electric energy to a foreign country.
• The EPA is removing rubber tire emission standards that were earlier rescinded under the Congressional Review Act.
• Synthetic minor permits in DC.
• Blacksmith shops.
• Flame safety lamps in mines.

And from last week’s proposed regulations:

• The FCC is modernizing its data collection.
• The Federal Housing Finance Agency is rescinding its requirements to serve underserved markets and will replace them with something else.
• The FAA is removing references to twentieth-century airman certificates.
• Modernizing nuclear security.
• Hunting migratory game birds.
• Propulsion certificates for transport airplanes.
• Sunset provisions from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
• The EPA is updating its NEPA procedures.
• Safety standards for lithium-ion batteries.
• The CFTC’s definitions of “swap” and “security-based swap.”
• Oil royalties on Indian lands.
• Federal-state cost sharing for SNAP.
• Anti-kickback rules at HHS.
• Hearing tests for longshore and harbor workers.
• The Cotton Board is decreasing its assessment rate on cotton growers.
• Increased fees for naturalization applicants.
• Customer identification program for stablecoin users.

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