The week in regulations: Blue food coloring and pipeline recordkeeping

The Liberation Day tariffs took effect on August 7. The president continues to announce new tariffs on pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, and more. Republicans are proposing gerrymandering congressional districts in their favor ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Democrats are responding in kind. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from school lunch reporting to breathing on trains.

 On to the data:

• Agencies issued 47 final regulations last week, after 41 the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every three hours and 34 minutes.
• With 1,554 final regulations so far in 2025, agencies are on pace to issue 2,573 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 36 proposed regulations in the Federal Register last week, after 23 the previous week.
• With 988 proposed regulations so far in 2025, agencies are on pace to issue 1,636 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 402 notices last week, after 444 notices the previous week.
• With 12,158 notices so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 20,129 notices this year.
• For comparison, there were 25,506 notices in 2024, 22,902 in 2023, and 28,973 in 2022.
• Last week, 2,227 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 986 pages the previous week.
• The average Federal Register issue in 2025 contains 256 pages.
• With 38,594 pages so far, the 2025 Federal Register is on pace for 63,897 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 four 3(f)(1) or economically significant regulations so far in 2025, with none in the last week.
• This is on pace for seven 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 $1.94 billion to $22.64 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 was one new final regulation last week meeting the broader definition of “significant,” after none the previous week.
• So far this year, there are 77 new regulations meeting the broader definition of “significant.” This is on pace for 127 significant regulations in 2025.
• For comparison, there were 339 such regulations in 2024, 290 in 2023, and 255 in 2022.
• So far in 2025, 407 new regulations affect small businesses, on pace for 674. Seventeen of them are significant, on pace for 28.
• 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:

• The FCC issued bidding rules for upcoming spectrum auctions.
• The FCC is deleting some of its old and obsolete regulations.
• The FCC is modifying its delegations of authority.
• A pilot program on new visa restrictions.
• Rescission of renewable energy leasing schedules.
• Updated Medicare rules and payments for hospice care, inpatient psychiatric care, and inpatient rehabilitation.
• NOAA issued a rule to formally change the Gulf of Mexico’s name.
• Emergency escape breathing aparati on trains.
• Preaward registration requirements for federal acquisitions.
• Updated federal acquisition compliance guide for small entities.
• Rules of acquisition for the Defense Department, NASA, and GSA.
• FCC rules for telecommunications equipment integrity and security.
• Blue food coloring.
• The DEA is giving dipentylone a specific controlled substance listing.
• The Engineer Corps is inflation-adjusting its civil penalties.
• FCC regulations for interconnection between local exchange carriers and commercial mobile radio service providers.
• Simplified reporting requirements for school lunch programs.
• New Army regulations regarding “gender ideology.”
  
  

And from last week’s proposed regulations:

• Cuts in reproductive care for veterans.
• Virginia sneezeweed is no longer an endangered species.
• Additional regulatory restrictions on visas.
• Operating drones that are not in operators’ lines of sight.
• Food traceability.
• A change in the definition of pasteurized orange juice.
• The FAA has two rules on proposals to modernize pilot schools.
• Tax treatment of employee fringe benefits.
• Pipeline recordkeeping requirements.
• The CFPB’s definition of larger participants of the consumer debt collection market.
• The CFPB’s definition of larger participants of the international money transfer market.
• The CFPB’s definition of larger participants of the automobile market.
• The CFPB’s definition of larger participants of the consumer reporting market.

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