The week in regulations: Coachella air quality and yogurt vitamins

The Federal Register, which tracks daily regulatory activity, has become less transparent. Jobs numbers for August were disappointing and actually shrank in June for the first time since 2021. The Trump administration appealed its IEEPA tariffs court case defeat to the Supreme Court. It is also changing the Department of Defense’s name back to the Department of War. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from Ironman safety to mining claims.

 On to the data:

• Agencies issued 47 final regulations last week, after 61 the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every three hours and 34 minutes.
• With 1,760 final regulations so far in 2025, agencies are on pace to issue 2,588 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 28 proposed regulations in the Federal Register last week, after 28 the previous week.
• With 1,114 proposed regulations so far in 2025, agencies are on pace to issue 1,638 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 329 notices last week, after 397 notices the previous week.
• With 13,687 notices so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 20,128 notices this year.
• For comparison, there were 25,506 notices in 2024, 22,902 in 2023, and 28,973 in 2022.
• Last week, 823 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 1,027 pages the previous week.
• The average Federal Register issue in 2025 contains 254 pages.
• With 43,133 pages so far, the 2025 Federal Register is on pace for 63,431 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 five 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 $1.81 billion to $22.51 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 two new final regulations last week meeting the broader definition of “significant,” after two the previous week.
• So far this year, there are 82 new regulations meeting the broader definition of “significant.” This is on pace for 121 significant regulations in 2025.
• For comparison, there were 339 such regulations in 2024, 290 in 2023, and 255 in 2022.
• So far in 2025, 415 new regulations affect small businesses, on pace for 665. Seventeen of them are significant, on pace for 27. Due to transparency problems at FederalRegister.gov, this statistic can no longer be tracked. It was current as of August 15, 2024.
• 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 Industry and Security Bureau is revoking validated end-user authorization in the People’s Republic of China.
• The Homeland Security Department issued a rule ratifying a department action.
• The Employment and Training Administration is rescinding Workforce Investment Act regulations.
• The Land Management Bureau is rescinding regulations for mining claim payments.
• And for mining claim operation plans.
• And is revising regulations for locating, recording, and maintaining mining claims.
• The EPA is removing the affirmative defense for national emissions standards for polyether polyol production.
• Relaxing export controls for Syria.
• FAA falsification regulations.
• Hydrogen peroxide.
• The EPA is withdrawing Clean Water Act rules for meat and poultry.
• BEA regulations for a forthcoming survey of new direct foreign investment.
• The FCC is scrapping price controls for business data services.
• Housing subsidies for Native Americans.
• The EPA is withdrawing a rule for coal combustion at power plants.
• Medicare payments for hospice wages.
• Vitamin D3 in yogurt.
• Hazardous waste in Massachusetts.
• Coachella air quality.
• Ironman safety zone in Hawaii.
• Licensing fees from the Surface Transportation Board.
• The Next Generation standard for over-the-air television broadcasts.
• Immigration enforcement.
  

And from last week’s proposed regulations:

• Coal combustion residual permits in Wyoming.
• FCC rules for communication disruptions.
• Transportation Department drug testing rules.
• Public input on manufactured housing energy conservation standards.
• Food additives for animal use.
• The FCC wants to scrap price controls on business data services.
• Five species will not be added to the Endangered Species List.
• Labor regulations for Vietnam veterans.
• Great Lakes pilotage rates for 2026.

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