The week in regulations: Deep seabed mining and recreational gulf gag

A massive flood in Texas killed at least 120 people. President Trump announced new 50 percent copper tariffs which will take effect on August 1. Pharmaceutical tariffs as high as 200 percent may be on the way. Brazilian goods will face new tariffs, even though America runs a trade surplus with Brazil. The exact tariff rate will depend on how leniently courts treat the loser of Brazil’s most recent presidential election. South Korea is also set for new tariffs, despite a trade agreement that Trump negotiated in 2018. Ditto USMCA partner Canada. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from postage prices to regional haze.

 On to the data:

• Agencies issued 30 final regulations last week, after 131 the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every five hours and 36 minutes.
• With 1,343 final regulations so far in 2025, agencies are on pace to issue 2,563 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 30 proposed regulations in the Federal Register last week, after 124 the previous week.
• With 865 proposed regulations so far in 2025, agencies are on pace to issue 1,651 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 434 notices last week, after 322 notices the previous week.
• With 10,488 notices so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 20,015 notices this year.
• For comparison, there were 25,506 notices in 2024, 22,902 in 2023, and 28,973 in 2022.
• Last week, 1,951 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 1,951 pages the previous week.
• The average Federal Register issue in 2025 contains 238 pages.
• With 31,129 pages so far, the 2025 Federal Register is on pace for 59,406 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 was one new final regulation last week meeting the broader definition of “significant,” after seven the previous week.
• So far this year, there are 74 new regulations meeting the broader definition of “significant.” This is on pace for 141 significant regulations in 2025.
• For comparison, there were 339 such regulations in 2024, 290 in 2023, and 255 in 2022.
• So far in 2025, 371 new regulations affect small businesses, on pace for 708. Seventeen of them are significant, on pace for 32.
• 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 is revising its space station fees.
• Landfill emissions in Oklahoma.
• Updates to proscribed countries for arms traffickers.
• The Energy Department is reinstating a mistakenly deleted acquisition regulation.
• Regional haze in West Virginia.
• The EPA is partially waiving its 2024 cellulosic biofuel requirement.
• Prioritized examinations at the Patent and Trademark Office.
• The EPA is revising emission standards for coke ovens, battery stacks, and coke oven batteries.
• The dwarf-flowered heartleaf is no longer on the Endangered Species List.
• The Agriculture Department is removing race- and sex-based regulations.
• Flugzeugbau gliders.
• The Farm Service Agency is announcing its Supplemental Disaster Relief Program.
• Marine mammal casualties resulting from rocky intertidal monitoring surveys off the Oregon and California coasts.
• Global terrorism sanctions.
• The FCC’s information collection policies for the Connect America Fund.
• Recreational gulf gag harvesting.
• The Federal Retirement Thrift Board is correcting some administrative errors.
  

And from last week’s proposed regulations:

•  The Small Business Administration is removing obsolete rules for licensing small business investment companies.
• The Labor Department is withdrawing a recent proposal to eliminate submiminum wages for certain workers.
• Telephone access charges.
• Deep seabed mining.
• Administrative False Claims Act regulations at the Federal Labor Relations Authority.
• The FCC’s national television multiple ownership rule.
• A correction to recent safety rule for liquid-burning flares.
• Enhanced supplementary leverage ratios for systemically important financial firms.
• Postage prices.
• Medicare payments for prosthetics.
• Goodrich cabin attendant seats.
• Revised critical habitat for the Southern California steelhead.

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