The week in regulations: Homework gaps and cannabimimetic agents

At Davos, President Trump withdrew his threats to invade Greenland and tariff European countries. The Supreme Court appeared skeptical about his attempt to fire Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from seabed mining to Texas onions.

 On to the data:

• Agencies issued 56 new regulations last week.
• This is equivalent to one new regulation every three hours.
• Agencies have issued 177 final regulations so far in 2026.
• At this pace, agencies will issue 2,950 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 22 new proposed regulations last week.
• With 73 proposed regulations so far in 2026, agencies are on pace to issue 1,217 proposed regulations this year.
• For comparison, there were 1,498 proposed regulations in 2025, 1,769 in 2024, and 2,102 proposed regulations in 2023.
• Agencies issued 341 notices last week.
• With 1,159 notices so far in 2026, agencies are on pace to issue 19,317 notices this year.
• For comparison, there were 19,820 notices in 2025, 25,506 in 2024, and 22,902 in 2023.
• There were 740 Federal Register pages last week.
• With 3,025 pages so far, the 2026 Federal Register is on pace for 50,417 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 202 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 no 3(f)(1) or economically significant regulations so far in 2026.
• This is on pace for zero 3(f)(1) or economically significant regulations in 2026.
• For comparison, there were 17 3(f)(1) or economically significant regulations in 2025, 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.
• For context, the cost tally for 2025’s 3(f)(1) or economically significant regulations ranged from $16.42 billion to $26.45 billion. 2024’s estimate 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. The exact numbers depend on discount rates and other assumptions.
• There were five final regulations last week meeting the broader definition of “significant.”
• So far this year, 17 new final regulations meet the broader definition of “significant.” This is on pace for 283 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, 41 new regulations affect small businesses, on pace for 683. One of them is significant, on pace for 17 for the year.
• 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, 79 of them significant.

Highlights from last week’s new final regulations:

• NEPA implementation rules from the Tennessee Valley Authority.
• Streamlined export controls for drones.
• The FCC is withdrawing some of its homework regulations.
• Seabed mining.
• FERC is inflation-adjusting its filing fees.
• Delayed compliance date for Wagner-Peyser Act staffing rules.
• The Homeland Security Department is ratifying one of its own actions.
• Emergency alerts.
• Russia sanctions.
• More Russia sanctions.
• Still more Russia sanctions.
• Sanctions against criminal organizations.
• Travel regulations for federal employees.
• GSA rules to align managers with the administration’s deregulatory priorities.
• Cannabimimetic agents.
• Air cargo screening.
• ATF has a new house definition of “unlawful user of or addicted to controlled substance.”
• Regulations governing the Census Bureau’s official seal.
• Low power television.
• The Census Bureau issued six streamlining rules.
• It only took about a year after the fatal accident, but the FAA issued flight restrictions near Reagan Airport.

And from last week’s proposed regulations:

• Loan guarantees for veterans.
• Loss-mitigation options for loan guarantees for veterans.
• VA rules for loan guarantees for veterans.
• Worker safety in nuclear plants.
• HUD fees to cover loan guarantee credit subsidy costs.
• Regulations for vending machines in schools.
• Another Schedule I controlled substance.
• The South Texas Onion Committee is holding a meeting on February 3-4.
• Western Sugar Stipulation.

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