The week in regulations: Honey taxes and airline delays

August’s job numbers were better than expected. President Trump threatened to cut off trade to all nations that export more to America than they import. Hostilities in Iran flared up again. Diesel fuel prices hit an all-time high. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from telehealth to farm loans.

 On to the data:

• Agencies issued 58 new final regulations last week.
• This is equivalent to one new final regulation every two hours and 54 minutes.
• Agencies have issued 2,060 final regulations so far in 2026.
• At this pace, agencies will issue 3,012 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 24 new proposed regulations last week.
• With 1,237 proposed regulations so far in 2026, agencies are on pace to issue 1,808 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 425 notices last week.
• With 14,283 notices so far in 2026, agencies are on pace to issue 20,882 notices this year.
• For comparison, there were 19,820 notices in 2025, 25,506 in 2024, and 22,902 in 2023.
• There were 1,326 new Federal Register pages last week.
• With 57,061 pages so far, the 2026 Federal Register is on pace to reach 82,442 pages.
• The average Federal Register issue in 2026 contains 334 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.
• 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 21 new regulations that are either 3(f)(1) or economically significant. One such regulation appeared in the previous week.
• This pace will yield 31 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 somewhere between net annual savings of $906 billion and net costs of $133 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.
• In the past week there were five final regulations last week meeting the broader definition of “significant.”
• So far this year, 155 new final regulations meet the broader definition of “significant.” This pace will yield 227 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, 441 new regulations affect small businesses, making a yearly pace of 645. Nineteen of them are significant, making a yearly pace of 28.
• 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:

• Geographic targeting of financial reporting requirements along the southwest border.
• Farm loan delivery efficiency.
• Nine species will not be added to the Endangered Species List.
• Categorizing airline delays.
• Corrected salmon specifications.
• Repeal of fossil fuel restrictions on new and renovated federal buildings.
• Accounting standards at the Federal Procurement Policy Office.
• Higher monetary thresholds for cost accounting standards from the Federal Procurement Policy Office.
• Special Postal Service barcodes for parcels mailed as Free Matter for the Blind and Other Physically Handicapped Persons.
• Charge complaint procedures from the Federal Maritime Commission.
• Rescission of production incentives for cellulosic biofuels.
• Unsafe or unsound practices at the Comptroller of the Currency and the FDIC.
• Asylum referrals.
• The Federal Railroad Administration is now allowing computer simulation refresher training for train brake systems.
• Locomotive wheel set diameters.
• Railroad discretion in sounding locomotive horns at passenger stations.
• End-of-car cushioning units for trains.
• Tax increase on honey packers and importers.

Highlights from last week’s proposed regulations:

• SEC rules for transfer agents.
• Deporting mentally ill people.
• FAA regulations for diabetes.
• Updates to the EPA’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.
• IRS rules on racial nondiscrimination in private schools.
• Special air traffic rules in the vicinity of Palm Beach, Florida.
• More disclosure requirements from US Customs.
• Riding bicycles in national parks.
• FCC rules for promoting telehealth in rural areas.

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