The week in regulations: Import paperwork and postal possession

The 2025 Federal Register topped 40,000 pages. President Trump met with Vladimir Putin in Alaska. The Producer Price index rose at its fastest level since the post-Covid inflation. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from matador radio to threatened monitors.

 On to the data:

• Agencies issued 44 final regulations last week, after 47 the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every three hours and 49 minutes.
• With 1,598 final regulations so far in 2025, agencies are on pace to issue 2,561 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 18 proposed regulations in the Federal Register last week, after 36 the previous week.
• With 1,006 proposed regulations so far in 2025, agencies are on pace to issue 1,612 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 376 notices last week, after 402 notices the previous week.
• With 12,534 notices so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 20,087 notices this year.
• For comparison, there were 25,506 notices in 2024, 22,902 in 2023, and 28,973 in 2022.
• Last week, 1,419 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 1,227 pages the previous week.
• The average Federal Register issue in 2025 contains 257 pages.
• With 40,023 pages so far, the 2025 Federal Register is on pace for 64,139 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 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 $1.94 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 were no new final regulations last week meeting the broader definition of “significant,” after one the previous week.
• So far this year, there are 77 new regulations meeting the broader definition of “significant.” This is on pace for 123 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.
• 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:

• Reducing the size of the Board of Immigration Appeals and increasing the size of its backlog.
• Sanctions.
• Syrian sanctions.
• Marine archaeological resources.
• Offshore downhole commingling.
• Therapeutic oxygen in Gulfstream jets.
• Extended deadline for oil and natural gas sector emissions regulations.
• A correction to coral critical habitat.
• N-pyrrolidino mtonitazene and N-pyrrolidino protonitazene are temporarily Schedule I controlled substances.
• User fees for agricultural inspections.
• Matador radio.
• The Patent and Trademark Office is eliminating expedited examination of design applications.
• Filing requirements for US-bound shipments.
• The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation is removing some obsolete regulations.
• Metal recycling permit regulations.
• Offshore distribution cap changes from the Natural Resources Office.
  

And from last week’s proposed regulations:

• Marine mammal casualties from the Duckabush estuary restoration project.
• The EPA extended the comment period for its endangerment finding for greenhouse gas vehicle standards.
• Threatened species status for the Borneo earless monitor lizard.
• A correction to a recent rule modernizing the identity of pasteurized orange juice.
• Decommissioning Stage II vapor recovery systems in Rhode Island.
• Postmarks and postal possession.

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