The week in regulations: Reimagining education and underground mines

Kevin Warsh is President Trump’s nominee for the next Federal Reserve chairman. The Fed held interest rates steady at its most recent FOMC meeting. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from organ procurement to flying drones.

 On to the data:

• Agencies issued 44 new regulations last week.
• This is equivalent to one new regulation every three hours and 49 minutes.
• Agencies have issued 221 final regulations so far in 2026.
• At this pace, agencies will issue 2,763 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 40 new proposed regulations last week.
• With 113 proposed regulations so far in 2026, agencies are on pace to issue 1,413 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 488 notices last week.
• With 2,763 notices so far in 2026, agencies are on pace to issue 20,588 notices this year.
• For comparison, there were 19,820 notices in 2025, 25,506 in 2024, and 22,902 in 2023.
• There were 1,396 Federal Register pages last week.
• With 4,425 pages so far, the 2026 Federal Register is on pace for 55,313 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 221 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 three final regulations last week meeting the broader definition of “significant.”
• So far this year, 20 new final regulations meet the broader definition of “significant.” This is on pace for 250 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, 48 new regulations affect small businesses, on pace for 600. Two of them are significant, on pace for 25 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:

• Partial rescission of subsidence controls for underground mines.
• And for siltation structures.
• And for backfilling and grading surface mines.
• General reclamation requirements for mines.
• Reflectors on freight trains.
• State Department bans on what it calls “gender ideology.”
• And on “discriminatory equity ideology.”
• The FCC continues to remove obsolete regulations.
• Here is a second batch from the FCC.
• FCC rules for using wireless handsets as hearing aids.
• Income thresholds for legal assistance from the Legal Services Corporation.
• The Gordie Howe International Bridge is now a port of entry into the Unites States.
• Don’t misuse the FDIC’s logo.
• Small business subsidies.
• HHS is inflation-adjusting its civil penalties.
• Oil and gas resources in the National Forest System.
• The Horse Protection Amendments have been postponed again.

And from last week’s proposed regulations:

• The Education Department published a proposed regulation declaring its intent to establish a negotiated rulemaking committee.
• The Veterans Affairs Department is withdrawing rules for its legal services.
• The EPA is updating its FOIA policies.
• 90-Day findings for 10 potentially endangered species.
• Site security regulations from the Land Management Bureau.
• The federal government has ideas for reimagining education.
• Pharmacy benefit manager fee disclosure.
• Diagnostic imaging interoperability standards.
• Organ procurement organization coverage.
• Revised voluntary standards for infant and cradle swings.
• Revised voluntary standards for portable hook-on chairs.
• Transporting hazardous spacecraft materials.
• Buy American requirements for personal protective equipment.
• Reopened comment period for rules for flying drones out of the operator’s line of sight.

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