The week in regulations: Resettling refugees and sea otter casualties

TSA lines reached their longest-ever wait times, bolstering the case for privatizing airport security. President Trump’s signature will appear on US currency starting later this year. The Iran war entered its fifth week. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from renamed melanoma detectors to the definition of a ski area.

On to the data:

• Agencies issued 43 new regulations last week.
• This is equivalent to one new regulation every three hours and 55 minutes.
• Agencies have issued 596 final regulations so far in 2026.
• At this pace, agencies will issue 2,525 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 37 new proposed regulations last week.
• With 404 proposed regulations so far in 2026, agencies are on pace to issue 1,712 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 376 notices last week.
• With 4,899 notices so far in 2026, agencies are on pace to issue 20,758 notices this year.
• For comparison, there were 19,820 notices in 2025, 25,506 in 2024, and 22,902 in 2023.
• There were 1,815 Federal Register pages last week.
• With 15,518 pages so far, the 2026 Federal Register is on pace for 65,754 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 263 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 six 3(f)(1) or economically significant regulations so far in 2026, with one in the last week.
• This is on pace for 25 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.
• The estimated combined cost of 2026’s 3(f)(1) or economically significant rules ranges from net savings of $909 billion to net savings of $101 billion.
• For context, the cost tally for 2025’s 3(f)(1) or economically significant regulations ranged from net costs of $219 million to $1.64 billion. 2024’s estimate is net savings of $16.42 billion to $26.45 billion. The exact numbers depend on discount rates and other assumptions.
• There was one final regulation last week meeting the broader definition of “significant.”
• So far this year, 55 new final regulations meet the broader definition of “significant.” This is on pace for 233 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, 141 new regulations affect small businesses, on pace for 597. Ten of them are significant, on pace for 46 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, 106 of them significant.

Highlights from last week’s new final regulations:

• The definition of a ski area.
• Resettling refugees.
• Sea otter casualties during specified activities.
• Sablefish quotas.
• Renamed melanoma detectors.
• Delayed effective date for spirulina extract food coloring certification exemption.
• Beetroot red effective date delay.
• New viticultural area in Tennessee.
• New viticultural area in Massachusetts.
• Electric quarterly reports to FERC.
• Electronic signature standards for health care claims.
• The SEC and CFTC are applying federal securities laws to certain types of crypto assets.
• The definition of “minor child” for certain labor paperwork.
• Schedule I status for 3-methoxyphencyclidine.

And from last week’s proposed regulations:

• Reclassification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis cell-mediated immunity tests and immune response enzyme-immunospot tests.
• Wages for foreign nationals.
• Stopping at railroad crossings.
• Emergency response for people being repatriated from the United States.
• Reducing bureaucracy and burden for Native American programs.
• User fees for tax preparers who use PTINs.
• Third-party servicing of indirect car loans.
• Permitting reform at the Surface Transportation Board.
• Postal Service fees for overweight and oversize items.
• Establishment size definitions from the Food Safety and Inspection Service.
• A new viticultural area in Vermont.
• FCC rules for Internet Protocol networks.
• Breeding female dogs.
• Critical habitat for 22 species in the Northen Mariana Islands and Guam.
• Allowed and prohibited substances for organic crops and livestock.
• Scrap tire pile cleanups.

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