The week in regulations: Shellfish inclusion and paper manifest sunsets

The labor force shrank by 92,000 jobs in January. Oil prices spiked. Twenty-two state attorneys general filed a lawsuit against President Trump’s Section 122 tariffs. Seven American soldiers died in the Iran war. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was fired after her Senate testimony. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from issuing stablecoins to right whale strikes.

 On to the data:

• Agencies issued 57 new regulations last week.
• This is equivalent to one new regulation every two hours and 57 minutes.
• Agencies have issued 465 final regulations so far in 2026.
• At this pace, agencies will issue 2,642 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 35 new proposed regulations last week.
• With 307 proposed regulations so far in 2026, agencies are on pace to issue 1,744 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 389 notices last week.
• With 3,650 notices so far in 2026, agencies are on pace to issue 20,739 notices this year.
• For comparison, there were 19,820 notices in 2025, 25,506 in 2024, and 22,902 in 2023.
• There were 1,149 Federal Register pages last week.
• With 11,126 pages so far, the 2026 Federal Register is on pace for 63,216 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 253 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 2026, with none in the last week.
• This is on pace for 23 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 $908 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 were four final regulations last week meeting the broader definition of “significant.”
• So far this year, 46 new final regulations meet the broader definition of “significant.” This is on pace for 261 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, 108 new regulations affect small businesses, on pace for 614. Nine of them are significant, on pace for 51 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:

• Age discrimination in federal property management contracts.
• The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is updating its FOIA policies.
• The Energy Department is rescinding nondiscrimination rules for programs it funds.
• It is also rescinding race-based rules for awarding contracts.
• And gender-based rules for educational programs it funds.
• And for nondiscrimination in general.
• HUD is removing Renewal Communities designation regulations.
• The Farm Credit Administration is removing nondiscrimination rules for lending.
• Drug barcodes.
• NHTSA’s Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.
• Schempp-Hirth Flugzeugbau gliders.
• Transportation Department rules for substance abuse.
• Farmer Bridge Assistance.
• The Defense Department’s Merit Systems Protection Board.
• Home loan subsidy data.
• Community bank licensing.
• The Holding Foreign Insiders Accountable Act.
• Offshore downhole commingling.
• The Cotton Board is withdrawing a rule adjusting its tax on cotton producers.
• The DEA is declaring several new Schedule I controlled substances.
• Venezuela sanctions.
• Belarus sanctions.
• More Belarus sanctions.
• Russia sanctions.
• More Russia sanctions.
• Yet more Russia sanctions.
• Still more Russia sanctions.
• Even more Russia sanctions.
• National bank chartering.

And from last week’s proposed regulations:

• HHS is rescinding some rules for LGBT children.
• Shellfish are included in the Fish and Wildlife Service’s definition of “cephalopod.”
• IRS treatment of digital payments by brokers.
• DOJ rules for how it handles complaints against its own attorneys.
• Reduction-in-force regulations from the Personnel Management Office.
• Paper manifest sunset rule.
• EPA emission standards for marine tank vessel loading operations.
• Amending the right whale vessel strike rule.
• The National Credit Union Administration is reviewing its regulations to identify outdated, unnecessary, or unduly burdensome rules.
• Rules for issuing stablecoins.
• Pharmacy benefit manager fee disclosure.

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