The week in regulations: Steel tariff inclusions and policies for arresting journalists

The 2025 edition of Wayne Crews’s Ten Thousand Commandments is out now. The economy shrank 0.3 percent in the first quarter of 2025 as damage from tariffs began to show. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from aircraft registration secrecy to responsive federal executives.

 On to the data:

• Agencies issued 28 final regulations last week, after 25 the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every six hours.
• With 747 final regulations so far in 2025, agencies are on pace to issue 2,223 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 19 proposed regulations in the Federal Register last week, after 23 the previous week.
• With 413 proposed regulations so far in 2025, agencies are on pace to issue 1,229 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 405 notices last week, after 375 notices the previous week.
• With 6,391 notices so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 19,021 notices this year.
• For comparison, there were 25,506 notices in 2024, 22,902 in 2023, and 28,932 in 2022.
• Last week, 1,396 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 871 pages the previous week.
• The average Federal Register issue in 2025 contains 225 pages.
• With 18,909 pages so far, the 2025 Federal Register is on pace for 56,277 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 three 3(f)1 or economically significant regulations so far in 2025, with none in the last week.
• This is on pace for nine 3(f)(1) or economically significant regulations in 2025.
• For comparison, there were 20 3(f) 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 $1.87 billion to $22.57 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 $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 none the previous week.
• So far this year, there are 56 new regulations meeting the broader definition of “significant.” This is on pace for 167 significant regulations in 2025.
• For comparison, there were 339 such regulations in 2024, 290 in 2023, and 255 in 2022.
• So far in 2025, 240 new regulations affect small businesses, on pace for 714. Fourteen of them are significant, on pace for 42.
• 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. In 2022 there were 912 regulations affecting small businesses, 70 of them significant.

Highlights from last week’s new final regulations:

• The inclusion process for Section 232 (national security-related) steel and aluminum tariffs.
• Annual emission inventory and fees for Kansas.
• Central planning for regional electrical transmission and cost allocation.
• Two airworthiness rules for Bell Textron Canada Limited helicopters.
• The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is withdrawing its Policy Statement on the Treatment of Environmental Justice Matters.
• Maine scallop management.
• Television broadcasts in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico.
• Wireless spectrum for space launches.
• FCC procedures for selecting space launch frequency coordinators.
• The Justice Department’s policy regarding questioning, arresting, or charging journalists.

And from last week’s proposed regulations:

• The National Association of Broadcasters is petitioning the FCC to reconsider a rule on mid-band spectrum.
• The EPA is proposing to remove nitrogen oxide emission regulations for Missouri.
• Dyson is petitioning the Energy Department to revoke energy conservation rules for air cleaner products.
• Updated Medicare rules for skilled nursing facilities.
• And for inpatient rehabilitation facilities.
• And for hospice care.
• And for inpatient psychiatric facilities.
• And for acute care hospitals.
• Withholding certain aircraft registration information from the public.
• The Postal Service proposed new mailing standards.
• Assuring responsive and accountable federal executive management.

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