This week in ridiculous regulations: Cable pricing and outer space arms trafficking

Donald Trump won a second term. The change in power might mean a second regulatory midnight rush between now and the inauguration. An initial rush earlier this year sought to avoid Congressional Review Act strikedowns of major new rules. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from oxygen cylinders to infant cushions.

 On to the data:

• Agencies issued 44 final regulations last week, after 50 the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every three hours and 49 minutes.
• With 2,694 final regulations so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 3,118 final regulations this year.
• For comparison, there were 3,018 new final regulations in 2023, 3,168 in 2022, and 3,257 in 2021.
• Agencies issued 37 proposed regulations in the Federal Register last week, after 31 the previous week.
• With 1,523 proposed regulations so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 1,763 proposed regulations this year.
• For comparison, there were 2,102 proposed regulations in 2023, 2,044 in 2022, and 2,094 in 2021.
• Agencies published 438 notices last week, after 415 notices the previous week.
• With 21,161 notices so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 24,438 notices this year.
• For comparison, there were 22,902 notices in 2023, 22,505 in 2022, and 20,492 in 2021.
• Last week, 1,407 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 1,874 pages the previous week.
• The average Federal Register issue in 2024 contains 410 pages.
• With 88,867 pages so far, the 2024 Federal Register is on pace for 102,867 pages.
• For comparison, the 2023 Federal Register totals 90,402 pages, the 2022 Federal Register has 80,756 pages, and 2021’s is 74,352 pages. The all-time record adjusted page count (subtracting skips, jumps, and blank pages) is 96,994, set in 2016.
• Rules with $200 million or more of economic effects in at least one year qualify as major under Section 3(f)(1). This replaces the former economically significant tag for $100 million-plus regulations. There are 17 such rules so far in 2024, with none in the last week.
• This is on pace for 20 3(f)(1) regulations in 2024.
• For comparison, there were 28 3(f)(1) and/or economically significant regulations in 2023, 43 economically significant rules in 2022, and 26 in 2021. Note that these are not apples-to-apples comparisons, since 3(f)(1) and economically significant rules have different thresholds.
• The total estimated cost of 2024’s 3(f)(1) major regulations ranges from net savings of $16.82 billion to net savings of $26.38 billion, per the Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs.
• For comparison, the cost tally for 2023’s 3(f)(1) major and economically significant regulations ranges from $62.60 billion to 90.48 billion. Cost estimates for 2022’s economically significant rules range $45.28 billion to $78.05 billion. In 2021, net costs ranged from $13.54 billion to $19.92 billion. The exact numbers depend on discount rates and other assumptions.
• There were three new final regulations meeting the broader definition of “significant” last week, after four the previous week.
• So far this year, there are 278 new regulations meeting the broader definition of “significant.” This is on pace for 322 significant regulations in 2024.
• For comparison, there were 290 such regulations in 2023, 255 in 2022, and 387 in 2021.
• So far in 2024, 653 new regulations affect small businesses, on pace for 752. Fifty-eight of them are significant, on pace for 67.
• For comparison, 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. 2021’s totals were 912 regulations affecting small businesses, 101 of them significant.

Highlights from last week’s new final regulations:

• Fee increase for food color certification.
• Rural utility company subsidies.
• Corrected coal combustion residual disposal.
• The EPA is inflation-adjusting its civil penalties.
• Hunting and fishing.
• Protecting human subjects.
• Catch limits for American Samoa bottomfish.
• Oxygen cylinders.
• Military real estate transactions involving foreigners.
• Realtor fees for federal employees.
• Cable and satellite tv prices.
• Implementing the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1911.
• Arms trafficking to outer space.
• Selling seized property.
• Drug and alcohol tests for transportation workers.
• Lifeline and Link Up hotlines for domestic abuse survivors.
• Vehicle inspections in Delaware.
• Infant support cushions.

And from last week’s proposed regulations:

• Almond growers will vote in a referendum from December 4-20 on terminating the federal government’s Marketing Order and associated taxes.
• Veteran debt waivers.
• Phone charges for federal inmates.
• New safety standards for water beads.
• Coal combustion residual disposal.
• Energy conservation standards for dishwashers, clothes washers, and clothes dryers.
• Polar bear deaths from “specified activities.”
• Energy conservation test procedures for the same.
• Enhancing surface cyber risk management.
• Arms trafficking to outer space.
• Rural rental subsidies.
• Trucker financial responsibility.
• Construction labor requirements for government lease acquisitions.

For more data, see Ten Thousand Commandments and follow @10KC and @RegoftheDay on Twitter.