This week in ridiculous regulations: Clothes dryers and nuclear reactors

It was a slow week for the Federal Register and a busy week for everything else. President Trump announced 25 percent blanket tariffs against Canada and Mexico (10 percent on Canadian energy), then postponed them until March. Ten percent tariffs against China, announced at the same time, are already in effect. China is retaliating with its own tariffs and an antitrust investigation of Google. Trump announced a desire to take over Gaza, in addition to previous desires to take over Greenland, the Panama Canal, and Canada. He issued an Executive Order to create a sovereign wealth fund, which would have the government invest in private businesses such as TikTok. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from hedge funds to housing subsidies.

 On to the data:

• Agencies issued 29 final regulations last week, after 28 the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every five hours and 48 minutes.
• With 306 final regulations so far in 2025, agencies are on pace to issue 3,060 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 12 proposed regulations in the Federal Register last week, after 11 the previous week.
• With 162 proposed regulations so far in 2025, agencies are on pace to issue 1,620 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 216 notices last week, after 268 notices the previous week.
• With 2,051 notices so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 20,510 notices this year.
• For comparison, there were 25,506 notices in 2024, 22,902 in 2023, and 28,932 in 2022.
• Last week, 425 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 577 pages the previous week.
• The average Federal Register issue in 2025 contains 545 pages.
• With 9,179 pages so far, the 2025 Federal Register is on pace for 91,790 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 two 3(f)1 or economically significant regulations so far in 2025, with none in the last week.
• This is on pace for 20 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 cost an estimated $870 million.
• 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 was one new final regulation meeting the broader definition of “significant” last week, after three the previous week.
• So far this year, there are 36 new regulations meeting the broader definition of “significant.” This is on pace for 360 significant regulations in 2025.
• For comparison, there were 339 such regulations in 2024, 290 in 2023, and 255 in 2022.
• So far in 2025, 79 new regulations affect small businesses, on pace for 790. Six of them are significant, on pace for 60.
• 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 EPA is delaying two recent regulations.
• Energy conservation tests for residential and commercial clothes washers and consumer clothes dryers.
• And for general service lamps.
• And for central air conditioners and heat pumps.
• Oblique airplane seats.
• Reporting requirements for hedge fund advisers.
• Spent nuclear fuel casks.
• HHS rules for Privacy Act implementation.
• HUD is delaying updates to one of its housing subsidy programs.
• A drawbridge schedule in Okeechobee, Florida.

And from last week’s proposed regulations:

• Optional 5-digit/3-igit/ADC sortation from the Postal Service.
• Gulfstream jet speed protection for dives.
• Spent nuclear fuel casks.
• Draft regulatory guide for high temperature nuclear reactors.

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