This week in ridiculous regulations: food hazards and powerline permits

Donald Trump was convicted of 34 felonies in his hush money case. Apparently nothing else of note happened all week, since that was the only thing news outlets saw fit to cover. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from food color fees to administrative destruction.

 On to the data:

• Agencies issued 50 final regulations last week, after 59 the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every three hours and 22 minutes.
• With 1,311 final regulations so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 3,092 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 22 proposed regulations in the Federal Register last week, after 31 the previous week.
• With 763 proposed regulations so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 1,800 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 417 notices last week, after 508 notices the previous week.
• With 9,793 notices so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 23,087 notices this year.
• For comparison, there were 22,902 notices in 2023, 22,505 in 2022, and 20,018 in 2021.
• Last week, 1,422 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 2,280 pages the previous week.
• The average Federal Register issue in 2024 contains 449 pages.
• With 47,438 pages so far, the 2024 Federal Register is on pace for 111,882 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 13 such rules so far in 2024, with none in the last week.
• This is on pace for 31 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 $17.82 billion to net savings of $22.87 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 $1992 billion. The exact numbers depend on discount rates and other assumptions.
• There were five new final regulations meeting the broader definition of “significant” last week, after two the previous week.
• So far this year, there are 171 new regulations meeting the broader definition of “significant.” This is on pace for 403 significant regulations in 2024.
• For comparison, there were 290 such regulations in 2023, 255 in 2022, and 387 in 2021.
• So far in 2024, 310 new regulations affect small businesses, on pace for 731. Thirty-three of them are significant, on pace for 78.
• 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:

• Administrative destruction.
• Updated safety standards for infant and cradle swings.
• The FTC issued a health breach notification rule.
• Venezuela sanctions.
• Cuban assets control regulations.
• Digitizing government records.
• Student loan corrections.
• Critical habitat for the Pacific marten.
• Critical habitat for jaguars.
• Powerline permits.
• Regulatory fees from the Delaware River Basin Commission.
• Cook Inlet salmon amendment correction.
• Efficient management of immigration cases.
• Regulations for pregnant workers.
• Buy America rules for defense acquisitions.
• The FDA is terminating the Science Advisory Board to the National Center for Toxicological Research.
• New FCC rules for low-power broadcasters.
• The Delaware population segment of Atlantic sturgeon is not endangered.

And from last week’s proposed regulations:

• Critical habitat for the Dixie Valley toad.
• Prevailing wages in Calhoun, Alabama.
• Regulations for the National Suicide Hotline.
• The Agriculture Marketing Service has a Greenhouse Gas Technical Assistance Provider and Third-Party Verifier Program.
• Housing subsidies.
• Possible fee increase for certifying food color additives.
• A proposed regulation for space innovation from the FCC.
• Food hazard analysis.
• Training programs for noncustodial parents.

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