This week in ridiculous regulations: Gag harvests and helium contracts

Populist Republicans got rid of Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy. In a classic bit of political strategy, they did not have a replacement in mind. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from research misconduct to furnace fans.

 On to the data:

• Agencies issued 81 final regulations last week, after 70 the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every two hours and 4 minutes.
• With 2,363 final regulations so far in 2023, agencies are on pace to issue 3,061 final regulations this year.
• For comparison, there were 3,168 new final regulations in 2022, and 3,257 new final regulations in 2021.
• Agencies issued 58 proposed regulations in the Federal Register last week, after 59 the previous week.
• With 1,669 proposed regulations so far in 2023, agencies are on pace to issue 2,262 proposed regulations this year.
• For comparison, there were 2,044 new proposed regulations in 2022, and 2,094 in 2021.
• Agencies published 593 notices last week, after 786 notices the previous week.
• With 17,783 notices so far in 2023, agencies are on pace to issue 23,035 notices this year.
• For comparison, there were 22,505 notices in 2022, and 20,018 in 2021.
• Last week, 2,254 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 2,035 pages the previous week.
• The average Federal Register issue in 2023 contains 360 pages.
• With 69,871 pages so far, the 2023 Federal Register is on pace for 90,506 pages.
• For comparison, the 2022 Federal Register totals 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 are called “economically significant” if they have costs of $100 million or more in a given year. This recently changed to $200 million. There are 18 such rules so far in 2023, none in the last week.
• This is on pace for 23 economically significant regulations in 2023.
• For comparison, there were 43 economically significant rules in 2022, and 26 in 2021. The higher threshold will likely lower this year’s number.
• The total estimated cost of 2023’s economically significant regulations so far ranges from $83.87 billion to $85.99 billion, according to numbers self-reported by agencies.
• For comparison, the running cost tally for 2022’s economically significant rules ranges from net costs of $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 seven regulations meeting the broader definition of “significant” last week, after 11 the previous week.
• So far this year, there are 217 new regulations meeting the broader definition of “significant.” This is on pace for 281 significant regulations in 2023.
• For comparison, there were 255 such new regulations in 2022, and 387 in 2021.
• So far in 2023, 625 new regulations affect small businesses, on pace for 810. Sixty of them are significant, on pace for 78.
• For comparison, in 2022 there were 912 rules affecting small businesses, 70 of them significant. 2021’s totals were 912 rules affecting small businesses, 101 of them significant.

Highlights from last week’s new final regulations:

• IRS fees for tax preparers.
• Inflation Reduction Act renewable energy regulations for the Outer Continental Shelf.
• Safety zone for a naval ship parade and Blue Angels airshow in San Francisco.
• Gag harvests.
• The SEC has updated is EDGAR filer manual.
• The Education Department is extending its grant periods for rehabilitation long-term training grants.
• The Education Department is extending its grant periods for innovative rehabilitation training grants.
• Helium contracts.
• Towing vessel firefighting training.
• Approved spent nuclear fuel storage casks.
• Publication, coordination, and reporting of international agreements.
• Air quality in New Jersey.
• The FCC’s Affordable Connectivity Program.
• The American lobster fishery.
• Almond marketing.
• Accounting and reporting treatment of certain renewable energy assets.
• Supply chain security rules for federal acquisitions.
• Whistleblower protection for federal contractor employees.
• The Small Business Administration is sunsetting its Community Advantage Pilot Program.
• Centers of Expertise and Excellence in U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
• Redefining bona fide cotton spot markets.
• The Small Business Administration is starting another loan program.
• Make that two new loan programs.
• HHS is inflation-adjusting its civil penalties.
• New energy conservation standards for commercial water heating equipment.

And from last week’s proposed regulations:

• Regulatory framework for fusion systems.
• Non-prescription, over-the-counter preventive items and services.
• Volatile organic liquid storage vessels.
• Royalties for music played at businesses.
• Unaccompanied Children Program foundational rule.
• Energy conservation standards for metal halide lamp fixtures.
• Forest Service law enforcement criminal prohibitions.
• Merchant mariner credentialing fee exemptions.
• Protests of federal acquisition orders set aside for small businesses.
• Threatened species status for the short-tailed snake.
• Threatened species status for the southwestern pond turtle and the northwestern pond turtle.
• Marine mammal casualties from U.S. Nacy training exercises.
• Standardizing cybersecurity requirements for unclassified federal information systems.
• Medical device regulations for lab-developed tests.
• Cyber threat reporting requirements for federal contractors.
• Flammability of airplane parts.
• Temporary fee reductions for recreation residence permits from the U.S. Forest Service.
• Dolphin and wahoo fisheries.
• Updated flood plain rules.
• Calculating petroleum-equivalent fuel economy.
• Excise taxes on drugs.
• Expanding the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.
• Certificate of Loss of Nationality fees.
• OMB guidance for grants and agreements.
• Extended comment period for proposed manufactured housing rules.
• Assessments for U.S. Department of Energy laboratories.
• HHS policies for research misconduct.
• Energy conservation standards for consumer furnace fans.

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