This week in ridiculous regulations: Improper CHIPS funding to pool motors

The FTC filed an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon. Sen. Dianne Feinstein passed away. The federal government almost partially shut down. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from nursing pillows to sprouts for human consumption.

 On to the data:

• Agencies issued 70 final regulations last week, after 65 the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every two hours and 48 minutes.
• With 2,282 final regulations so far in 2023, agencies are on pace to issue 3,035 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 59 proposed regulations in the Federal Register last week, after 33 the previous week.
• With 1,611 proposed regulations so far in 2023, agencies are on pace to issue 2,282 proposed regulations this year.
• For comparison, there were 2,044 new proposed regulations in 2022, and 2,094 in 2021.
• Agencies published 786 notices last week, after 435 notices the previous week.
• With 17,190 notices so far in 2023, agencies are on pace to issue 22,859 notices this year.
• For comparison, there were 22,505 notices in 2022, and 20,018 in 2021.
• Last week, 2,035 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 1,746 pages the previous week.
• The average Federal Register issue in 2023 contains 360 pages.
• With 67,616 pages so far, the 2023 Federal Register is on pace for 89,915 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, three in the last week.
• This is on pace for 24 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 11 regulations meeting the broader definition of “significant” last week, after four the previous week.
• So far this year, there are 210 new regulations meeting the broader definition of “significant.” This is on pace for 279 significant regulations in 2023.
• For comparison, there were 255 such new regulations in 2022, and 387 in 2021.
• So far in 2023, 599 new regulations affect small businesses, on pace for 797. Fifty-six of them are significant, on pace for 74.
• 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:

• Preventing the improper use of CHIPS Act funding.
• Non-competitive appointments for certain military spouses.
• Emissions from new, small nonroad spark-ignition engines.
• Cost recovery fees for mineral management.
• Licensing or approval standards for relative or kinship foster family homes.
• Energy conservation standards for pool pump motors.
• The relict darter is being upgraded from an endangered to a threatened species.
• Water quality certification improvement. This is different from water quality improvement.
• Miscellaneous and general requirements from the Federal Labor Relations Authority.
• Eligibility expansion for unpriced school lunches.
• Traceability records for certain foods.
• Venezuela sanctions.
• Energy conservation tests for commercial refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers, and freezers
• Hazardous waste management in Wyoming.
• Appeals to the Merit Systems Protection Board may now be filed electronically.
• Availability of Official Information from the Federal Labor Relations Authority.
• Nuclear license renewal criteria.
• Russian sanctions.
• The FCC’s Equipment Authorization Program.

And from last week’s proposed regulations:

• Establishing a 5G Fund for Rural America.
• Working hours for transit workers.
• Lawyers for foster care proceedings.
• Foster care placement requirements.
• Establishing parentage in the Child Support Services Program.
• Rules of practice and procedure for the Delaware River Basin Commission.
• The Consumer Product Safety Commission will not update its rules of practice for adjudicative proceedings.
• Identifying and listing hazardous waste.
• The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network has proposed reporting requirement for companies founded in 2024.
• Importing dogs from areas where African swine fever exists.
• The Virgin Islands tree boa is being upgraded from an endangered species to a threatened species.
• Prevailing wage classification systems.
• Passenger facility charges.
• A petition for rulemaking regarding the disqualification of FTC Commissioners.
• Periodic reporting from the Postal Regulatory Commission.
• Cybersecurity labeling for the Internet of Things.
• The FCC is accepting comments suggesting regulations to revise or eliminate.
• Orbital debris from rockets.
• Reintroducing grizzly bears to the North Cascades Ecosystem in Washington State.
• Music royalties.
• New safety standards for nursing pillows.
• Mailing ballots.
• Expanded definition of a public assistance household.
• Energy conservation standards for automatic commercial ice makers.
• Energy conservation standards for walk-in coolers and freezers.
• New standards for appliance standards for energy conservation programs.
• Sprouts for human consumption.

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