This week in ridiculous regulations: Lime emissions and stabilizing the Western Balkans
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The 2024 Federal Register set a new all-time record page count on December 3. It surpassed 2016’s record of 95,894 pages with nearly a month to spare. Syria’s dictatorship collapsed. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from handling spearmint oil to transporting aircraft fuel.
On to the data:
• Agencies issued 74 final regulations last week, after 57 the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every two hoursand 16 minutes.
• With 2,932 final regulations so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 3,132 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 29 proposed regulations in the Federal Register last week, after 37 the previous week.
• With 1,635 proposed regulations so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 1,746 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 540 notices last week, after 501 notices the previous week.
• With 23,404 notices so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 24,997 notices this year.
• For comparison, there were 22,902 notices in 2023, 22,505 in 2022, and 20,952 in 2021.
• Last week, 2,380 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 2,288 pages the previous week.
• The average Federal Register issue in 2024 contains 415pages.
• With 97,457 pages so far, the 2024 Federal Register is on pace for 104,092 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 95,894, 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 18 such rules so far in 2024, with none in the last week.
• This is on pace for 19 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 $16.70 billion to net savings of $26.29 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 four new final regulations meeting the broader definition of “significant” last week, after three the previous week.
• So far this year, there are 296 new regulations meeting the broader definition of “significant.” This is on pace for 309significant regulations in 2024.
• For comparison, there were 290 such regulations in 2023, 255 in 2022, and 387 in 2021.
• So far in 2024, 711 new regulations affect small businesses, on pace for 759. Sixty-six of them are significant, on pace for 70.
• 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:
• HHS is withdrawing its Scientific Integrity Policy, though it will remain in effect. This will shield it from a Congressional Review Act disapproval, but it likely remains vulnerable to other challenges.
• Updates to the Women-Owned Small Business Federal Contract Program.
• Security regulations for semiconductors and advanced computing items.
• Updated terminology for HUD housing assistance contracts.
• Corrected lime manufacturing emissions regulations.
• Research grants for minority health disparities.
• Space information collection.
• Correction to child restraint systems in cars.
• Medicare payments for increasing access to organ transplants.
• The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary.
• FCC rules for supplemental coverage from space.
• Planning and subsidies for the electrical grid.
• Subsidies for rural multi-family housing.
• A pilot program for new subsidies for rural multi-family housing.
• Stabilizing the Western Balkans.
• Telecommunications supply chains.
• Lifejacket approval harmonization.
• Hydroelectric power restrictions.
And from last week’s proposed regulations:
• Definition of the term “coverage month” for purposes of health insurance tax treatment.
• Corporate Minimum Tax applicable after 2022.
• The World Heritage Convention.
• How to transport fuel for agricultural aircraft operations.
• Raising wage requirements for employees with disabilities.
• SNAP adjustments for food prices in Hawaii.
• IRS tax treatment of qualified nonpersonal use vehicles.
• Sport fishing administrative requirements.
• The Columbia Hills viticultural area.
• Hearing cancellation about a regulation for paying taxes by commercially acceptable means.
• Life insurance for veterans.
For more data, see Ten Thousand Commandments and follow @10KC and @RegoftheDay on Twitter.