This week in ridiculous regulations: train crews and airport concessions

Our colleague R.J. Smith passed away. R.J. coined the term “free-market environmentalism,” ran CEI’s private conservation efforts for many years, and was a valued friend and colleague. A solar eclipse swept even more darkness across the United States. O.J. Simpson drove his white Ford Bronco to that great car chase in the sky. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from horse imports to marketing pecans.

 On to the data:

• Agencies issued 69 final regulations last week, after 62 the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every two hours and 26 minutes.
• With 837 final regulations so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 2,906 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 44 proposed regulations in the Federal Register last week, after 24 the previous week.
• With 535 proposed regulations so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 1,858 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 399 notices last week, after 419 notices the previous week.
• With 6,433 notices so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 22,337 notices this year.
• For comparison, there were 22,902 notices in 2023, 22,505 in 2022, and 20,018 in 2021.
• Last week, 1,764 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 1,727 pages the previous week.
• The average Federal Register issue in 2024 contains 360 pages.
• With 26,102 pages so far, the 2024 Federal Register is on pace for 90,632 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 five such rules so far in 2024, with one in the last week.
• This is on pace for 17 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 $17.83 billion to net savings of $21.12 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 15 new final regulations meeting the broader definition of “significant” last week, after 10 the previous week.
• So far this year, there are 101 new regulations meeting the broader definition of “significant.” This is on pace for 351 significant regulations in 2024.
• For comparison, there were 290 such regulations in 2023, 255 in 2022, and 387 in 2021.
• So far in 2024, 199 new regulations affect small businesses, on pace for 691. Twenty-one of them are significant, on pace for 73.
• 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:

• A safety zone in Cape Fear.
• Giving investment advice over the Internet.
• Reallocating Pacific cod.
• Disadvantaged airport concessions.
• Minimum crew sizes for trains.
• Tax increase for California-grown raisins.
• Horse imports.
• Energy conservation for consumer products and commercial/industrial equipment.
• NASA NEPA rules.
• Three new Schedule I controlled substances.
• Make that six new Schedule I controlled substances.
• Freedom of Information Act rules for the Peace Corps.
• Resilient networks.
• Space Force marine mammal casualties.
• Import restrictions on Pakistani archaeological artifacts.
• Tax increase on Oregon- and Washington-grown pears.
• Tax decrease on Riverside County, California-grown dates.
• Preventing Social Security number fraud.
• Energy conservation tests for consumer furnace fans.
• Lawyers soliciting clients.

And from last week’s proposed regulations:

• Using election campaign funds for candidate security.
• The DEA is classifying two more substances as Schedule I, its most severe drug category, same as heroin and cannabis.
• Protecting aquatic life in Idaho.
• Flood insurance.
• How to release sea turtles.
• Threatened species status for the coal darter.
• An upcoming referendum on whether to continue the Pecan Market Order.
• IRS rules for tax treatment of hydrogen energy.
• Postage for market dominant products.
• National bioengineered food disclosure.
• Housing subsidies.
• An excise tax on repurchasing corporate stock.

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