This week in ridiculous regulations: Milk marketing and sport fishing

It was a shortened week on account of Thanksgiving. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from fed cattle to general service lamps.

On to the data:

• Agencies issued 57 final regulations last week, after 66 the previous week.

• That's the equivalent of a new regulation every three hoursand 57 minutes.

• With 2,858 final regulations so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 3,119 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 37 proposed regulations in the Federal Register last week, after 27 the previous week.

• With 1,606 proposed regulations so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 1,753 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 501 notices last week, after 614 noticesthe previous week.

• With 22,864 notices so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 24,603 notices this year.

• For comparison, there were 22,902 notices in 2023, 22,505 in 2022, and 20,952 in 2021.

• Last week, 2,288 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 2,238 pages the previous week.

• The average Federal Register issue in 2024 contains 413pages.

• With 95,075 pages so far, the 2024 Federal Register is on pace for 103,756 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 18 such rules so far in 2024, with none in the last week.

• This is on pace for 20 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 three new final regulations meeting the broader definition of "significant" last week, after five the previous week.

• So far this year, there are 292 new regulations meeting the broader definition of "significant." This is on pace for 319significant regulations in 2024.

• For comparison, there were 290 such regulations in 2023, 255 in 2022, and 387 in 2021.

• So far in 2024, 689 new regulations affect small businesses, on pace for 752. Sixty-six of them are significant, on pace for 72.

• 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:

• Federally subsidized crop insurance.

• Uniform compliance date for food labeling regulations.

• Cost of living adjustment for phonorecord distributors.

• Mail prices.

• Investigations of child abuse and neglect.

• Medicare payment updates.

• Tax increase on California-grown walnuts.

• Export controls on Pakistan.

• International arms trafficking.

• IRS tax favors for manufacturing businesses.

• Penalties for misreporting transactions involving foreigners.

• Emissions from starting up and shutting down power plants.

• DEI rules for transportation management.

• Automatic emergency braking systems for light vehicles.

• Emissions standards and tests for aircraft engines.

• The Justice Department has a Child Pornography Victims Reserve.

• HHS has a new Scientific Integrity Policy.

• Homeland Security acquisitions from foreigners.

• Fragrances in pesticide.

• New rules for organ donations from HIV-positive donors.

• Pakistan sanctions.

• Emissions from rubber tire manufacturing.

• Satellite broadcasting royalties.

• Public broadcaster royalties.

• Fair Credit Reporting Act disclosures.

• CFPB rules for medical debt.

And from last week's proposed regulations:

• Sport fishing administrative requirements.

• Milk marketing.

• Thermal water and passenger-carrying vehicles.

• Underground injection control in West Virginia.

• Calculating court-ordered payments.

• Untraceable payment methods for campaign contributions.

• Rules for mailing cremated remains.

• Critical habitat for the rusty patched bumble bee.

• Extended comment period for market competition in fed cattle.

• Technical specifications for nuclear power reactors.

• Critical habitat for the Antillean manatee and the Florida manatee.

• Energy conservation test procedures for general service lamps.

• Water bead comment period.

• Work-related heat injury and illness.

• Inflation-adjusted acquisition thresholds.

• Critical habitat for the Canada lynx.

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

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