This week in ridiculous regulations: Human subjects and food paper

Photo Credit: Getty

Republicans called Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage" as a voter outreach tactic. Democrats got upset that a newspaper that generally supports Democrats didn't endorse the Democratic presidential candidate. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from drawbridges to fat threeridges.

On to the data:

• Agencies issued 50 final regulations last week, after 41 the previous week.

• That's the equivalent of a new regulation every three hoursand 18 minutes.

• With 2,650 final regulations so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 3,125 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 31 proposed regulations in the Federal Register last week, after 31 the previous week.

• With 1,486 proposed regulations so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 1,752 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 415 notices last week, after 607 notices the previous week.

• With 20,723 notices so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 24,438 notices this year.

• For comparison, there were 22,902 notices in 2023, 22,505 in 2022, and 20,018 in 2021.

• Last week, 1,874 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 1,356 pages the previous week.

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

• With 87,460 pages so far, the 2024 Federal Register is on pace for 103,137 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 17 such rules so far in 2024, with one 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 $16.82 billion to net savings of $26.38 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 four the previous week.

• So far this year, there are 277 new regulations meeting the broader definition of "significant." This is on pace for 327significant regulations in 2024.

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

• So far in 2024, 645 new regulations affect small businesses, on pace for 761. Fifty-eight of them are significant, on pace for 68.

• 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:

• Manifest reports for hazardous waste exports.

• Correction to a recent vessel discharge rule.

• Preventing safety events for transit workers.

• Food distribution program parity.

• The Coast Guard is delaying a TWIC-Reader requirement.

• Head Start workforce support.

• Relocation payments to federal workers affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

• Revised reporting requirements for seafood dealers affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

• Certain EPA Outer Continental Shelf regulations will now also apply to New Jersey.

• New requirements for paper and paperboard that contact food.

• Dutch Kills drawbridge schedule.

• In-home medical care for veterans.

• Endangered species status and critical habitat for the Ocmulgee skullcap.

• Anti-ejection casing for bus windows.

• New EPA drinking water regulations.

• Equipment and techniques for sea turtle releases.

• The Corporation for National and Community Service has new regulations for protecting its human subjects.

• Stakeholder consultation policies during railroad accident investigations.

• State Department rules for notary services.

• IRS tax breaks for manufacturing businesses.

• Russia and Belarus sanctions.

• Quahog clam size limits.

• Subsidized flood insurance.

And from last week's proposed regulations:

• Open burning in Kentucky.

• Pacific halibut recreational quota entity program fee collection.

• Student debt subsidies.

• Filing requirements for in-transit shipments.

• Regulatory framework for advanced nuclear reactors.

• Debris penetration hazards for recreational off-highway vehicle and utility task/terrain vehicles.

• Tax decrease on pistachios grown in California, Arizona, and new Mexico.

• Draft regulatory guide for fiber-optic cables in nuclear plants.

• Safety hearing procedures from the Federal Railroad Administration.

• Prohibition on certain data transactions with certain countries.

• The Chipola slabshell and the fat threeridge are no longer endangered species.

• Phenethyl bromide might be a List I chemical.

• Marine mammal casualties related to port construction in Alaska.

• Positive train control systems.

• Broker and freight forwarder financial responsibility.

• Performance deficiencies in public housing oversight.

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