This week in ridiculous regulations: rear impacts and hot air balloons

The Supreme Court issued its Jarkesy decision and restored the right to a jury trial in regulatory agencies' in-house courts. President Biden and former President Trump held a debate just in case there is someone, somewhere in this vast country who is still undecided. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from organic crop insurance to parcel processing.

On to the data:

• Agencies issued 67 final regulations last week, after 62 the previous week.
• That's the equivalent of a new regulation every two hours and 30 minutes.
• With 1,556 final regulations so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 3,112 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 28 proposed regulations in the Federal Register last week, after 28 the previous week.
• With 865 proposed regulations so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 1,730 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 521 notices last week, after 398 notices the previous week.
• With 11,677 notices so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 23,242 notices this year.
• For comparison, there were 22,902 notices in 2023, 22,505 in 2022, and 20,018 in 2021.
• Last week, 1,971 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 1,150 pages the previous week.
• The average Federal Register issue in 2024 contains 435 pages.
• With 54,327 pages so far, the 2024 Federal Register is on pace for 108,654 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 13 such rules so far in 2024, with none in the last week.
• This is on pace for 26 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 $17.82 billion to net savings of $22.87 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 was five new final regulations meeting the broader definition of "significant" last week, after one the previous week.
• So far this year, there are 184 new regulations meeting the broader definition of "significant." This is on pace for 368 significant regulations in 2024.
• For comparison, there were 290 such regulations in 2023, 255 in 2022, and 387 in 2021.
• So far in 2024, 373 new regulations affect small businesses, on pace for 746. Thirty-nine of them are significant, on pace for 78.
• 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:

• Puget Sound fireworks.
• Crab rationalization correction.
• Hot air balloon airworthiness.
• Rear impact guards.
• Threatened species status for the Suwannee alligator snapping turtle.
• Tennessee hazardous air pollutants.
• Engineering and architect fees for defense acquisitions.
• Federal crop insurance for organic farmers.
• Grading standards for pecans.
• The Unaccompanied Child Program.
• The Capital Magnet Fund.
• Corrected space innovation.
• Staffing requirements for facilities receiving certain Medicaid funding.
• Price changes for international mail.
• New additions to the Industry and Security Bureau's Entity List.
• EPA rules for appropriate inquiries.
• FAST Act requirements for trains carrying hazardous materials.
• Fuel economy requirements for cars in model years 2030 and beyond.
• Recreational gag harvest.
• US Customs, the Coast Guard, and the TSA are inflation-adjusting their civil penalties.
• Measuring outcomes for the Temporary Assistance for needy Families.

And from last week's proposed regulations:

• Material weakness.
• FCC requirements for low power television broadcasters.
• Cost accounting requirements from the Federal Procurement Policy Office.
• More cost accounting requirements from the Federal Procurement Policy Office.
• Marine mammal casualties from offshore wind projects.
• Phasing down hydrofluorocarbons in refrigerants and air conditioners.
• Prohibition on federal acquisitions of certain semiconductors.
• FCC regulatory fees.
• Sulfur dioxide in Indiana.
• The EPA is removing affirmative defense provisions rom specified new source performance standards and national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants.
• Extended comment period for a petition to add Alaska Chinook salmon to the Endangered Species List.
• Fair and competitive livestock and poultry markets.
• The Postal Service is simplifying its parcel processing categories.

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

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