This week in ridiculous regulations: Coke ovens and stolen firearms

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It was a short week in honor of Independence Day. Speculation swirled about President Biden's political future. Agencies issued new regulations ranging from brominate vegetable oil to counterterrorism.

On to the data:

• Agencies issued 49 final regulations last week, after 67 the previous week.
• That's the equivalent of a new regulation every three hours and 26 minutes.
• With 1,605 final regulations so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 3,110 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 23 proposed regulations in the Federal Register last week, after 28 the previous week.
• With 903 proposed regulations so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 1,750 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 349 notices last week, after 521 notices the previous week.
• With 12,025 notices so far in 2024, agencies are on pace to issue 23,304 notices this year.
• For comparison, there were 22,902 notices in 2023, 22,505 in 2022, and 20,018 in 2021.
• Last week, 1,553 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 1,971 pages the previous week.
• The average Federal Register issue in 2024 contains 444 pages.
• With 55,881 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 25 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 were eight new final regulations meeting the broader definition of "significant" last week, after five the previous week.
• So far this year, there are 192 new regulations meeting the broader definition of "significant." This is on pace for 372 significant regulations in 2024.
• For comparison, there were 290 such regulations in 2023, 255 in 2022, and 387 in 2021.
• So far in 2024, 382 new regulations affect small businesses, on pace for 740. Forty-one of them are significant, on pace for 79.
• 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:

• Don't fly over Kabul.
• Drug excise taxes.
• How to tell if someone is a Public Health Service employee.
• Reducing single-use plastic packaging.
• Emissions standards for polymers, resins, and bulk gasoline terminals.
• The EEOC is removing some ADA regulations that were struck down by courts.
• Fishing-related marine mammal casualties.
• Emissions from coke ovens.
• Hunting in Alaska's national preserves.
• Tax increase on Florida-grown tomatoes.
• Non-duplication rule for commercial FM radio stations.
• Excise tax on repurchase of corporate stock.
• Standardized acquisition deviations.
• Disadvantage Business Enterprises in airports.
• Threatened species status for the Mount Rainer white-tailed ptarmigan.
• Brominated vegetable oil is banned in food.
• Emergency assistance for livestock, honeybees, and farm-raised fish.
• Mining claim fees.
• Access to records of stolen firearms.
• The Civil Nuclear Credit Program.

And from last week's proposed regulations:

• Event contracts.
• The FCC's Equipment Authorization Program.
• Medicare payments for renal disease.
• FCC subsidy programs.
• National security regulations for investments.
• The USDA is proposing uniform administrative requirements, cost principles, and audit requirements for its grants and subsidies.
• Medicare fraud.
• Money laundering and terrorism financing.
• Recovery planning for large banks.
• The white sedge is being removed from the Endangered Species List.
• Vehicle inspections in California.
• COVID-related tax credits.
• Counterterrorism vetting of State Department contractors.

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