Monthly Archives: June 2014

New regulations published last week cover everything from what to call UV tanning lamps to the federal government’s National Sheep Industry Improvement Center.

On to the data:

• Last week, 75 new final regulations were published in the Federal Register. There were 62 new final rules the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every 2 hours and 15 minutes.
• So far in 2014, 1,427 final regulations have been published in the Federal Register. At that pace, there will be a total of 3,273 new regulations this year. This would be the lowest total in decades; this will likely change as the year goes on.
• Last week, 1,652 new pages were added to the Federal Register.
• Currently at 32,819 pages, the 2014 Federal Register is on pace for 75,273 pages, which would be the lowest total since 2009.
• Rules are called “economically significant” if they have costs of $100 million or more in a given year. 19 such rules have been published so far this year, one of them in the past week.
• The total estimated compliance costs of 2014’s economically significant regulations currently ranges from $2.33 billion to $2.72 billion. They also affect several billion dollars of government spending.
• 118 final rules meeting the broader definition of “significant” have been published so far this year.
• So far in 2014, 273 new rules affect small businesses; 41 of them are classified as significant.

Highlights from selected final rules published last week:

• This week’s economically significant rule is from the Energy Department. Its new energy efficiency standards for walk-in freezers and coolers will cost an estimated $511 to $528 million per year.
• The California tiger salamander is an endangered species that was given designated critical habitat in Sonoma County, California in 2011. A correction to that designation was issued on Friday.
• You are now allowed to import female squash flowers from Israel.
• The Federal Trade Commission updated its regulations under the Wool Products Labeling Act of 1939.
• HHS is withdrawing a regulation regarding the use of its official logo.
• The federal government has a National Sheep Industry Improvement Center. A new rule amends some of its policies.
• Webber’s ivesia, a plant species in California and Nevada, is now a threatened species. It is receiving 2,170 acres of critical habitat.
• UV lamps used for tanning are now henceforth to be known as sunlamp products, according to the FDA.
• Five species of sturgeon added to the endangered species list.

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

The Memorial Day-shortened work week still saw the Federal Register grow by 1,200 pages, with more than 60 new regulations published.

On to the data:

• Last week, 62 new final regulations were published in the Federal Register. There were 66 new final rules the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every 2 hours and 43 minutes.
• So far in 2014, 1,352 final regulations have been published in the Federal Register. At that pace, there will be a total of 3,250 new regulations this year. This would be the lowest total in decades; this will likely change as the year goes on.
• Last week, 1,200 new pages were added to the Federal Register.
• Currently at 31,167 pages, the 2014 Federal Register is on pace for 74,921 pages, which would be the lowest total since 2009.
• Rules are called “economically significant” if they have costs of $100 million or more in a given year. 18 such rules have been published so far this year, one of them in the past week.
• The total estimated compliance costs of 2014’s economically significant regulations currently ranges from $1.82 billion to $2.19 billion. They also affect several billion dollars of government spending.
• 116 final rules meeting the broader definition of “significant” have been published so far this year.
• So far in 2014, 265 new rules affect small businesses; 39 of them are classified as significant.

Highlights from selected final rules published last week:

• A new Affordable Care Act regulation is this week’s economically significant rule. Its estimated cost ranges from $48.78 to $49.52 million. The balance of the $100 million threshold for economic significance comes from estimated benefits.
• Many of the government’s procurement and contractor regulations have nothing to do with price or quality. For example, one new rule from the Defense Department, GSA, and NASA bases contractor decisions in part on executive pay.
• New energy conservation standards for electric motors.
• Since 1989, the U.S. military has had a Family Advocacy Command Assistance Team. A new regulation updates some of FACAT’s policies and procedures (this one is actually from a few weeks ago, but I just noticed it this week)
• New kiwifruit handling regulations. This is the 189^th federal kiwifruit regulation to appear since 1994. Read them all here.
• New grading requirements for Valencia oranges.
• If you’ve ever wanted to hunt for double-crested cormorants, now’s your chance.

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