It was a four-day work week due to Labor Day. There were massive fires along the West coast, and Congress declined to pass a $500 billion spending bill because it was thought to be too small. Regulatory agencies issued new regulations ranging from domestic hemp production to Pyongyang flyovers.
On to the data:
- Last week, 31 new final regulations were published in the Federal Register, after 69 the previous week.
- That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every five hours and 25 minutes.
- Federal agencies have issued 2,229 final regulations in 2020. At that pace, there will be 3,148 new final regulations. Last year’s total was 2,964 regulations.
- There were 30 proposed regulations in the Federal Register last week, for a total of 1,513 on the year. At that pace, there will be 2,137 new proposed regulations in 2020. Last year’s total was 2,146 proposed regulations.
- Last week, agencies published 336 notices, for a total of 15,640 in 2020. At that pace, there will be 22,090 new notices this year. Last year’s total was 21,804.
- Last week, 1,112 new pages were added to the Federal Register, after 1,713 pages the previous week.
- The 2020 Federal Register totals 56,470 pages. It is on pace for 79,760 pages. The 2019 total was 70,938 pages. The all-time record adjusted page count (which subtracts skips, jumps, and blank pages) is 96,994, set in 2016.
- Rules are called “economically significant” if they have costs of $100 million or more in a given year. Three such rules have been published this year. Four such rules were published in 2019.
- The running cost tally for 2020’s economically significant regulations ranges from net savings of between $1.38 billion and $4.19 billion. 2019’s total ranges from net savings of $350 million to $650 million, mostly from estimated savings on federal spending. The exact number depends on discount rates and other assumptions.
- Agencies have published 50 final rules meeting the broader definition of “significant” so far this year. 2019’s total was 66 significant final rules.
- So far in 2020, 447 new rules affect small businesses; 19 of them are classified as significant. 2019’s totals were 501 rules affecting small businesses, with 22 of them significant.
Highlights from last week’s new regulations:
- Defense Department user fees.
- Residual risk for steel foundries.
- Steel import monitoring.
- Collective bargaining for Defense Department employees.
- Quarantine rules for foreigners.
- Gluten-free labeling requirements for fermented foods.
- Lump sum payments from the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.
- Mercury reports from power plants.
- New guidance document policies from the Agriculture Department.
- Reporting requirements for oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, and pummelos grown in Florida.
- The Domestic Hemp Production Program.
- Don’t fly over Pyongyang, North Korea.
- Exemptions from vehicle theft prevention standards.
For more data, see Ten Thousand Commandments and follow @10KC and @RegoftheDay on Twitter.
Inertia Wins! 