Category Archives: regulation

The Federal Register topped the 60,000-page mark on Friday, and is on pace for the 6^th-highest page count in its 79-year history. Along the way, new regulations cover everything from 5K races to how magnets work.

On to the data:

• Last week, 79 new final regulations were published in the Federal Register. There were 84 new final rules the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every two hours and 8 minutes.
• So far in 2014, 2,756 final regulations have been published in the Federal Register. At that pace, there will be a total of 3,589 new regulations this year. This would be the lowest total in decades; this will likely change as the year goes on.
• Last week, 1,814 new pages were added to the Federal Register.
• Currently at 60,035 pages, the 2014 Federal Register is on pace for 78,171 pages. This would be the 6^th-largest page count since the Federal Register began publication in 1936.
• Rules are called “economically significant” if they have costs of $100 million or more in a given year. 33 such rules have been published so far this year, none in the past week.
• The total estimated compliance costs of 2014’s economically significant regulations currently ranges from $7.62 billion to $10.87 billion. They also affect several billion dollars of government spending.
• 227 final rules meeting the broader definition of “significant” have been published so far this year.
• So far in 2014, 527 new rules affect small businesses; 78 of them are classified as significant.

Highlights from selected final rules published last week:

• The 11^th annual Fall Colors 5K Run & Walk is happening on October 5 in Joliet, Illinois. The federal government issued not one, but two regulations to adjust the schedules of when local drawbridges go up and down during the race.
• The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute recently petitioned the Energy Department to reconsider its new energy efficiency standards for walk-in coolers and freezers, arguing that the rules are “neither technologically feasible nor economically justified.” The Energy Department is denying the petition.
• It’s official: the Rio Grande cutthroat trout is not an endangered species.
• Less stringent grading requirements for Valencia oranges.
• New quarterly reporting requirements for small breweries.
• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has updated its fishing regulations for Atlantic surfclams and ocean quahogs (which can apparently live for more than 500 years!).
• The IRS is requiring certain employee benefit statements to be submitted on “magnetic media.”
• New safety standards for magnet sets, which appear to cover the infamous Buckyballs office toy.
• Threatened status for certain populations of the yellow-billed cuckoo.

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

A busy week ended with a flourish, with Friday’s Federal Register alone containing 28 final regulations and 542 pages.

On to the data:

• Last week, 84 new final regulations were published in the Federal Register. There were 72 new final rules the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation precisely every two hours.
• So far in 2014, 2,677 final regulations have been published in the Federal Register. At that pace, there will be a total of 3,579 new regulations this year. This would be the lowest total in decades; this will likely change as the year goes on.
• Last week, 1,762 new pages were added to the Federal Register.
• Currently at 58,221 pages, the 2014 Federal Register is on pace for 77,836 pages. This would be the 6^th-largest page count since the Federal Register began publication in 1936.
• Rules are called “economically significant” if they have costs of $100 million or more in a given year. 33 such rules have been published so far this year, four in the past week.
• The total estimated compliance costs of 2014’s economically significant regulations currently ranges from $7.62 billion to $10.87 billion. They also affect several billion dollars of government spending.
• 221 final rules meeting the broader definition of “significant” have been published so far this year.
• So far in 2014, 513 new rules affect small businesses; 75 of them are classified as significant.

Highlights from selected final rules published last week:

• Three more migratory bird-hunting rules, each of which carry the standard “estimated consumer surplus across all flyways of $317.8-$416.8 million.”
• The TSA is getting rid of its aviation security infrastructure fee.
• The EPA is withdrawing water quality standards for Florida.
• The FCC is updating its regulations for antenna structures.
• Two new regulations for fireworks.
• Dodd-Frank implementation continues, with new rules for Regulation M, which covers consumer leasing, and Regulation Z, which covers truth in lending.
• Operator certification for cranes and derricks.

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

Besides 50 proposed rules, last week’s final rules cover everything from mangoes to credit rating agencies.

On to the data:

• Last week, 72 new final regulations were published in the Federal Register. There were 64 new final rules the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every two hours and 20 minutes.
• So far in 2014, 2,593 final regulations have been published in the Federal Register. At that pace, there will be a total of 3,562 new regulations this year. This would be the lowest total in decades; this will likely change as the year goes on.
• Last week, 1,587 new pages were added to the Federal Register.
• Currently at 56,459 pages, the 2014 Federal Register is on pace for 77,554 pages. This would be the 6^th-largest page count since the Federal Register began publication in 1936.
• Rules are called “economically significant” if they have costs of $100 million or more in a given year. 29 such rules have been published so far this year, none in the past week.
• The total estimated compliance costs of 2014’s economically significant regulations currently ranges from $7.62 billion to $10.87 billion. They also affect several billion dollars of government spending.
• 211 final rules meeting the broader definition of “significant” have been published so far this year.
• So far in 2014, 502 new rules affect small businesses; 71 of them are classified as significant.

Highlights from selected final rules published last week:

• New rules for importing mangoes from Jamaica.
• OSHA updated its list of who is and is not required to track work-related injuries and illnesses.
• The federal government has a National Sheep Industry Improvement Center. A new rule updates some of its administrative policies.
• New maturity requirements for avocados grown in South Florida or imported from abroad. The rule will be enforced by the federal government’s Florida Avocado Administrative Committee.
• As part of Dodd-Frank, the SEC has new requirements for credit rating agencies.

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

The number of new regulations topped 2,500 on the year, while the Federal Register added 1,853 pages to end the week just shy of the 55,000 mark.

On to the data:

• Last week, 64 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 two hours and 38 minutes.
• So far in 2014, 2,521 final regulations have been published in the Federal Register. At that pace, there will be a total of 3,561 new regulations this year. This would be the lowest total in decades; this will likely change as the year goes on.
• Last week, 1,853 new pages were added to the Federal Register.
• Currently at 54,872 pages, the 2014 Federal Register is on pace for 77,503 pages. This would be the 6^th-largest page count since the Federal Register began publication in 1936.
• Rules are called “economically significant” if they have costs of $100 million or more in a given year. 29 such rules have been published so far this year, none in the past week.
• The total estimated compliance costs of 2014’s economically significant regulations currently ranges from $7.62 billion to $10.87 billion. They also affect several billion dollars of government spending.
• 206 final rules meeting the broader definition of “significant” have been published so far this year.
• So far in 2014, 483 new rules affect small businesses; 70 of them are classified as significant.

Highlights from selected final rules published last week:

• The Georgia rockcress is not only a threatened species, it is the unwitting recipient of 732 acres of critical habitat.
• Fishing enthusiasts will be glad to know the season for red grouper fish has been extended for an additional 18 days.
• The Canada Lynx also lives in the United States. Its critical habitat has been revised to reflect its changing range.
• The Postal Service is making it a little easier for USPS Return Services products to qualify for Commercial Plus® pricing.
• The federal government has a Soybean Promotion, Research, and Consumer Information program. It is amending its regulations for soybean producers to request referenda affecting the program.
• 20 species of coral are now listed as threatened, and 43 more species, after investigation, will not be listed as threatened or endangered.
• Two more plant species now listed as endangered, one as threatened. All three will receive critical habitat.
• New ground anchor regulations for manufactured homes.

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

It was a short week due to the Labor Day holiday, but agencies still managed to issue more than 60 new regulations and push the Federal Register over the 53,000-page mark.

On to the data:

• Last week, 62 new final regulations were published in the Federal Register. There were 73 new final rules the previous week.
• That’s the equivalent of a new regulation every two hours and 43 minutes.
• So far in 2014, 2,457 final regulations have been published in the Federal Register. At that pace, there will be a total of 3,571 new regulations this year. This would be the lowest total in decades; this will likely change as the year goes on.
• Last week, 1,238 new pages were added to the Federal Register.
• Currently at 53,019 pages, the 2014 Federal Register is on pace for 77,063 pages. This would be the 6^th-largest page count since the Federal Register began publication in 1936.
• Rules are called “economically significant” if they have costs of $100 million or more in a given year. 29 such rules have been published so far this year, one in the past week.
• The total estimated compliance costs of 2014’s economically significant regulations currently ranges from $7.62 billion to $10.87 billion. They also affect several billion dollars of government spending.
• 200 final rules meeting the broader definition of “significant” have been published so far this year.
• So far in 2014, 474 new rules affect small businesses; 69 of them are classified as significant.

Highlights from selected final rules published last week:

• This week’s economically significant rules are for the upcoming bird-hunting season. Neither says much about compliance costs, so I’m scoring both as zero-cost on our running compliance cost tally. The rule does estimate an “estimated consumer surplus across all flyways of $317.8-$416.8 million.”
• HHS tinkered with the eligibility requirements for participating its health insurance exchanges.
• Foodies might be interested to know that it is now legal to import litchi and longan fruits from Vietnam.
• Updated energy labeling requirements for certain heating and cooling products.
• Another rule for preventing collisions at sea.
• Endangered species status for the Florida brickell-bush and Carter’s small-flowered flax.
• And also a mix of endangered and threatened statuses for five types of sturgeon, four types of hammerhead shark, and an experimental population of Upper Columbia River spring-run Chinook salmon.

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