Federal Register weekly update: Over 600 new documents added


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The Federal Register is a daily journal of federal government activity that includes presidential documents, proposed and final rules, and public notices. It is a common measure of an administration’s regulatory activity, accounting for both regulatory and deregulatory actions.

From September 27 through October 1, the Federal Register grew by 1,402 pages for a year-to-date total of 54,586 pages.

The Federal Register hit an all-time high of 95,894 pages in 2016.

This week’s Federal Register featured the following 638 documents:

  • 502 notices
  • Four presidential documents
  • 39 proposed rules
  • 93 final rules

Three proposed rules, including standards related to the manufacture of class II ozone-depleting substances for feedstock from the Environmental Protection Agency, and 11 final rules, including rulemaking and guidance procedures from the Education Department, were deemed significant under E.O. 12866—defined by the potential to have large impacts on the economy, environment, public health, or state or local governments. Significant actions may also conflict with presidential priorities or other agency rules. The Biden administration has issued 64 significant proposed rules, 80 significant final rules, and one significant notice as of October 1.

Ballotpedia maintains page counts and other information about the Federal Register as part of its Administrative State Project. The project is a neutral, nonpartisan encyclopedic resource that defines and analyzes the administrative state, including its philosophical origins, legal and judicial precedents, and scholarly examinations of its consequences. The project also monitors and reports on measures of federal government activity.

Click here to find more information about weekly additions to the Federal Register in 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017. 

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