Federal Register weekly update: Highest weekly presidential document total so far in 2022


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 May 2 through May 6, the Federal Register grew by 1,870 pages for a year-to-date total of 27,438 pages.

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

This week’s Federal Register featured the following 506 documents:

  • 394 notices
  • 14 presidential documents
  • 42 proposed rules
  • 56 final rules

Three proposed rules, including a correction to a proposed rule to amend regulations relating to the decommissioning process from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and seven final rules, including an update to the National Bridge Inspection Standards (NBIS) for highway bridges from the Federal Highway Administration 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 70 significant proposed rules, 86 significant final rules, and one significant notice as of May 6.

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.

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