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 August 29 through September 2, the Federal Register grew by 1,636 pages for a year-to-date total of 54,296 pages.
The Federal Register hit an all-time high of 95,894 pages in 2016.
This week’s Federal Register featured the following 579 documents:
- 475 notices
- Three presidential documents
- 27 proposed rules
- 74 final rules
Four proposed rules, including a request for comments on how to update organic regulations on inert ingredients in pesticides from the Agricultural Marketing Service, and six final rules, including an alternative renewable identification number retirement schedule for small refineries under the Renewable Fuel Standard Program from the Environmental Protection Agency 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 148 significant proposed rules, 170 significant final rules, and one significant notice as of September 2.
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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