Federal Register weekly update: 2,500 pages added so far in 2023


Photo of the White House in Washington, D.C.

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 January 9 through January 13, the Federal Register grew by 1,368 pages for a year-to-date total of 2,500 pages.

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

This week’s Federal Register featured the following 525 documents:

  • 418 notices
  • Zero presidential documents
  • 48 proposed rules
  • 59 final rules

Eleven proposed rules, including amendments to regulations for hunting and trapping in national reserves in Alaska from the National Park Service; three final rules, including implementation of the Pandemic Assistance Revenue Program (PARP) to assist agricultural producers impacted by the pandemic from the Farm Service Agency and the Commodity Credit Corporation; and one notice, including interim guidance to direct agencies in assessing greenhouse gas and climate change effects of proposed actions under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) from the Council on Environmental Quality 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 18 significant proposed rules, six significant final rules, and one significant notice as of January 13.

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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