Federal Register weekly update: 560 documents added


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 Feb. 7 through Feb. 11, the Federal Register grew by 1,380 pages for a year-to-date total of 8,138 pages.

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

This week’s Federal Register featured the following 560 documents:

  • 442 notices
  • Four presidential documents
  • 46 proposed rules
  • 68 final rules

One proposed rule, reaffirming national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants from coal- and oil-fired electric utility steam generating units from the Environmental Protection Agency, and two final rules, including establishing transitional standards for milk, whole grains, and sodium for child nutrition meal pattern requirements from the Food and Nutrition Service 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 23 significant proposed rules, 31 significant final rules, and zero significant notices as of Feb. 11.

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.

Additional reading: