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.
The Register organizes documents according to the following category titles (listed in bold below):
- Notices include information about federal agency activities
- Presidential documents include proclamations and announcements from the Executive Office of the President.
- Proposed rules are potential new agency regulations.
- The rules’ category generally includes the publication of any final rules.
“From July 24, 2023, through July 28, 2023, the Federal Register grew by 1,916 pages for a year-to-date total of 49,266 pages,” said Ballotpedia.
The Federal Register hit an all-time high of 95,894 pages in 2016.
This week’s Federal Register featured the following 560 documents:
- 413 notices
- Five presidential documents
- 72 proposed rules
- 70 final rules
Nine proposed rules, including proposed revisions to oil and gas leasing regulations from the Land Management Bureau, and seven final rules, including asbestos reporting and recordkeeping requirements under the Toxic Substances Control Act 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 in 2023 has issued 205 significant proposed rules, 145 significant final rules, and six significant notices as of July 28,” said Ballotpedia.
Zenger News maintains page counts and other information about the Federal Register as part of its neutral, nonpartisan encyclopedic coverage that defines and analyzes the administrative state, including its philosophical origins, legal and judicial precedents, and scholarly examinations of its consequences. The coverage area also monitors and reports on measures of federal government activity.
Produced in association with Ballotpedia
Edited by Judy J. Rotich and Newsdesk Manager
