The record for Washington red tape and regulatory gobbledygook was broken Tuesday night, and there are still two more days to go.
The group that charts regulations told Secrets Wednesday that the Federal Register, which publishes new and proposed rules, set a record for pages published, 81,611. The previous record was 81,405 in 2010, another headed by President Obama.
Clyde Wayne Crews Jr., the vice president for policy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, said the actual number he recorded is higher if blank pages are included. “The published version today contains 81,736 pages, but I net out blank and skipped pages in my daily roundup to arrive at the 81,611 figure,” he told Secrets.
That gives Obama the record for rules and regulations, as published by the Federal Register. Crews said that of the seven record-high Federal Register annual page counts, six came during the Obama administration.
“The much bragged-about presidential ‘pen and phone’ have been active,” said Crews.
12/30/2015 FR is online with 298 pages; 87 Notices, 9 Prorules, and 11 Rules.https://t.co/MNYjShcYDs
— Federal Register (@FedRegister) December 30, 2015
In his analysis, seen here, he added:
Among this year’s pages so far are 3,378 final rules and regulations. Of the 3,378 final rules, 545 are recognized as having effects on small businesses. Some rule this year have been especially hefty, such as the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan and its Waters of the United States rule, and the Federal Communications Commission’s net neutrality order.
Another 2,334 proposed rules were issued in 2015 and are under various levels of consideration.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
