Zero-Based Regulating

What it does

This direct final rule inserts sunset provisions into certain regulations, consistent with Executive order (E.O.), Zero-Based Regulatory Budgeting to Unleash American Energy (April 9, 2025), and agency policy. Each sunset provision will establish a conditional sunset date for covered regulations, as defined by E.O 14270. If DOE does not extend a particular regulation before its conditional sunset date, that regulation will expire, cease to be enforceable and will be removed from the Code of Federal Regulations. The conditional sunset date may be extended by DOE as many times as appropriate, but never to a date more than five years in the future.

The Energy Department's summary, as published in the Federal Register.

What changed in the regulation

29 parts of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations:

10 CFR 300, 10 CFR 602, 10 CFR 605, 10 CFR 706, 10 CFR 708, 10 CFR 712, 10 CFR 719, 10 CFR 725, 10 CFR 727, 10 CFR 733, 10 CFR 760, 10 CFR 766, 10 CFR 782, 10 CFR 783, 10 CFR 784, 10 CFR 824, 10 CFR 840, 10 CFR 860, 10 CFR 861, 10 CFR 862, 10 CFR 950, 10 CFR 960, 10 CFR 963, 10 CFR 1009, 10 CFR 1015, 10 CFR 1016, 10 CFR 1045, 10 CFR 1046, 10 CFR 1061

Wording on eCFR: the day before it took effect and from the day it took effect (first part listed).

Compared with

The Energy Department has published 18 final rules in 2026 so far, compared with 33 in all of 2025.

Counted by the Tribune from Federal Register records since Jan. 1, 2025.

Before this

1 earlier Federal Register document under regulation identifier 1990-AA54 since Jan. 1, 2025.

• May 29, 2026 Notice of proposed rulemaking; request for comments. Zero-Based Regulating

Since then:

• July 9, 2026 Withdrawal of direct final rule. Zero-Based Regulating

What happens next and when

The effective date of this rule is July 13, 2026. If significant adverse comments are received by June 29, 2026, a timely withdrawal of this rule will be published in the Federal Register and DOE will address the comments received in a subsequent final rule as a response to the companion proposed rule published in this issue of the Federal Register, or take other action as appropriate.

The agency's dates, word for word.

Check it yourself

• The document in the Federal Register
• Docket DOE-HQ-2025-0603 on Regulations.gov
• Title 10 on eCFR

The record as published

Source: the Federal Register (public domain). The document in the Federal Register