"The current number of major new rules is 149, which is an historic high. Regulation started to grow in the aftermath of 9/11, and even more with the Pelosi Congress in 2007. Yet both the rule-making rate and number are surging to even higher levels under Mr. Obama.

Not every rule in the Unified Agenda will ultimately go on the books, while others will appear in multiple seasons. On the other hand, the agenda is a lagging indicator. It often skips over "interim final rules" that bypass the ordinary process of notice and comment, like many of those for ObamaCare. The independent agencies also do much of their rule-making through "guidance" that is technically exempt from Unified Agenda reporting."

Read The Wall Street Journal editorial on new regulation under Obama.