During the last ten years, regulators have added tremendous costs to the economy. Despite the common perception that the Environmental Protection Agency is the sole driver of new burdens, efficiency rules routinely top the list. The top two proposed rules in 2012 and the top final rule this year were either energy or fuel conservation rules. This year will be no different, with five conservation rules awaiting approval at the White House. Without a comprehensive accounting of cumulative regulatory burdens, review of independent agencies, or enhanced congressional oversight, the year-in report next year will mimic 2012’s grim regulatory biography.