Once a new law has been created, Congress authorizes certain government agencies to create the regulations needed to put the law to work. 

Major laws rarely include details of how the law is to be enforced. Regulations define exactly what is legal and what is not under the law. For example, regulations created by the EPA to implement the Clean Air Act state what levels of pollutants--such as sulfur dioxide--are safe. The regulation also tells industries how much sulfur dioxide they can legally emit into the air, and what the penalty will be if they emit too much.

Another crucial job of the regulatory agencies is to create awareness programs to help citizens and industries comply with the laws and regulations.

Creating a Regulation
After determining a regulation is needed, the staff of the regulatory agency designated in the law researches the regulation. During the research phase, the agency may solicit input from experts outside the government, including industry representatives, scholars and independent consultants.

• The proposed regulation is then published in the Federal Register and a period of time is set aside for members of the public to consider the regulation and to submit comments to the agency. The Federal Register entry will give complete details on members of the public can submit comments on the proposed regulation. 
  
  
• During the consideration period, the agency may hold one or more public hearings on the proposed regulation. Notices of these public hearings will also appear in the Federal Register.
  
  
• Flowing the public consideration period, the regulation is published as a "final rule" in the Federal Register.
  
  
• Finally, the regulations is "codified" by being published in the Code of Federal Regulations -- the CFR. The official record of all government regulations, the CFR is divided into 50 sections or "titles," each covering a specific area. The regulation can be enforced by agents of the regulatory agency.

Finding Federal Regulations

• The Federal Register is the official daily publication including all proposed new or amended federal regulations, final rules, notices of public hearings by federal agencies, as well as all presidential Executive Orders and documents. Daily editions of the Federal Register dating back to 1995 are available in an online, searchable version via the Government Printing Office at Web address: http://www.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces140.html. Perhaps the most convenient way to search the Federal Register is the Federal Register Browse Feature.
  
  
• The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) is the official codification of the general and permanent regulations published in the Federal Register by the Executive Branch departments and agencies. Maintained jointly by the National Archives and Records Administration and the Government Printing Office, the CFR online version is found at Web address: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/index.html. Once again, a handy Code of Federal Regulations Browse Feature is available.
  
  
• The Public and Private Laws Database is a searchable collection of all public and private laws enacted by Congress and signed by the president since the 104th Congress in 1995-1996. The online database of laws is available at Web address: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/nara005.html

Enforcing Federal Regulations
Suspected violations of federal regulations are investigated by agents of the regulatory agencies involved. When necessary, other federal law enforcement agencies, along with state an local police may also participate in the investigations. As with all federal civil and criminal laws, violators of adopted federal regulations are prosecuted through the federal court system by the Department of Justice.