Federal rules affect many aspects of American life, ranging from whether truck drivers can send text messages to standards for the quality of drinking water.

But most of the more than 8,000 rules that federal government agencies establish each year take effect largely unnoticed by consumers, even though agencies are required to seek public comment. The feedback – which is usually dominated by lobbyists and industry-backed groups – is then typically analyzed by an agency before it finalizes a regulation.

Open government advocates agree that the rulemaking process is far more open than years ago, when individuals had to physically visit ...