Filing evidence: what the record now proves
Checked September 6, 2026. These are historical actions. The original comments remain unchanged. This record corrects earlier assembly notes that had not yet located the receipts or public postings.
FTC: submission confirmed
Regulations.gov sent a confirmation email on May 23, 2026 at 18:54:23 UTC for FTC-2026-0298-0001, the request for public comment on improvements to the Premerger Notification and Report Form. The tracking number is mpi-pjkd-n8td. The email names Citizen_Comment_FTC_2026_0298_Premerger_Notification_Oligopoly.docx, matching the filename preserved beside this record.
The public Regulations.gov record is comment FTC-2026-0298-0010. It lists Thomas Barrett, received May 23, posted May 25, tracking number mpi-pjkd-n8td, and one attachment titled Citizen_Comment_FTC_2026_0298_Premerger_Notification_Oligopoly. The matching tracking number and attachment title connect the receipt to the posting. This review did not perform a byte-for-byte comparison between the public download and the preserved Word file.
What remains open: the agencies’ later decision, their treatment of the comment’s specific requests, and any observed effect. Posting does not establish agreement, adoption, or causation.
BLM: submission confirmed
Regulations.gov sent a confirmation email on May 23, 2026 at 20:29:20 UTC for BLM-2025-0138-0001, Oil and Gas Leasing; Fees, Rentals, and Royalties. The tracking number is mpi-sxny-m6f5. The email names Comment Submitted in Opposition to Direct Final Rule.docx, matching the filename preserved beside this record.
The public Regulations.gov record is comment BLM-2025-0138-0009. It was received May 23 and posted May 26. It carries the same tracking number, mpi-sxny-m6f5, and one attachment titled Comment Submitted in Opposition to Direct Final Rule. The matching tracking number and attachment title connect the receipt to the posting. This review did not perform a byte-for-byte comparison between the public download and the preserved Word file.
The current 43 CFR § 3103.31, checked September 6 and displayed as current through September 3, incorporates the April 29 rule and May 21 correction. It states a royalty rate of not less than 12.5 percent for the general lease provision and 12.5 percent for noncompetitive leases. This establishes the current codified text; it does not establish that BLM accepted or answered the citizen comment’s broader stewardship arguments.
What remains open: an agency record expressly addressing significant adverse comments, the reasoning applied to this particular submission, and observed effects on public return, land stewardship, or cleanup obligations. An objection does not itself prove that a rule was stopped.
Form PF: acknowledgment and a public record
On May 13, 2026, the SEC’s Rule-Comments mailbox confirmed receipt of Thom’s comment for S7-2026-13 and supplied its public docket link. A second email that day explained that the original comment had been forwarded to staff and was under consideration; a display error had prevented the citizen from finding it publicly. That is the agency’s account of internal handling, not independent evidence of a substantive response.
On September 5, the kit review located the public SEC comment PDF. It identifies Thom Barrett and Citizens’ League. Its first page bears an April 27 document date and a May 4 footer. Thom’s follow-up email reported a May 5 submission. These dates are preserved as distinct source statements; the exact initial submission timestamp is not resolved by this review. The published PDF also retains a placeholder in its Federal Register citation. Publication does not validate every assertion in a citizen comment.
Next record: inspect the final agency action and its treatment of the issue. Do not describe acknowledgment or posting as agreement, adoption, or demonstrated influence.
Use this pattern for your own action
- Save the exact document you intend to send.
- Save the receiving system’s confirmation, including time, proceeding ID, tracking number, and attachment names.
- Find the public posting separately. Compare the posted content with your saved submission.
- If the record is missing, ask the responsible office to confirm receipt and explain the status. Preserve its reply.
- Return to the decision and public result. Record what changed, what did not, and what the evidence cannot establish.
Source custody
The FTC and BLM confirmation emails were read directly from the connected Gmail account on September 5. Sender: no-reply@regulations.gov. Subjects identify the document IDs above. SEC messages were read from Rule-Comments@sec.gov, dated May 13 at 14:03:13 and 14:22:10 UTC. The private source locators and bounded excerpts are retained in the project’s working evidence record. Private mailbox links and unrelated correspondence are excluded from this citizen-facing page.
This is an editorial evidence record, not a facsimile receipt or an agency certification. It preserves the distinction between what the system acknowledged, what the agency reported, and what the public record now shows.
Form PF: what happened after the comment window?
The 2026 proposal, S7-2026-13, had a June 23, 2026 comment deadline. Its final disposition is not established here.
A separate final rule, IA-6992, file S7-22-22, pages 1–6, became effective September 3, 2026. It moved compliance with the 2024 amendments from October 1, 2026 to July 1, 2027. The agencies say they are considering the 2026 comments. The extension saves or delays compliance costs but also delays the benefits of additional supervisory information.
What this proves: An agency action followed the comment period. It does not prove adoption of the 2026 proposal, agreement with this citizen comment, or that the comment caused the extension. Track the eventual reporting requirements and the agency’s stated reasons. Status checked September 5, 2026.
BLM: a correction is not necessarily a policy change
The May 21, 2026 correction, 91 FR 29920, fixes the heading of section 3103.31 to “Royalty on production.” It does not revise the rate. It retains the conditional June 29 effective date and May 29 comment deadline.
The example’s submission receipt is dated May 23. The correction came first, so it cannot be treated as a response to that submission.
Follow-through remains open: The public posting is verified as BLM-2025-0138-0009, and the current eCFR retains the 12.5 percent text. Agency treatment of the comment and observed effects are not established here. Check any later Federal Register action and the current regulation before recording a policy outcome. An unsuccessful search is not proof that no later action occurred. Checked September 6, 2026.
The postings are found. Follow the decisions now.
The FTC and BLM public comment records are linked above. A status request asking only for their public IDs is no longer needed.
For the FTC matter, follow the agency’s later notice or decision and identify whether it addresses the information requested in the citizen comment. For the BLM matter, the operative 12.5 percent language is now visible in the eCFR. The remaining question is whether BLM published a record addressing significant adverse comments and what the rule produced in practice.
Save the public posting, the later decision, and the observed result as separate records. Do not infer agreement or causation from posting alone.
Record the follow-throughRequest a missing agency response if needed.