On March 2, 2026, the Department of the Interior issued a direct final rule reaffirming its earlier rule, issued on August 13, 2025, in response to a significant adverse comment. The new rule reiterates that the August rule was implemented to align the approval process for commingling with the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. That rule changed the approval process from a discretionary review by the Secretary to presumptive approval, unless there is "conclusive evidence" of a safety concern or approval would result in a reduction in recovery amount. 91 Fed. Reg. 9998 (Mar. 2, 2026). The DOI declined to withdraw the rule in response to the adverse comment.