Sen. Steve Daines Announces Retirement
Update provided by Meguire Whitney
On March 4, Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) announced he will not seek reelection at the end of his term this year. Daines was first elected to the Senate in 2014 and has been a champion of hydropower issues in Congress. Following the announcement, Daines endorsed U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana Kurt Alme in the upcoming midterm election to fill the seat. Daines is the sixth Republican senator facing reelection in this year’s midterm elections to announce plans to retire at the end of their term.
Democratic Senators Intend to Resume Permitting Reform Talks
Update provided by Meguire Whitney
On March 5, Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) announced they intend to resume permitting reform negotiations. Negotiations have been stalled since December 2025 due to Democratic opposition to the attacks on wind and solar projects by President Donald Trump’s administration, such as issuing stop-work orders to fully permitted offshore wind projects already under construction.
Whitehouse and Heinrich, ranking members of the Environment and Public Works Committee and Energy and Natural Resources Committee, respectively, pointed to the administration’s recent decision to move forward with reviewing solar project permits as a positive development that will allow them to move forward with negotiations. However, in a joint statement, the senators warned that further “mischief” regarding clean energy projects will lead them to pause negotiations again. Their Republican counterparts, Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah), chairs of the Environment and Public Works Committee and Energy and Natural Resources Committee, respectively, expressed their eagerness to return to permitting negotiations. However, Lee said the Democrats had cost them valuable time to enact meaningful reform.
EPA Transfers ENERGY STAR to DOE
Update provided by Meguire Whitney
The Environmental Protection Agency transferred control of the ENERGY STAR energy efficiency program to the Department of Energy on March 5, ending decades of EPA management of the appliance-labeling initiative. The move consolidates federal energy efficiency oversight under DOE, which already manages appliance efficiency standards through its Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, but could increase uncertainty about future funding and the scope of the program. President Donald Trump’s administration previously considered eliminating ENERGY STAR entirely before opting for the interagency transfer. The program certifies energy-efficient products and has influenced billions of dollars in consumer purchasing decisions since its 1992 launch.
Trump Administration Releases National Cyber Strategy
Update provided by Meguire Whitney
On March 6, President Donald Trump’s administration released its national cyber strategy, which includes six pillars of Trump’s cybersecurity agenda. The strategy’s pillars outline a cybersecurity agenda that seeks to embrace public and private sector coordination to expand and use current cyber capabilities, with a goal of protecting U.S. networks and deterring foreign adversaries. The six pillars seek to shape the behavior of adversaries; promote regulation that does not burden private industry’s cyber responsiveness; modernize federal government networks; secure critical infrastructure such as the energy grid as well as supply chains by moving away from adversary vendors; maintain the United States’ technological advantage; and develop the cyber workforce.
Despite the broad nature of the agenda, the document does not provide explanations as to how the administration intends to implement its goals. Following the release of the strategy, National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross announced on March 9 that the administration intends to roll out a pilot-test program with critical infrastructure organizations, including within the energy sector, to test the deployment speed of new cybersecurity technologies.
Judge Orders FEMA to Move Forward on Releasing BRIC Funding
Update provided by Meguire Whitney
On March 6, a federal judge ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency to follow a December 2025 order to reinstate the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, increasing disaster mitigation funding to states. FEMA had previously announced the BRIC program would end, withholding $4.5 billion in grant funding that had not yet been disbursed. Now, the court is prodding FEMA to move more aggressively in releasing required funding tied to pre-disaster mitigation, inform the states of status updates for current BRIC projects, and file updates with the court on efforts to obey the order.
The judge noted that FEMA had taken steps to comply with the order, such as setting aside funds for BRIC. The judge also acknowledged events that may delay the funding release, such as the funding lapse at the Department of Homeland Security, the leadership transition following the removal of Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, and staffing shortages at the agency. The ruling is likely to sharpen tensions among the judiciary, the administration, and Congress over FEMA’s role and discretion, particularly as lawmakers examine whether statutory changes or additional appropriations are needed.
House Republicans Consider a Second Reconciliation Package
Update provided by Meguire Whitney
House Republicans adjourned from their three-day policy retreat March 11. During the retreat, the leadership discussed the possibilities of advancing another reconciliation package before the November midterm elections. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is reportedly considering using a reconciliation package, which is not subject to the Senate filibuster, to pass supplemental funding for the war in Iran. At the start of the year, the Republican Study Committee released a framework for a package proposing broad health care and housing reforms with limited detail on energy provisions.
However, a second reconciliation package following last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act has divided Republicans as they have not agreed upon what it should include. Complicating the future of a reconciliation package is the slim majority Republicans have in the House, meaning only one Republican can vote against the bill before it fails, assuming Democrats unanimously vote against it. Several House Republicans, such as Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), have already voiced their apprehension about voting for another reconciliation package.