As a fifth-generation Montanan, I know the importance our state’s natural resources to our way of life. Natural Resources are an engine to our economy and to job creation. Our pristine glacial peaks and rivers, vibrant forests, wide-open spaces, and rich mineral and energy deposits earn beautiful Montana its name—the Treasure State.
As a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, I will continue to work to preserve Montana’s way of life by encouraging responsible environmental stewardship as we continue to develop our natural resources.
In addition, I support an all-of-the-above approach to securing not just American energy independence, but American energy dominance. That includes alternative sources of energy—hydropower, wind, biomass, and solar—along with coal, oil, and natural gas. Montana will continue to lead the way through promoting exploration and sustained development of the Bakken oil shale, continuing to lead in domestic coal production, and expanding our renewable energy production. Montana is setting an example of how domestic energy development can be done in a responsible manner to reduce our dependence on foreign energy while sustaining our resources for generations to come.
Daines Leads Effort to Overturn Biden Rule Shutting Down Small Oil & Gas Producers
U.S. Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) led a group of his Republican colleagues in introducing a Congressional Review Act resolution to overturn the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) recent Fluid Mineral Leases and Leasing Process. This new rule would significantly raise royalties, rates, minimum bids, costs and bonding requirements for oil and gas producers on federal lands making it virtually impossible for small energy producers to continue to operate. “Joe Biden set out on an anti-American energy war path on Day One, and ever since Montana’s small oil and gas producers have been a target. This new BLM rule will drive
Daines Slams Biden EPA Chief for Attacking Montana’s Colstrip Power Plant
“Now we know the Biden administration will flat out lie in order to enact its climate agenda.” U.S. Senator Steve Daines, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, issued the following statement today in response to Biden administration Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan accusing Montana’s Colstrip Power Plant of “cheating the system” on clean air quality standards: “The Biden administration’s accusation that Colstrip is ‘cheating the system’ is a reprehensible lie and an attack on Montanans and our Montana way of life. The crushing mandates and regulations the Biden EPA issued last week were bad enough.
Daines Takes on Biden Administration For Downplaying Effects of Indefinite Pause to LNG Exports
Calls Administration’s Energy Policy “Radical Ideology” and “Out of Step with the American People” U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today criticized Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholmin a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing for downplaying the Biden administration’s indefinite pause on liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports and its radical plans to phase out fossil fuels. Watch the exchange HERE. Senator Daines: It’s been two and a half months since President Biden paused LNG exports in order to study their impacts. We are no closer to knowing when this pause will be lifted or if it ever will be lifted. If DOE follows the facts and
Daines Blasts Biden Administration Oil and Gas Regulations
“It’s clear the administration will stop at nothing to appease the climate lobby at the expense of the pocketbooks of working families” U.S. Senator Steve Daines issued the following statement today blasting the Biden administration’s new regulation on oil and gas leasing on federal lands: “President Biden’s economic and energy policies led to the highest inflation our country has seen in 40 years and as we saw this week, high prices of energy, food and shelter show no signs of letting up. Instead of changing its approach the administration continues to double down on policies championed by climate activists and the far left.
Daines Blasts Biden EPA Mandate Forcing Heavy Duty Truckers to go Electric
“Find me a trucker who wants to do a long haul drive from Glendive to Butte in an electric semi in January and I’ll find you some oceanfront property in Arizona.” U.S. Senator Steve Daines blasted the Biden EPA today for its latest climate-driven mandate that would force the production of electric heavy duty trucks: “The Biden administration apparently wasn’t satisfied that its climate-driven tailpipe emissions mandate a little more than a week ago wouldn’t hurt working families in Montana and across the country enough, now it wants us to believe that building electric heavy duty trucks is the answer
Daines Gives Biden Admin Reality Check on Financial Burden of Dam Breaching
U.S. Senate – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today insisted President Biden’s Department of Energy (DOE) address the financial burden that breaching the lower Snake River dams would have on Montanans. The demand comes after months of the Biden administration attempting to usurp congressional authority and move toward dam breaching. “It is disconcerting to note the proposed agreement is already being celebrated as a ‘roadmap’ for lower Snake River dam breaching […] despite the fact the administration has acknowledged only Congress has the authority to remove federal dams . . . While the analyses of cost implications of breaching the LSRDs have so far
Daines Statement on Montana Decision to Sue Over Wolverine Listing by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today issued the following statement after the Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks submitted a Notice of Intent to Sue over the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (FWS) recent listing of the wolverine as a threatened species. “The Biden administration is once again ignoring the science and acting against Montana’s best interest. Montanans know best how to manage our wildlife, and the state worked hard to responsibly monitor and conserve the wolverine. Far-off bureaucrats should not be making sweeping decisions that will only harm commonsense management practices.” ###
Daines Expresses Concern Over Proposed Flood Maps for Choteau
Sends letter to FEMA outlining negative economic impacts of new maps U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines sent a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) highlighting the negative economic impacts that the proposed flood maps for the Teton River would have on Choteau, Montana. “The provisional maps presented to the public for comment in November included considerable expansions of the acreage and number of structures within the floodplain. As a result, homes, businesses, and development in these areas would be subject to costly flood insurance requirements, local floodplain regulations, and a lengthy permit process for construction or renovation.
Daines’ Bipartisan Bill to Complete Continental Divide Trail One Step Closer to Becoming Law
Bill Passes Out of Senate Committee with Strong Bipartisan Support U.S. SENATE – U.S. Senator Steve Daines spoke at a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing following the passage of his bipartisan “Continental Divide Trail Completion Act.” The bill directs the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior to prioritize completion of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT) by the trail’s 50th anniversary in 2028. Watch and download Daines’ opening remarks HERE. “This is an important bill. It’s going to help spur recreation, economic development, grow new jobs, as well as helping our