Press Releases

Daines to FERC: Reduce Red Tape, Build More Hydro and Natural Gas

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today spoke with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in a Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing. They discussed the importance of streamlining the license and permitting processes for hydropower and natural gas. Watch the full exchange HERE. Daines on hydropower licensing reform: Daines: There’s one source of energy that has bipartisan cooperation support, it’s hydropower. It’s a renewable source of energy, it’s great baseload power, it’s low cost. This week I introduced the “Hydropower Licensing Affordability Act” with Senators Risch and Murkowski. This bill makes a small but very important change to the “Federal Power Act,”

Daines to USTR Greer: Repeal Jackson-Vanik Trade Restrictions, Protect Montana Mining Jobs 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today spoke with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in a Senate Finance Committee hearing. They discussed repealing the Jackson-Vanik trade restrictions and the importance of countering Russian dumping of palladium and supporting Montana miners. Watch the full exchange HERE. Daines and Greer discussed Jackson-Vanik: Daines: Ambassador Greer, welcome to the committee. Good to have you here. Last November, there was a historic dinner at the White House. We had all five Central Asian presidents and their corresponding foreign ministers. On one side of the table, I was there with the President, the Vice President, Secretary

Daines, Risch, Murkowski Lead Efforts to Bolster Made-In-America Hydropower

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) today introduced the “Hydropower Licensing Affordability Act.” This bill will reform the Federal Power Act to reduce delays and costs of hydropower licensing. Specifically, the bill would limit Section 4 (e) and Section 18 mandatory conditioning of hydropower licenses under the Federal Power Act to those conditions that are related to “direct adverse effects” of the project. “Hydropower is a growing source of power in both Montana and across the nation. The demand for U.S. energy is increasing every year, and we need to do everything we

Daines Chairs Final National Parks Subcommittee Hearing: “Our National Parks and Public Lands Have a Special Place in My Heart” 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today chaired his final National Parks Subcommittee hearing, after a decade of serving as co-chair. In the hearing he discussed the America Battlefield Protection Program Amendment Act and the importance of preserving Montana battlefields from the Great Sioux and Nez Perce Wars. Watch Daines’ opening remarks HERE. Daines’ opening remarks: Today’s hearing marks my 22nd as Chairman or Ranking Member. And as Senator King and I always say, we are co-chairs of this committee. No matter which way the gavel falls in the U.S. Senate, and we’ve seen it go both ways, Angus, we are

Daines in Senate Foreign Relations Committee: Confirm Chris Anderson as U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today spoke in a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, where urged his colleagues to swiftly confirm Christopher Anderson, President Trump’s nominee to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia. Anderson has served on Daines’ staff for more than four years. Watch Daines’ full remarks HERE. Daines’ opening remarks: Today I have the honor of introducing Christopher Anderson, President Trump’s nominee for Ambassador to Cambodia. He hails from Barron, Wisconsin, a small town with a population of 3,000, where he tells me that there are more turkeys than people. And Chris is a lot of things. He

Daines Emphasizes Need for Crypto Tax Framework in Senate Finance Committee hearing

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today spoke with Francis Brooke, nominee to be Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, and Sriprakash Kothari, nominee to be Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in a Senate Finance committee hearing. They discussed the need for federal regulatory framework for digital assets. Watch Daines’ full remarks HERE. Daines discussed the need for crypto tax framework: Daines: Congratulations to each of the nominees here today, and thank you for the willingness to jump back in the arena and serve. In partnership with the administration, this Congress has taken historic steps to advance American leadership in digital assets.

Daines, Hassan, Goodlander, Miller Introduce Bill to Bolster Made-In-America Hydropower

Standardizes Review Procedures for Hydropower Licenses WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), as well as Representatives Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.-2) and Carol Miller (R-W.V.-01) today introduced bipartisan legislation to standardize the process for hydropower licenses at Army Corps of Engineers dams under Section 408 to ensure a uniform and consistent application and review process across districts. “Hydropower is an increasingly important source of electricity in the U.S., and provides Montana’s second-largest source of electricity generation. As we prepare to meet the expected surge in demand for energy in the coming decades, we need to ensure the licensing

ICYMI: The Times of Central Asia: Daines’ Tour Signals an Emerging U.S. Caspian Corridor Strategy

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Steve Daines traveled to Central Asia last week- read reporting by the Times of Central Asia below. Daines’s Tour Signals an Emerging U.S. Caspian Corridor Strategy The Times of Central Asia July 14, 2026 Senator Steve Daines’s July 7–9 visit to Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan brought three bilateral relationships into a single, compressed Caspian itinerary. In Baku, he met President Ilham Aliyev and senior economic and foreign-policy officials; in Astana, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and representatives of government and business; and in Ashgabat, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov, and Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. Although official accounts treated each stop separately, the sequence

Daines Lauds $3 Million DOT Grant to Repair the Glacier Creek Bridge

Daines Sent Letter of Support for Grant in 2026 WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today applauded a recent announcement from the U.S. Department of Transportation on the “Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development” (BUILD) Grant that was awarded to Missoula County to repair the Glacier Creek Bridge in Condon. “Big news for Missoula County- the U.S. Department of Transportation has granted over $3 million to repair the Glacier Creek Bridge in Condon. Safe and reliable infrastructure is a necessity, which is why I sent a letter to Secretary Duffy urging this action. This is a huge win and I’m grateful to see