Energy & Sustainability Washington Update

This month’s update covers a series of major actions out of Congress and the executive branch that mark significant shifts in direction — from spending and permitting to trade, technology, and agency leadership.

This month’s update compares the House and Senate versions of the reconciliation bill for energy and critical minerals, and covers staffing projections for the DOE and the fate of certain energy tax incentives.

House Republicans advanced their sweeping reconciliation package amid a flurry of activity across the executive branch, with President Trump issuing executive orders to bolster the US nuclear sector.

Our May 2025 Energy & Sustainability Washington Update highlights the first 100 days of the Trump administration, including staffing cuts at DOE, EPA, FERC, and DOI, accelerated permitting changes, early reconciliation negotiations, and the uncertain future of IRA energy tax credits.

Our March 2025 Energy & Sustainability Washington Update highlights federal energy policy developments in February. These include Trump administration executive orders, policy shifts, regulatory overhauls, and permitting changes, as well as federal layoffs and congressional developments.

Our February 2025 Energy & Sustainability Washington Update highlights the latest energy policy moves by the Trump administration and provides insights into President Trump’s executive orders, the advancement of Trump’s cabinet picks, and potential energy proposals that may make it into the budget reconciliation process.

Our January 2025 Energy & Sustainability Washington Update highlights congressional leadership assignments, new legislative initiatives, and updates on DOE’s LNG export pause, Inflation Reduction Act tax credit guidance, and emerging funding opportunities.

Our December 2024 Energy & Sustainability Washington Update covers Trump’s cabinet picks, recent agency actions, legislative developments, requests for information, notices, and funding opportunity announcements focused on or impacting the energy sector.

Our November 2024 Energy & Sustainability Washington Update highlights new energy-related programs and announcements from DOD, DOE, and other agencies, covers energy-related bills recently introduced in Congress, and recaps significant news about the sector.

Our October 2024 Energy & Sustainability Washington Update covers the newly launched Environmental Justice Climate Corps Program, DOE’s 2024 Better Buildings Initiative progress report, energy bills recently passed in the House of Representatives, a Senate hearing on the DOE’s role in advanced computing research & technology, a DOE funding opportunity for wave energy, and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and IRA opportunities.

Our August Energy & Sustainability Washington Update covers the new bipartisan Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024, the introduction of the DOE’s AI Act to advance American leadership and Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence for Science, Security, and Technology (FASST) initiative, a funding opportunity for solar and battery storage in Puerto Rico, and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and IRA opportunities.

Our July 2024 Energy & Sustainability Washington Update covers the IRS’s final rules on wage and registered apprenticeships at clean energy projects, the new set of supply chain cybersecurity principles released by the DOE, upcoming funding opportunities for small modular reactor technologies and methane emissions reduction, and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and IRA opportunities.

Our June 2024 Energy & Sustainability Washington Update covers the IRA’s $8.8 billion Home Energy Rebates program, the Treasury’s guidance on Advanced Energy Project Tax Credits, new federal opportunities related to transmission expansion and critical minerals, hot EPA issues, and new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and IRA opportunities.

Our May 2024 Energy & Sustainability Washington Update covers several DOE developments, including a final rule setting new clean energy targets for federal buildings, a report addressing commercialization of offshore wind, and a simplified NEPA process for some projects, plus final EPA rules aimed at cutting pollution from fossil fuel–fired power plants and $54 million in federal funding for electric mobility.

Our March 2023 Energy & Sustainability Washington Update covers contenders for the House Energy & Commerce Committee Republican leadership post in the next Congress, new DOE opportunities for advanced battery manufacturing, the second round of Defense Production Act funding for electric heat pumps, a new program to support transit & school bus fleet electrification, an update on the NEVI Program for EV charging infrastructure, and new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law & Inflation Reduction Act opportunities.

Our February 2024 Energy & Sustainability Washington Update reviews ML Strategies’ Outlook for 2024, the Biden administration’s continued support for the EV industry, funding for net-zero projects issued to federal facilities, new legislation aimed at building out transmission lines, the PROVE IT Act pending in the Senate, and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law & IRA Opportunities.

Our January 2024 Energy & Sustainability Washington Update covers the upcoming American Climate Corps listening sessions, opposition to the Treasury Department’s Clean Vehicle Tax Credit, advancements toward a national standard for EV charging networks & connectors, federal funding for an Energy Auditor Training program, a new DOE Office of Critical and Emerging Technology, and an update on new opportunities under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act.

Our December 2023 Energy & Sustainability Washington Update covers the Fifth National Climate Assessment, new funding for climate resilience, the DOE’s new funding opportunity to support the production of advanced batteries and battery materials, new legislation to support bidirectional EV charging, new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law & Inflation Reduction Act opportunities, and the status of the BIL at year two.

Our November 2023 Energy & Sustainability Washington Update covers the House of Representatives Fiscal Year 2024 Energy & Water Spending Bill, the regional clean hydrogen hubs selected to negotiate with the DOE, DOE awards for three new interregional transmission lines, a pending House and Senate bill to modernize American manufacturing, and the Biden administration’s approval of the nation’s largest offshore wind farm and new Bipartisan Infrastructure Law & IRA Opportunities.