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LATEST ON IRAN: President Donald Trump’s plan to set up a blockade in the Strait of Hormuz has been “fully implemented,” but Iran is further escalating its threats. 

The U.S. military said that more than 10,000 soldiers and dozens of planes and warships are enforcing the blockade. 

“An estimated 90% of Iran’s economy is fueled by international trade by sea. In less than 36 hours since the blockade was implemented, U.S. forces have completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea,” Admiral Brad Cooper said in a statement. 

Iran, however, has threatened to prevent other exports and imports in the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and the Red Sea if the blockade is not lifted. 

Meanwhile, efforts to facilitate a new meeting to discuss peace talks remain ongoing. Trump told Fox News that the war “is very close to over,” noting that the second round of negotiations could be in the next two days. The U.S. and Iran ceasefire is set to end on April 21.

WHERE PRICES STAND: Oil prices remained fairly steady today on news of peace negotiations moving forward. 

“Markets still seemed to be leaning quite heavily toward a constructive outcome,” Fawad Razaqzada, a market analyst with Forex.com, told the Wall Street Journal. “That said, it still feels a touch premature to be pricing in a smooth resolution.”

As of around 2:30 p.m. EDT, both international and domestic benchmarks were up by less than a dollar. Brent crude had increased by 0.13% and was selling at $94.91 per barrel. Meanwhile, West Texas Intermediate rose 0.21% to $91.47 per barrel. 

Some analysts have even suggested that additional downward pressure on prices could be driven by the possibility that the Trump administration abandons the war, even if it fails to eliminate Iran’s missile and nuclear capabilities. 

Related: There has been some speculation as to what else the administration can do in order to bring down gas prices while oil remains elevated, such as a suspension of the federal gas tax. 

Previously, the administration issued waivers allowing countries to purchase Russian and Iranian oil. But officials confirmed today they are unlikely to do that again. 

Energy Secretary Chris Wright first indicated the move this morning, calling the waiver on Russian oil a “broad-based reprieve.” 

“I don’t think you will see that extended,” he said, according to Bloomberg. 

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent confirmed the decision later at the White House this afternoon saying, “We will not be renewing the general license on Russian oil, and we will not be renewing the general license on Iranian oil.” 

WHAT OIL EXECUTIVES SUGGEST: As administration officials have warned gas prices could soar throughout the summer, at least one oil and gas executive is calling on Americans to simply “drive less” to save some money. 

“People should try to drive less. They should try to conserve energy,” Chevron executive Andy Walz told CBS News this week. “We should be doing that all the time. Energy’s essential for people’s lives, but we should conserve it.”

Walz explained to the outlet that there is likely no “silver bullet” that the administration or anyone else could use to bring down prices over the coming months while oil prices remain high. If the war in Iran extends, he warned, that price strain is probably only going to “get tougher.” 

As we’ve previously pointed out: GasBuddy petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan explained earlier this month that it is difficult for Americans to reduce their consumption of gasoline, given how reliant the country is on gas-powered vehicles. As it’s still spring, not many individuals are in a position to cancel summer vacations or road trips. 

“People right now are not yet in the mode where they can really give up any demand,” De Haan told Callie, adding that there might be some incremental decreases in gasoline demand but it won’t be anything “big.” 

MAINE LEGISLATORS VOTE TO BAN DATA CENTERS: Maine is one step closer to becoming the first state to impose a moratorium on data centers. 

Maine state legislators passed a bill yesterday that would ban new data centers from being built in the state until fall 2027. The measure now heads to Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills’ desk for her signature. 

It is unclear whether Mills will sign the bill into law, as it did not include an exemption for a smaller data center project that has been under development. The project would reuse existing infrastructure, specifically, a former paper mill. But lawmakers rejected the exemption in the final bill. 

The measure is part of a broader trend of local jurisdictions restricting or slowing the development of data centers. For instance, a small town in Wisconsin last week approved a measure to give voters greater control over tax incentives for large data center developments. 

Locals have raised concerns regarding data centers’ energy demand, water use, noise pollution, lack of transparency, and more. 

A new poll by the Washington Post found that voters in Virginia are more uncomfortable with a data center being built in their neighborhood than they were in 2023. 

The share of Virginia residents who say they are uncomfortable with a data center being built in their community rose from 24% in 2023 to 59% as of this year. 

Read more about the ban by Washington Examiner’s David Zimmerman here. 

NEW DETAILS ON TRUMP’S DEAL WITH TOTALENERGIES: Last month, the Trump administration announced a buyout deal with TotalEnergies worth nearly $1 billion to prevent two offshore wind farms off New York and North Carolina from being built. 

While administration officials have insisted that the deal is a “dollar-for-dollar reimbursement,” new documents reveal that the Interior Department is paying the French company using public funds via the Department of Justice’s Judgment Fund – a move one former agency lawyer has called illegal. 

The details: Former Interior solicitor Tony Irish wrote in a post on LinkedIn earlier today that he discovered the agency would be using taxpayer dollars for the deal when looking at a lease decision notice sent to TotalEnergies at the start of the month. 

The document, which was regarding the Carolina Long Bay project off North Carolina, reveals that Interior reached a settlement agreement regarding the project on March 23. As part of the agreement, Interior determined canceling the project’s offshore lease was in the public interest and that the agency could never have issued the lease if it had known “sensitive information” from the Department of War regarding offshore wind development. 

The document ends by saying the agency will be paying project developers through the Justice Department’s Judgment Fund Branch within the Treasury Department. 

What’s the Judgment Fund? The Judgment Fund is a permanent, indefinite appropriation by Congress for the federal government to pay court judgments and settlements. There are strict rules on when agencies can access the funds, including when settlements require monetary compensation. Additionally, agencies are permitted to request funds to settle “imminent litigation.” 

The Interior document does say project developers said they would have “asserted claims in litigation against the United States related to the lease,” but Irish said he does not think the administration has any basis to claim imminent litigation. 

“What claims? Without particularized claims that could result in a monetary payment (and given the lease terms, injunctive relief is the available remedy here), once again and say it with me, there is NO basis for a pre-litigation settlement or payment from the Judgment Fund,” Irish wrote, calling the settlement unlawful. 

The Department of the Interior did not respond to Daily on Energy’s request for comment. 

CHRIS WRIGHT APPEARS BEFORE CONGRESS: Energy Secretary Wright is currently testifying before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, and Related Agencies to discuss the White House’s proposed fiscal year 2027 budget for the Department of Energy. 

The White House is asking Congress to provide the Department of Energy with $53.9 billion in discretionary funding. This is a $4 billion increase compared to what was proposed last year, with most of the increase in funds going toward defense under the National Nuclear Security Administration. It also would increase funding dedicated to domestic critical minerals production, refilling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and increasing energy and water security. 

Nondefense funding within the agency would see a $2.7 billion, or 11%, cut in funding from 2026 levels. Like last year, the administration is targeting climate-related and green energy initiatives by calling for the cancellation of $15.2 billion in funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act from 2021.  

The budget also proposed reducing funding for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Programs, as well as for the agency’s office of science, Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy, and environmental management programs. 

The hearing began at 2 p.m. EDT and is ongoing. Stay tuned for more. 

SENATE MOVING TOWARD CANCELING BIDEN BAN ON BOUNDARY WATERS MINING: The Senate could be taking up a measure today that would overturn a Biden administration ban on mining in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northern Minnesota and bar future administrations from imposing similar restrictions.

In the beginning of the year, Republican Rep. Pete Stauber of Minnesota introduced a Congressional Review Act resolution that would repeal the Biden administration’s 20-year mining ban on 225,504 acres in Northern Minnesota’s Superior National Forest. The measure passed the House in January. 

That bill is now tentatively on the Senate’s floor schedule for today. 

Stauber has argued that overturning the ban is necessary to access a trove of critical minerals in the area, namely copper, nickel, and cobalt. 

“We need these minerals for our everyday life,” Stauber told Maydeen in January. “We need them for our defense weapons. We need them for our computers. We need them to win the AI war.” 

Republicans argued that the Biden administration’s 2023 ban was illegal because it was not properly filed in the Congressional Record. The Interior Department submitted a public land order notice, making the rule eligible for cancellation under the CRA. 

House Democrats at the time argued that Republicans’ procedural maneuver was invalid. Democratic Rep. Betty McCollum of Minnesota said the purpose of a CRA is to regulate not overturn land protections using a “legislative stunt.” 

CHINA WEIGHS LIMITING SOLAR EXPORTS TO US: China is considering curbing exports of materials and equipment used to build solar panels to the U.S., according to a new Reuters report. 

Five people with knowledge of the discussions confirmed to the outlet that several Chinese officials have held conversations with solar equipment manufacturers and providers about limiting exports. 

Two of the sources told the outlet that no formal rule has been finalized and officials have not yet begun asking for formal feedback on the proposal. 

RUNDOWN 

The Associated Press As energy costs rise, some states back off ambitious climate goals

Time Do Americans Worry About Climate Change? New Polling Shows Concern Is at a New Record High

Inside Climate News California’s Climate Leaders Talk Clean Energy Growing Pains and the War on Iran