"President Biden’s choice for interior secretary faces her confirmation hearing on Tuesday. Democrats see her as embodying the hopes of the new administration; Republicans object to her activism."

"Industry-designed bills to silence climate protests are under consideration in Arkansas, Kansas, Minnesota and Montana. More are likely to come."

"The administration is expected to temporarily increase the “social cost” of carbon, at least to the level set by Obama, but climate-concerned economists say that's not high enough."

"The Interior nominee would be the first Native American cabinet secretary if she wins Senate confirmation following hearings that begin Tuesday."

"Late last year, as winter approached and power companies prepared for cold weather, Gov. Greg Abbott’s hand-picked utility regulators decided they no longer wanted to work with a nonprofit organization they had hired to monitor and help Texas enforce the state’s electric reliability standards."

"Even as Texas struggled to restore electricity and water over the past week, signs of the risks posed by increasingly extreme weather to America’s aging infrastructure were cropping up across the country."

"When the Supreme Court returns from its winter recess, the justices will have an unusually heavy load of environmental cases to sift through — and potentially more to come."

"The agency, seeking information on an animal rights group, attempted to recruit a former truck driver as an informant, the truck driver says."

"Energy analysts and experts said the blackouts in Texas underscore the U.S. electric system’s need for more of almost everything, from additional power lines criss-crossing the country to large-scale storage systems that can supply electricity when demand spikes or renewable generation declines."