(ENVIRONMENTAL) RACISM: More than 25m drink from the worst US water systems, with Latinos most exposed (The Guardian), Native American nominee’s grilling raises questions on bias (AP)
STIMULUS: Advocates call for updated power infrastructure in light of weather-related outages (NPR, The Hill), COVID-19 package grows with Natural Resources add-ons (E&E $)
TEXAS AFTERMATH: Winter storm could cost Texas more money than any disaster in state history (Texas Tribune), 'please support us': Texas’ citrus and dairy farmers urge patience as they rebuild after the winter storm (Texas Tribune), Griddy came to Texas to disrupt the power market, but can it survive being shaken? (Houston Chronicle), how high will your electricity bill be? It depends. (Houston Chronicle), near-failure of Texas power grid brings shake-up at ERCOT as several members resign (Houston Chronicle), Texas power market in turmoil after devastating blackouts (E&E $), Texas utility regulator to investigate indexed retail electric providers following massive electric bills (Texas Tribune), power outages main cause of oil, gas shut-ins: Texas update (Bloomberg $)
WATER: Over a million Texans are still without drinking water. Smaller communities and apartments are facing the biggest challenges. (Texas Tribune), updated: here's why your water smells so bad after Houston's winter storm (Houston Chronicle), Southern exposure: cold wreaks havoc on aging waterworks (AP)
WHAT HAPPENED: Texas is awash in natural gas. it didn’t help in the storm (Wall Street Journal $), Texas lawmakers look to lay blame for deadly power blackout (Reuters), Texas lawmakers to hold 1st hearing into devastating Blackouts (NPR), ERCOT was minutes from a 'black start' that would have killed power, cell signals in Texas for weeks (Houston Chronicle, Wall Street Journal $), Texas probes sky-high bills tied to electricity-market prices (Bloomberg $)
LOOKING FORWARD: Environmental group offers ideas in advance of Texas power probe (Houston Chronicle), it’s not just Texas. The energy meltdown can happen to your state, too. (Mother Jones), think you aren’t vulnerable to a Texas-sized electric bill? Here’s how to check. (Philadelphia Inquirer)
HE CAME HIGHLY RECOMMENDED: Fringe weatherman advised [Gov.] Abbott before deadly Texas storm (E&E $)
READING THE ROOM: Fossil fuel executives gloat about profits, PR from Texas winter storm crisis (The Intercept)
AGENCIES: Biden EPA's Twitter account rediscovers global warming (E&E $), BLM morale tanked under Trump, survey finds (E&E $), EPA sprints to meet deadline for interstate smog rule (E&E $), State officials slam FEMA plan to reduce disaster aid (E&E $)
LAWSUITS: Lawsuit: BLM illegally delaying drilling permits (E&E $)
THE HILL: Biden urged to back water bill amid worst US crisis in decades (The Guardian), bipartisan lawmakers push for state power over leasing (E&E $), shaky bipartisanship kicks off infrastructure talks (E&E $), House Republicans huddle quietly to plot climate strategy (E&E $), Senators join push to ban new mining around Grand Canyon (E&E $)
POLITICS: Tribes flex political muscle in quest to co-manage parks (E&E $), youth activists are heard in Biden's White House, but they want to see more action (NPR)
NOMINEES & CONFIRMATIONS: Former Michigan Gov. Granholm confirmed as energy secretary (AP, New York Times $, Reuters, Axios, The Hill, Politico Pro $, E&E $), White House struggles to save Neera Tanden (E&E $)
CLIMATE DIPLOMACY: Tough U.S. climate stance could help Canada defy critics, boost emissions targets (Reuters), why the world worries about Russia's Nord Stream pipeline (Bloomberg Quint)
TRANSITION, PERSONNEL: [National Parks Service] picks first African American woman as Park Police chief (E&E $), hearing set on Biden CEQ chair, EPA picks (E&E $)
CALIFORNIA: Cap-and-trade auction sells out, boosting climate budget (E&E $), amendment would ban ‘servitude’ by California prison inmates (AP)
FORESTS: Fiercer, more frequent fires may reduce carbon capture by forests (The Guardian), California's iconic redwoods, sequoias and Joshua trees threatened by climate change (CBS), pandemic likely made 2020 'another devastating year' for world's forests (Reuters)
STEEL: Industry, organizations back framework to decarbonize heavy industry (S&P Global $)
RENEWABLES: Clogged power grid is blocking renewables. Here's a fix (E&E $)
STORAGE: Biden orders review of supply chain risks for critical minerals and batteries (Washington Examiner)
OIL & GAS: Despite its pledges, Shell funded anti-climate lobbying last year (HuffPost), Natural gas exporters race to have the least polluting fossil fuels (Axios)
PLASTICS: A year into ban, plastic bags still an issue (Albany Times-Union)
PIPELINES: North Brooklyn pipeline fight is about ending NYC’s reliance on fossil fuels (Teen Vogue), giant N.C. spill shows gaps in pipeline safety (E&E $, E&E $)
COAL: Banks and investors are still pouring billions into coal companies (HuffPost)
HYDROGEN: Portugal sees green hydrogen output by end-2022, $12 billion in investment lined up (Reuters)
UTILITIES: California wildfire victims sue former PG&E executives for alleged neglect (The Hill, Axios), Exelon to split in two, expects losses from Texas freeze (Reuters)
EVs: How one school district nabbed 1,400 electric buses (E&E $), it looks like the Batmobile, works on solar energy, and could be the future of cars (Washington Post $), what Biden's battery order means for EVs, DOE (E&E $)
CARBON PRICING: Carbon offsets gird for lift-off as big money gets close to nature (Reuters), factbox: carbon offset credits and their pros and cons (Reuters)
FINANCE: Mark Carney’s net-zero claim confounds climate experts (Bloomberg $)
RICH PEOPLE: What is a billionaire’s role in saving the planet? (Grist)
INTERNATIONAL: ‘It’s in our DNA’: Tiny Costa Rica wants the world to take giant step (Grist), European court: governments must prove climate change effort (AP), renewable energy listed for first time as one of Australia's top infrastructure priorities (The Guardian)