CABINET: New Mexico Rep. Deb Haaland appears set to become the nation’s next Interior secretary after Sen. Joe Manchin says he will vote to confirm despite disagreements over drilling and pipelines. (Associated Press)

ALSO: The Senate will likely vote today on confirming former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm as the Biden administration’s Energy secretary. (Detroit News)

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CLIMATE:
• House Republicans held a secret climate summit in Utah last week as some members try to overhaul the party’s platform and message. (Washington Examiner)
• A new study suggests the expense of transitioning to a net-zero carbon economy by 2050 would largely be absorbed by the national economy but might cost Louisiana 30% of its energy-related jobs. (NOLA.com)

EMISSIONS:
• A utility research group predicts that green hydrogen will play an important role if utilities are going to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. (E&E News)
• Xcel Energy announces a plan to cut its Colorado emissions 85% by 2030, retire all of its coal plants by 2040, and add 5,500 MW of wind, solar and storage to the grid. (Denver Post)
• Major airline CEOs are set to meet virtually tomorrow with White House advisors to discuss efforts to reduce emissions and use renewable fuels. (Reuters)

TEXAS:
• Texans served by deregulated electric utilities paid $28 billion more for power since 2004 than they would have paid under rates charged by traditional, regulated utilities, an analysis concludes. (Wall Street Journal)
• Past efforts to strengthen Texas’ electric grid and regulatory oversight have failed, but as hearings on last week’s outages begin today, state lawmakers say they have no choice now but to take action. (Austin American-Statesman)
• Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick says the state will figure out a way to fix massive power bills for customers with variable pricing plans, but that in the future “people need to read fine print” in such plans. (Newsweek)

ELECTRIC VEHICLES:
• Apple supplier Foxconn considers building or designing electric vehicles at its planned factory in Wisconsin as it partners with Fisker to produce more than 250,000 vehicles a year. (Racine Journal Times, Reuters)
• U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy tells lawmakers he would commit to having electric vehicles make up 10% of its next-generation fleet. (Reuters)
• Ford CEO Jim Farley calls on the U.S. government to do more to support battery production and charging infrastructure development. (Reuters)

OIL & GAS:
• As oil companies go out of business, they are leaving a legacy of methane-leaking abandoned wells that will cost billions to clean up. (Guardian)
• Shell continued to fund anti-climate lobbying last year even after it pledged to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. (HuffPost)

PIPELINES:
• The Mountain Valley Pipeline tells investors it expects to complete construction by the end of 2021 despite a recent shift to seek individual permits to cross waterways. (Roanoke Times)
• A North Carolina pipeline leaked more than a million gallons of gasoline last summer before anyone noticed it, raising questions about pipeline detection technologies that can fail to notice even large spills. (E&E News, subscription)

COAL:
• Wisconsin consumer advocates call for the increased use of securitization, a tool to refinance coal debt with low-interest bonds to protect ratepayers as plants close early. (Energy News Network)
• A federal judge orders bankrupt coal operator Blackjewel to clean up a Kentucky mine where overfull ponds of iron and manganese threaten local drinking water. (Courier Journal)

POLLUTION: A proposed “surge telework” proposal in Utah would encourage state workers to telecommute instead of driving to work during periods of poor air quality. (Deseret News)

COMMENTARY: The Texas mess being characterized as a grid crisis was actually a generation crisis, with most of the lost generation coming from natural gas and coal, explains David Roberts. (Volts) 

Dan has two decades' experience working in print, digital and broadcast media. Prior to joining the Energy News Network as managing editor in December 2017, he oversaw watchdog reporting at the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, part of the USA Today Network, and before that spent several years as a freelance journalist covering energy, business and technology. Dan is a former Midwest Energy News journalism fellow and a member of Investigative Reporters and Editors. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and mass communications from University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.