OVERNIGHT ENERGY: On snow day, Congress holds Arctic hearing

ARCTIC ON THE MIND: As snow slammed the nation’s capital on Thursday, shutting down the city, one Senate panel held a hearing on an apt topic: the Arctic.

It was one of only two hearings that continued Thursday despite the federal snow day. 

{mosads}Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), chairwoman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, warned that the United States is “woefully behind” other countries in oil exploration, development and more in the Arctic region.

Murkowski and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), the panel’s ranking member, raised concerns over the lack of icebreakers in the Arctic to help navigate through the now melting ice that has opened up passageways in the region. 

Read more here.

EXCLUSIVE: In a sit-down interview, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Gina McCarthy told The Hill that she’s “busier than [she’s] ever been” as the caretaker of President Obama’s climate change legacy. 

Despite having immense weight on her shoulders as she races against the clock to finish the president’s landmark carbon regulations before his time in office is up, McCarthy says she is having the time of her life, and feels “25, not 60.”

Read more about what McCarthy faces as the head of the EPA in the final 22 months of Obama’s presidency here.

ON TAP FRIDAY: The New America Foundation will hold a forum on various risks to the country’s electrical grid. The event will include Patricia Hoffman, assistant secretary for energy reliability at the Energy Department; as well as private sector, local and New America Foundation representatives.

AROUND THE WEB:

3M Co., the company behind brands like Post-It and Scotch Tape, committed to certain sustainability practices in how it sources its wood, paper and pulp, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports.

A top Democratic state legislator in New Jersey is asking the federal government to investigate whether Gov. Chris Christie (R) improperly interfered in an Exxon Mobil Corp. pollution case that resulted in a much lower settlement than the original case against the company, the Newark Star-Ledger reports.

The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will phase out the use of elephants in its performances by 2018, the Associated Press reports.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Hey readers, Laura Barron-Lopez here. I’m breaking into first person to share some bittersweet news. Friday will be my last day at The Hill. It has been quite a run and I will miss it, but I am on to new adventures. Stay in touch with me on Twitter @lbarronlopez. Don’t you dare stop reading The Hill’s energy and environment coverage though. Please send every tip you can think of to Timothy Cama at tcama@digital-release.thehill.com.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

Check out Thursday’s stories…

– FBI to open office in ND oil country
– GOP senator: US is ‘woefully behind’ in Arctic oil exploration
– GOP chairman slams ‘underimpressive’ Interior budget plan
– Federal snow day won’t stop Arctic hearing
– Watchdog scrutinizes EPA on employee salaries
– White House balked at regulating explosive gas on oil trains
– GOP investigates possible federal protections for bat species
– EPA chief races to finish climate rules before Obama leaves office

Please send tips and comments to Laura Barron-Lopez, laurab@digital-release.thehill.com, and Timothy Cama, tcama@digital-release.thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter: @thehill, @lbarronlopez, @Timothy_Cama