Axios

Activist investor Carl Icahn has nominated two directors to the board of the supermarket chain Kroger and voiced animal rights concerns over its supply chain and use of gestation crates in pork production.

Why it matters: The move extends Icahn’s animal-welfare campaign to another part of the food industry, more than a month after he launched a proxy fight with McDonald’s over the treatment of pigs used in its pork products.

House Natural Resources Committee Chair Raúl Grijalva (D.-Ariz.) slammed the CEOs of three major oil companies for refusing to testify at a Natural Resources Committee hearing scheduled for April 5.

Why it matters: The hearing would have examined the fossil fuel industry’s failure to help stabilize gas prices during the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, Grijalva said in a statement.

White House budget proposals arrive on Capitol Hill written in pencil at best, but the new Biden administration plan nonetheless has provisions and messages worth watching.

Driving the news: The fiscal year 2023 request unveiled Monday would boost government-wide spending on climate and clean energy programs to almost $45 billion, the White House said.

The share prices of large U.S. gas drillers have climbed over the last week as word emerged of White House plans to further increase LNG exports to Europe.

Why it matters: The share price moves show market optimism that U.S. policy is bullish for domestic production and sales.

Solar project companies are issuing strong warnings about the potential harms from a new Commerce Department probe into whether China is doing an end-run around tariffs on panel shipments to the U.S.

Why it matters: The probe could lead to tariffs of 50%-250%, per the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), an industry trade group.

A detailed new analysis puts a finer point on a troubling climate trend: Nations' policy moves are tepid compared to their ambitious emissions goals.

Driving the news: "While G20 governments made unprecedented promises in 2021, none has implemented sufficient policies to plausibly achieve deep decarbonization, though some are closer than others," the research firm BloombergNEF said in a report.

Heavy rains in eastern Australia prompted fresh evacuation orders Tuesday for thousands of people still reeling from deadly flooding earlier this month.

Driving the news: The first round of flooding killed at least 21 people and ravaged buildings across the states of New South Wales and Queensland. Already, two people have died after being swept away in floodwaters in Queensland, per state police.

A Barclays analysis of oil output on federal lands and waters finds that "regulatory changes to date are not slowing U.S. production growth."

Why it matters: These areas make up roughly a fourth of total U.S. output and are directly affected by federal permitting and leasing decisions.

The White House science office is seeking input about climate harm from expanding use of cryptocurrencies — and ways to tackle the problem.

Why it matters: Digital "mining" to verify and record transactions often involves the use of very powerful, energy-intensive computing equipment.

The dust is settling on the new U.S.-European Commission energy plan, so let's explore some big themes that have emerged since President Biden unveiled it.

Catch up fast: U.S. and European officials on Friday announced new joint efforts to help cut the continent's reliance on Russian fossil fuels.

As climate change continues to stifle maple syrup production in New England, different parts of the country — including the Southwest and the Mountain states — are trying to pick up the slack.

Why it matters: If states like New Mexico, Utah and Montana succeed in building up their (very) nascent maple sugaring operations, the nation's supply of the tasty pancake topping could not only grow a bit more plentiful but also have regional taste variations.