E2 Round-up: Heat rises on U.N. climate panel, investigators search for cause of blast, Grassley pushes biodiesel credit

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee canceled a hearing on electricity markets and financial regulatory reform for Tuesday, as Washington struggled to dig out from Snowmageddon and braced for yet another winter beating expected this afternoon.

Elsewhere, the New York Times reports on the growing controversy surrounding the United Nations climate panel and its leader, Rajendra Pachauri. The paper says that Pachauri and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are “under intense scrutiny, facing accusations of scientific sloppiness and potential financial conflicts of interest from climate skeptics, right-leaning politicians and even some mainstream scientists.”

The story notes that Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) has called for Pachauri to step down.

The Wall Street Journal reports on the ongoing investigation into the blast at an unfinished power plant in Connecticut that killed 5 and injured 12. Terrorism and intentional crime have been ruled out. But investigators were looking into whether a process that uses natural gas to purge pipes could have contributed to the deadly accident.

Ben notes in this piece that Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) says the explosion should raise questions about the safety of a natural gas pipeline proposed for his state.

Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa is pressuring Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus to include a $1-a-gallon tax credit for biodiesel in the jobs bill.

The credit expired last year, when Congress couldn’t agree on a package of tax extenders. Grassley, the ranking member on Finance, is insisting the biodiesel credit be part of the discussions on the jobs legislation, according to the Des Moines Register.