From this morning's Earlybird:

• "Longtime K Street antagonist Fred Wertheimer may soon find that he has an unusual collection of supporters for his revived attempt to create a public financing system for Congressional races: fundraiser-weary lobbyists," Roll Call (subscription) reports.

• "Energy companies significantly increased their lobbying expenditures last year as Congress considered controversial climate change legislation that promised to rearrange the nation's energy mix," The Hill reports.

• "The Senate Ethics Committee will continue its investigation of Sen. John Ensign's affair with an ex-staffer, despite a nascent Justice Department probe into the Nevada Republican," Politico reports.

• "China is hoping to close thousands of local government lobbying offices in Beijing to cut down on waste and corruption, official media reported" today, AP reports.