U.S. coal mines are on the decline: The Energy Information Administration is reporting that the number of active coal mines has fallen to 671 nationwide, from 1,435 in 2008.
The big picture: It's increasingly clear that the market has chosen natural gas over coal as a more affordable, more efficient power source. During the past decade, the primary factor driving the closure of 764 U.S. coal mines — most of them underground — was simply a steady decline in demand.
Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), the chair of the Senate Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, told Axios' Mike Allen at an Axios News Shapers event on Thursday that she wishes Democrats' Green New Deal resolution had "a little more input" prior to its unveiling last week.
Why it matters: Stabenow dodged a question about whether she will vote for the resolution as it is framed now, saying, "I support the goals as it relates to climate change," but adding that "some of the wording is of concern ... because it leaves things wide open and allows folks that are opposing it to … mischaracterize it."
Electric vehicle infrastructure giant ChargePoint is using some of its recent $240 million fundraising haul to position itself for interlocking changes that await: the electrification of different types of vehicle fleets and the rise of autonomous tech.
What's new: CEO Pasquale Romano says in an interview with Axios that despite it being early stages of autonomous vehicle technology, AVs should be included in the infrastructure industry's long-term planning.
House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) told Axios' Mike Allen at an Axios News Shapers Event on Thursday that he thinks the Democratic Green New Deal proposal "would cripple our economy."
Why it matters: The sweeping policy proposal would target net-zero U.S. greenhouse gas emissions and make massive investments in climate-friendly infrastructure, although there is no specific projected cost on how much the proposal would cost. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he is going to get the Senate to vote on the resolution that was unveiled last week.
Canada has emerged as a clean technology leader, with 12 firms on the Global Cleantech 100 list. The list, published by industry monitor Cleantech Group, identifies firms most likely to make a significant environmental and economic impact in the next 5–10 years.
Why it matters: Businesses are facing increasing pressure to reduce their environmental footprint and mitigate risks tied to extreme weather events. Clean tech helps traditional industries operate more efficiently, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and feed a growing population more effectively by creating sustainable construction materials, purifying contaminated water, turning plastics into specialty chemicals, making farming more efficient, and improving energy efficiency in buildings.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wants a Green New Deal fight on his terms, and right now, he's getting it.
Driving the news: "I've noted with great interest the Green New Deal. And we're going to be voting on that in the Senate," McConnell said on Capitol Hill yesterday.
Amazon and GM are in talks to invest in electric-truck maker Rivian Automotive in a deal that would value the Michigan start-up at between $1 billion and $2 billion, Reuters is reporting.
Why it matters: Rivian made a splashy debut last November with 2 new rugged battery-powered models — a pickup truck and a 7-passenger SUV. But it's the electric, semi-automated chassis underpinning those models that has likely attracted the interest of Amazon and GM.
