HOUSTON — Here's one sign General Motors believes electric vehicles will be a big deal: They recently moved a longtime senior executive, Mike Ableson, into the newly created role of vice president for EV charging and infrastructure.
Why it matters: The company has vowed to bring 20 all-electric vehicles to market by 2023. But making EVs a successful long-term bet will require deployment of lots of convenient charging infrastructure. That's not a business GM is in, so they need an exec dedicated to working with partners.
“Perhaps most importantly of all, because our very existence depends on it, we can unleash the ingenuity and creativity of millions of Americans who want to ensure that we squarely confront the challenge of climate change before it’s too late.”
Why it matters: If that "perhaps most importantly" part translates into heavy emphasis on the stump, it will be another sign that global warming is no longer a second-tier topic in national politics. But we'll see.
Top House Republicans are urging Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to hold hearings on the Green New Deal as they seek to cast the progressive policy as bad for poor Americans.
Why it matters: This effort, which includes a letter and press conference on Thursday, represents congressional Republicans' most detailed response yet to Democrats' push on climate change since last year's election. While largely symbolic, this back-and-forth shows just how quickly the issue has gone from Washington's back burner to front burner.
Disney Orlando flipped the switch on Feb. 27 on a brand new 50-megawatt solar farm, which produces enough electricity to power 10,000 homes.
Why it matters: Amusement parks and resorts consume a great amount of energy during the day during peak hours. Installing renewable energy systems using renewables in a visible way not only reduces carbon emissions, but also displays a commitment to sustainability to park-goers.
A powerful storm the National Weather Service says is "of historic proportions" stranded hundreds of people and left thousands without power Wednesday night after it intensified into a raging blizzard across the Plains. It brought with it hurricane-force wind gusts, widespread flooding and white-out conditions to multiple states from Colorado to the Dakotas.
Why it matters: This storm's strength and rate of intensification is unusual for the Plains states, with low pressure records likely to be challenged or broken in multiple locations. In general, the lower the air pressure, the stronger the storm.
HOUSTON — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told a room full of energy executives last night that the U.S. oil-and-gas boom is a vital diplomatic and commercial tool in support of the country's foreign policy goals.
Why it matters: As Reuters and others pointed out, the speech was notable in its enlistment of the industry as an ally to advance U.S. geopolitical goals. It casts the U.S. rise into a petro-superpower as a check on Iran, Russia and elsewhere. He also talked up efforts to help allies develop their own resources.
The U.S. has taken the global oil market by storm — becoming the world's largest oil producer in 2018 and on track to surpass Russia and perhaps even Saudi Arabia to become the world's top exporter by 2024.
Why it matters: Thanks to the end of a 40-year-old crude oil export ban signed by President Obama, a shale boom and a host of geopolitical sea changes, the U.S. is poised to reshape the global oil market over the next 10 years and beyond.
The rise of EVs and autonomous tech is in focus at the huge CERAWeek by IHS Markit conference.
The big picture: Major oil companies are boosting their investments in EV charging tech. The trajectory of EVs will also influence global oil demand growth (although they're just one of many factors like growth in petrochemicals, shipping, and aviation).
As leading autonomous vehiclecompanies seek to bring “robotaxis” to market, their competition could extend from AI-powered software into a new arena: real estate.
The big picture: Today's ride-hailing companies are software-only platforms. But as AV technology goes commercial, companies that plan to own and operate fleets of robotaxis — including Waymo and GM Cruise — will need considerable real estate footprints to store, clean, refuel and repair thousands of vehicles.
A top natural gas executive, Charif Souki, praised the Trump administration’s rhetoric supporting natural gas but chided it for being slow out of the gate in approving permits to export the fuel.
The big picture: Rhetoric matters, but action matters more, and here President Trump has actually been slower than his predecessor.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Wednesday backed a youth movement pressing governments to act on climate change, ahead of student strikes in countries including the U.S. Friday.
What she's saying: "Don’t underestimate the power of your voice," Ardern told students during a debate in the New Zealand capital, Wellington. "Too often we make this assessment that to make an impact we have to be of voting age. That is not the case.”
Why it matters: Thousands of students in 71 countries plan to skip school Friday. Students in more than 100 U.S. cities plan to join the global strike action. The protests have been criticized by politicians including Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who said: "What we want is more learning in schools and less activism in schools."
Editor's note: This article has been corrected to remove a reference to Ilhan Omar, which originally incorrectly stated:
"Among the strike leaders in the United States is Isra Hirsi, the younger sister of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), who has also thrown her support behind the strikes. "
