THE WEEKLY REVEAL

Hello! In this issue:

• Across the country, states are moving to renewable energy – but Montana is doubling down on fossil fuels.
• Amazon has abandoned one of its main climate commitments.
• A look back at the federal response to COVID-19.
• News about our new film, “Victim/Suspect.”

THIS WEEK’S PODCAST

The Battle for Clean Energy in Coal Country

The coal-fired power plant in Colstrip, Montana, is the largest emitter of greenhouse gas in the state. Credit: Stephen Smith for Reveal

Montana has a long history of making money by extracting and exporting its natural resources, namely coal. State politicians and Montana’s largest electricity utility company seem set on keeping it that way.

In this week’s episode of Reveal, Jonathan Jones travels to Colstrip, Montana, home to one of the largest coal seams in the country – and one of the largest coal-fired power plants in the West. There, he finds fossil fuels expanding and lawmakers working to safeguard coal’s future.

Jones follows the money behind the coal expansion in Montana and the local and statewide resistance efforts to push the state toward clean energy.

IN THE NEWS

Amazon Drops Its ‘Shipment Zero’ Initiative

When mega-retailer Amazon laid out its major commitments to reduce its impact on the climate, it pledged in 2019 to make half of all shipments net-zero carbon by 2030. Reveal reporter Will Evans noticed that pledge recently disappeared from its website … replaced by a link to an update that says the company has “decided to eliminate it" because it has a broader goal for net-zero carbon across operations by 2040.

Evans asked Amazon officials if the company killed the Shipment Zero pledge because they weren’t going to hit it. They said no.

“Nothing has changed in our commitment to decarbonize our operations," a spokesperson said. Evans' reporting got picked up by Business Insider and The Washington Post, and Amazon employees cited it in their "broken Climate Pledge" walkout earlier this week.

A Quote To Remember

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, spoke with Jessica Malaty Rivera for The COVID Tracking Project, our investigation into why a volunteer-led data collection effort was necessary when the pandemic first hit.

In Case You Missed It

Ending on a Good Note

Our documentary, “Victim/Suspect,” launched on Netflix last week – and it’s already been seen in millions of households around the world. We were honored to see this film ranking No. 6 globally on the streaming platform last week, and we thank each and every one of you who’s watched, shared or told someone about our investigative journalism.

If you haven’t seen it yet, you can watch now or add it to your queue for later. The work continues – look for more updates on our investigation right here in the weeks to come.