The U.S. has been a net exporter of petroleum products for a consecutive four weeks on a four-week average basis, per Energy Information Administration data released Wednesday.
Why it matters: EIA analyst Mason Hamilton noted via Twitter that it's the first time the U.S. has been a net exporter by that metric. It has previously happened for shorter stretches.
Tesla had a good night, and now the question is whether it's a new day for the pioneering but volatile automaker that kicked off the push to move electric vehicles toward the mainstream.
Driving the news: Tesla surprised Wall Street with a $143 million third-quarter profit on Wednesday evening, and announced plans to ramp up vehicle production at its China factory sooner than expected.
President Trump is making life more complicated for climate change advocates and K Street alike — in ways obvious and sometimes less so.
Driving the news: The climate world was abuzz Wednesday at reports that Trump will imminently begin the one-year process to bail on the Paris agreement.
The battle between the Trump administration and California over climate policy further escalated on Wednesday.
Driving the news: The Justice Department, in a new lawsuit, alleges the state's emissions-trading system is an unconstitutional foray into the federal government's foreign affairs role thanks to the state's partnership with the Canadian province of Quebec.
The hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica has shrunk to the smallest size since it was discovered by scientists in the 1980s, NASA said in a statement this week.
Yes, but: "It’s not a sign that atmospheric ozone is suddenly on a fast track to recovery," said Paul Newman, chief scientist for Earth Sciences at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, in the statement. It's important to recognize that what "we’re seeing this year is is due to warmer stratospheric temperatures," he said.
Another widespread pre-emptive blackout began Wednesday for 17 California counties, as the state faces high wildfire risks that are expected to last through Thursday night, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The big picture: PG&E's CEO Bill Johnson said last week that it could be a decade before the company has made enough improvements to its electric infrastructure to prevent these blackouts, which aim to prevent wildfires during high-wind periods and dry spells.
Tesla surprised Wall Street with a profit of $143 million in Q3, and it announced plans to ramp up vehicle production at its China factory sooner than expected. Deliveries of its Model Y SUV crossover will launch next summer, ahead of schedule, the company said.
Why it matters: Tesla's recent cash-losing streak is over, though the company turned a bigger profit in 2018's Q3. The electric car company also saw its first annual revenue drop since 2012, as it sells more of its lower-priced Model 3 vehicles and fewer higher-priced models.
Electric vehicles are getting more popular, yet there aren't enough charging stations installed where people spend their time (at home, at work, at the store, etc.) to support widespread adoption.
The big picture: California's Green Building Standards Code requires 6% of parking spaces in new non-residential buildings to be EV-capable.
It also mandates that 250,000 EV-capable charging stations be publicly available by 2025 — but the state is running far behind that goal with only about 22,000 charging outlets so far.
The U.S. is now exporting crude oil to more nations than it's importing from, the Energy Information Administration said in a new analysis out Tuesday.
Why it matters: The inflection point highlights the U.S. emergence as a crude export powerhouse and falling import reliance thanks to the domestic production surge.
Democratic Sen. Chris Coons (Del.) and Republican Sen. Mike Braun (Ind.) are launching the Senate Climate Solutions Caucus aimed at fostering bipartisan cooperation on climate change.
The big picture: Coons, in remarks to NBC News, laid out some areas of potential cooperation. "Bipartisan ideas already exist — from improving energy efficiency and investing in R&D to supporting energy security and workforce development," he said.
The Trump administration sued the state of California Wednesday to cease its emissions trading market, arguing it's unconstitutional for the Canadian province of Quebec to be its partner.
Why it matters, per Axios' Amy Harder: This lawsuit shows the federal government going on the offense, targeting a landmark state-level climate policy that’s been in place in the Golden State for many years.
Tesla, struggling to turn the corner to profitability, will report its Q3 earnings after markets close Wednesday.
The big picture: Delivering more cars — and the electric carmaker already announced a record quarter on that front — isn't yet a recipe for financial health, especially as the lower margin Model 3, the best-selling EV in the U.S., is increasingly its dominant product.
