Axios

PG&E said Thursday it restored power to nearly 328,255 customers since the Oct. 29 weather "all clear" was given for areas in northern and central California, though 36,745 customers remain without power.

The big picture: PG&E faces an investigation by the California Public Utilities Commission over its series of power shutoffs, which have affected millions and aimed to prevent the spread of wildfires during high-wind periods and dry spells. There are currently 15 fires spreading throughout California, per the Los Angeles Times.

State officials said Thursday that TC Energy's Keystone Pipeline System leaked an estimated 383,000 gallons of crude oil in North Dakota, according to the Associated Press.

Why it matters: The Keystone Pipeline — which can carry 23 million gallons of tar sands oil every day from Canada to oil terminals in Illinois — and its proposed "XL" expansion project have been the target of environmental protests for years.

Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), the chair of the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, spoke on a recent episode of the Columbia Energy Exchange podcast.

Why it matters: The panel is tasked with coming up with policy recommendations by the end of March 2020 to guide House legislation.

Royal Dutch Shell reported a net third-quarter profit of $4.77 billion on Thursday, a 15% slide from the same period last year that nonetheless exceeded analysts' expectations.

Why it matters: It's the latest — and expected — sign of how lower oil prices are weighing on the industry as profit reports roll in. U.S.-based global giants ExxonMobil and Chevron report tomorrow.

The effects of climate change can create new hurdles to the fight against climate change.

What's happening: New International Energy Agency reports on southeast Asia have eye-popping numbers on the rise of air conditioning use. This reflects IEA’s “stated policies” scenario that assumes existing policies and plans, as well as evolution of “known technologies.”

Petrochemical facilities in Louisiana are releasing cancerous chemicals into predominantly black and poor areas, ProPublica reports in partnership with The Times-Picayune and The Advocate.

The impact: Since the 1990s, some Louisianans have been forced to deal with the consequences of living near huge petrochemical facilities, including air that smelled of rotten eggs, blue fluid in their ditches, miscarriages and cancer diagnoses.

Parking garages are staples of car-clogged cities — but they are ugly and take up prime urban real estate. So building owners and developers are looking for new uses for that space.

The big picture: As urban transportation begins to shift, the massive concrete parking structures that sit under or beside most downtown buildings are being repurposed into food delivery kitchens, e-commerce distribution centers, flood protection and even urban farming.

Fuel cell maker Bloom Energy went public in July 2018, six years after a scandal in which its bankers were found to have misled prospective investors. But Axios has learned that Bloom itself has a history of playing fast and loose with its numbers.

Why it matters: Bloom was one of Silicon Valley's earliest unicorns, with a high-powered board of directors that includes Colin Powell and John Doerr. It's a cautionary tale of what can happen when narrative overtakes results.

16-year-old Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg refused a $52,000 environmental prize from the Nordic Council on Tuesday, saying the offer was a "huge honor" but that "the climate movement does not need any more awards."

"The Nordic countries have a great reputation around the world when it comes to climate and environmental issues. There is no lack of bragging about this. There is no lack of beautiful words. But when it comes to our actual emissions and our ecological footprints per capita ... then it’s a whole other story."

Tesla’s third-quarter revenue fell by $2 billion, or almost 40%, in the U.S., a regulatory filing released Tuesday showed, the company's first drop in more than two years.

Worth noting: However, sales outside the U.S. jumped, with China sales growing 64% to $669 million.

Five cities in California have the nation's highest density of homes with solar panels, while Detroit has the lowest, according to new analysis that uses AI to track solar deployment via high-resolution aerial imagery.

Big oil and gas producers might finally have found a renewable energy they can fully embrace--largely because it has a lot in common with oil and gas.

Driving the news: Up to 40% of the costs of offshore wind, including construction and maintenance of massive structures, overlap with offshore oil industry costs, a new International Energy Agency report finds.