America Is Inching Closer to Energy Independence

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The Wall Street Journal reports that the United States is now an oil exporting giant:

American oil exports are emerging as a disruptive new force in global markets. The U.S. exported 1 million barrels of oil a day during some months so far this year—double the pace of 2016—and is on track to average that amount for all of 2017, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of data from the U.S. Energy Department and the International Trade Commission.

American exports are mostly refined petroleum, not crude, but this is a trend many years in the making. As you can see, total imports of petroleum have dropped significantly over the past few years, and if exports double this year we’ll be close to a net balance in the oil trade. It’s a new era.

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In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, how brutal it is to sustain quality journalism right now, what makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there, and why support from readers is the only thing that keeps us going. Despite the challenges, we're optimistic we can increase the share of online readers who decide to donate—starting with hitting an ambitious $300,000 goal in just three weeks to make sure we can finish our fiscal year break-even in the coming months.

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