Environment

Elizeu Berçacola surveys the scene after he and his fellow rubber tappers set afire one of three illegal logging camps.

Deep In The Amazon, An Unseen Battle Over The Most Valuable Trees

3:07pm November 04, 2015

by Lourdes Garcia-Navarro

For generations, the rubber tappers of the Amazon have gone about their business in a way that preserves the rain forest. Today, they are increasingly in conflict with criminal logging gangs.

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A piece of cacao cut open to reveal its fruit. The seeds, in particular, hidden at the center of the fruit, are a key ingredient in chocolate production.

In The 'Cradle Of Cacao,' Chocolate Brigades Fight For A Bigger Harvest

2:40pm November 04, 2015

by Kirk Siegler

Ecuador's chocolate is famous, and a sweet spot in an otherwise souring economy. The government is paying a small army of pruners to trim back 120,000 acres of Amazonian cacao farms to boost yields.

Keystone XL Pipeline Company Asks U.S. To Pause Review Of Application

7:55pm November 03, 2015

by Jeff Brady

TransCanada has asked the State Department to suspend its review of its permit to build the Keystone XL Pipeline Monday until Nebraska decides on its route.

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Nebraskan Farmer Voices Opposition To Keystone XL Pipeline

5:52pm November 03, 2015

NPR's Robert Siegel talks to Jenni Harrington, a fifth generation Nebraskan farmer, about the suspension of the permit to build the Keystone XL pipeline, which would run through her town.

Tropical Cyclone Chapala Batters War-Torn Yemen's Southern Coast

5:40pm November 03, 2015

Thousands flee war-torn Yemen as tropical cyclone Chapala batters its southern coast. NPR's Kelly McEvers talks with journalist Iona Craig for the latest on the storm.

Flares at the Bridgeton Landfill outside St. Louis burn off noxious fumes, including those generated by an underground fire that's been burning since 2010. The "fire" is really a high-temperature chemical reaction that consumes the waste below the landfil

Landfill Fire Threatens Nuclear Waste Site Outside St. Louis

3:01pm November 03, 2015

by Véronique LaCapra

There's no barrier between the underground chemical reaction and nearby radioactive waste. Federal, state and local officials disagree about the danger it poses; residents are confused and concerned.

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Environment

Duke Energy Targets NC WARN For Solar Power Sales

12:03pm November 03, 2015

by Neal Charnoff

Duke Energy is taking action against a Greensboro church's alternative energy project. The utility isn't happy with a non-profit group selling solar power to the small congregation.

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Environmental activists protest the proposed Keystone XL pipeline in Washington, D.C., earlier this year.

5 Things To Know About The Keystone XL Pipeline

11:48am November 03, 2015

by Scott Horsley

The Canadian company that had been pushing for approval to build the project is asking for a timeout in the review process. Here's what you should know.

TransCanada Puts U.S. Permit Application For Keystone XL Pipeline On Hold

9:15pm November 02, 2015

by Laura Wagner

The company building the controversial oil pipeline from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico has suspended its permit application while waiting for approval on its preferred route through Nebraska.

Saudi Hay Farm In Arizona Tests State's Supply Of Groundwater

5:59pm November 02, 2015

by NPR Staff

A Saudi Arabian dairy company owns 15 square miles in Arizona — and 15 water wells — to make hay to send home to cows. Local farmers are just realizing their water is being exported overseas as hay.

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