Environment

Environment

LA Councilman Compares Porter Ranch Gas Leak To BP Oil Spill But On Land

4:14pm January 11, 2016

A natural gas leak in a Los Angeles community is spewing 1,2000 tons of methane into the air daily. Renee Montagne talks to Mitchell Englander, the LA City Councilman who represents Porter Ranch.

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One of the banana plants in the collection at the USDA's Tropical Agriculture Research Station in Puerto Rico. It's just one of many banana collections around the world that might just hold the key to stopping the fungus's deadly reach.

Our Favorite Banana May Be Doomed. Can New Varieties Replace It?

4:08pm January 11, 2016

by Dan Charles

The Cavendish banana and other beloved varieties are threatened by a fungus that's spreading around the world. Scientists are trying to find new varieties that will be resistant to the disease.

Can #OddEven Curb Delhi Pollution? Here's What Locals Are Tweeting

2:48pm January 11, 2016

by Esha Chhabra

The world's most polluted city (according to WHO) tries to get millions of drivers off the roads with a new license-plate-based plan.

What Does El Niño Precipitation Mean For California Drought?

3:28pm January 10, 2016

It's finally raining in California, but will the El Niño storms be enough to refill the state's reservoirs? Can the water be collected? Alice Walton of the LA Times talks with NPR's Rachel Martin.

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New Orleans Prepares For Mississippi River Flooding

8:13am January 09, 2016

by Tegan Wendland

The Mississippi River is expected to crest Sunday. Officials in low-lying New Orleans don't expect this time to be as bad as last month, but they're not taking any chances.

Forecast For Vikings-Seahawks Game Reminds Former Player Of 'Freezer Bowl'

4:31pm January 08, 2016

The weather for Sunday's Vikings vs. Seahawks football game looks like it will be ridiculously cold. NPR's Kelly McEvers talks to Dave Lapham, a former player for the Cincinnati Bengals and currently the color analyst for the Bengals radio broadcast, about how to survive the frigid conditions.

U.S. Weather Wet And Wild In 2015, Though No Big Hurricanes

1:25pm January 08, 2016

by Christopher Joyce

The U.S. had 10 weather events in 2015 that cost $1 billion or more in damage, with December the warmest and wettest month on record. Climate scientists blame a warming climate and strong El Nino.

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Is Obama's Hope For Better Fuel Economy Sputtering Out?

1:24pm January 08, 2016

by Scott Horsley

For a while, the president's plan for increasing vehicles' fuel efficiency worked; he said it would save money and reduce carbon pollution. Then came cheap gas, and the improvements have stalled.

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William Finley, seen here with a California condor, visited Malheur Lake in 1908 with his photography partner Herman Bohlman.

These Photos Inspired The Creation Of That Occupied Oregon Refuge

12:33pm January 08, 2016

by Adam Cole

A century before militants seized Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, two photographers visited Malheur Lake. Their hand-colored images persuaded Theodore Roosevelt to protect the area's wildlife.

Crews work on a relief well at the Aliso Canyon facility above the Porter Ranch area of Los Angeles in early December. A leak has allowed tons of methane to escape into the surrounding neighborhood; stopping it is taking months because of pressure from th

California Declares State Of Emergency Over Months-Long Gas Leak

7:39pm January 07, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

Since October, a natural gas storage well near Los Angeles has been spewing hundreds of tons of methane gas each day. The leak isn't expected to be fixed for months.

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