Venezuela Looks to Hugo Chavez Oil Belt to Fix Economy

You can't miss it, rising off the main highway, a mountain of toxic soot towering over the flat, sunbaked scrubland of eastern Venezuela. The buildup of petroleum byproduct known as coke isn't just an environmental hazard polluting the air of neighboring communities. It's a potent symbol of the waste and unfulfilled promise of an oil industry more vital than ever to Venezuela's economic health. For years, state-run oil monopoly PDVSA exported coke to great profit. But a...

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