Environment

Minnesota state agencies are taking steps to protect pollinators. But a report to the Environmental Quality Board indicates there’s more work to be done on improving pollinator habitat, reducing the use of pesticides harmful to insects and expanding public support for bees and butterflies.

A judge has ordered a forensic search of computers used by three former top officials at the MPCA as part of an investigation into whether they sought to suppress concerns by federal regulators about pollution risks from the proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine.

A North Dakota environmental scientist said the leak reported on Oct. 29 is now estimated by state regulators to have affected about 209,100 square feet of land near Edinburg. Regulators had said the leak affected about 22,500 square feet of land.

For two decades the roadless rule has protected millions of acres of pristine national forests from road construction, mining, and logging. The policy is now threatened by new proposed laws.

Sport fish have declined significantly in portions of the Upper Mississippi River infested with Asian carp, adding evidence to fears about the invader’s threat to native species, according to a new study.

Every day, thousands of patients come to Mayo Clinic in Rochester seeking medical care, so it’s no place for dangerously icy sidewalks or parking lots. Yet despite last winter being one of the snowiest on record, Mayo reduced its salt use by 60 percent from the previous winter.

The cisco is a fish in demand: Its meat graces Passover tables as gefilte fish, and its eggs are a delicacy in Scandinavia. Commercial fishing operations on Lake Superior’s North Shore depend on it. But there are signs that the cisco, also known as lake herring, may also be a fish in peril.

The Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority says it could be seven to 10 months before it responds to recommendations to treat glass on U.S. Bank Stadium to mitigate bird deaths.

America is now the world's biggest exporter of ethane, a part of natural gas that's a building block for making plastics. That's helping fuel the fast-growing global plastics industry.

Several models for reaching the United Nations climate goals rely on direct air capture, and on capturing carbon in steel and cement manufacturing.