Environmental News

MPR News is your source for environment news from Minnesota and across the country.

Getting to Green: Minnesota’s energy future

Getting to Green is an MPR News series that shares stories about Minnesota’s clean energy transition, including what needs to be done to get there.

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Some yellow school buses are turning green this school year
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is expanding its electric school bus program using three million dollars from the state’s settlement with Volkswagen over exaggerated fuel efficiency claims.
CO2 pipeline project denied key permit in South Dakota; another seeks second chance in North Dakota
South Dakota regulators have denied a construction permit to a carbon dioxide pipeline project. Navigator CO2 Ventures wants to build a 1,300-mile pipeline network.
Court dog Nova helps ease victims' trauma
Nova, a 6-year-old trained facility dog, recently made state history when she accompanied a young victim of sexual abuse as she testified on the witness stand. 
Judge throws out Twin Metals leases lawsuit
Late Wednesday a U.S. District Court Judge dismissed a lawsuit that Twin Metals filed last year to try revive its stalled attempt to develop a proposed copper-nickel mine on the doorstep of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Henderson, Minnesota group drafts vision for a center dedicated to ruby-throated hummingbird
Minnesota hosts an incredible number and diversity of birds, an International Owl Center and a National Eagle Center. Henderson, Minn., bird-lovers want to build a center for one of their smaller migratory visitors.
Rochester bets on geothermal to power a green future
Since June, construction workers in Rochester, Minn., have been drilling deep wells that will eventually be part of a large geothermal network meant to heat and cool multiple buildings downtown. These systems aren’t an option for every city. But in locations that have the right geologic conditions, it’s a climate-friendly way to heat and cool.
Fate of Sioux Falls zoo's taxidermy collection in limbo after arsenic discovery
The fate of the mounted lion, tiger, polar bear and gorilla that have long greeted visitors entering South Dakota’s largest zoo is grim after arsenic was found to be widespread in the taxidermy collection.
Study: Wildfire led to poorer water quality in northern Minnesota lakes
The study was the largest examination in North American history of how lakes responded to a single wildfire. The researchers found lakes in burned areas had higher levels of nutrients, sediment and dissolved carbon, likely the results of increased runoff.