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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.

Submit a question or story for Getting to Green here.

Climate Cast

Listen to Climate Cast, the MPR News podcast all about our changing climate and its impact in Minnesota and worldwide.

Weathering the Storm: Climate Change and Mental Health

Weathering the Storm: Climate Change and Mental Health

Real world stories of how people cope with a rapidly changing environment. This Call to Mind special looks at the mental health consequences of climate change. We’ll hear from experts who say climate-related anxiety, depression, and grief are urgent mental health issues.
by Angela Davis and Jessica Bari

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Minnesota lawmakers considering whether to allow plug-in or 'balcony' solar power

Minnesota lawmakers considering whether to allow plug-in or 'balcony' solar power

Minnesota lawmakers are considering a bill to allow homeowners to install small-scale “plug-in” or “balcony” solar systems. There’s a growing movement for them nationwide. But there are safety concerns.
by Dan Kraker

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'A birdhouse for loons': DNR studying human-made platforms loons can nest in

'A birdhouse for loons': DNR studying human-made platforms loons can nest in

It comes after volunteers with the DNR say they’re seeing fewer chicks on Minnesota lakes in recent years. That has the agency looking for ways to make the state’s lakes a more desirable place for loons to nest and raise their young.
by Nina Moini and Ellen Finn

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Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness marks 50 years with familiar challenges

Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness marks 50 years with familiar challenges

The challenges of 1976 facing what became Friends of the Boundary Waters Area Wilderness are similar to those faced by the group today after Congress overturned a federal ban on mining near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
by Cathy Wurzer and Gracie Stockton

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Is forward-facing sonar making fishing in Minnesota too easy?

Is forward-facing sonar making fishing in Minnesota too easy?

Real-time imaging technology allows anglers to spot fish, track their movement and even watch how they react to a lure. Critics say it crosses an ethical line and worry it could increase pressure on fish populations.
by Kirsti Marohn

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Restoration project along Mississippi River expects to break ground this month

Restoration project along Mississippi River expects to break ground this month

A Dakota-led nonprofit breaks ground this month on a major restoration project at St. Anthony Falls in downtown Minneapolis. The decade-in-the-making effort aims to bring Dakota presence back to a cultural site along the Mississippi River.
by Melissa Olson

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Hermantown tables vote on key agreements for contentious Google data center

Hermantown tables vote on key agreements for contentious Google data center

The Hermantown City Council voted Monday night to table a decision on a tax break and development plan for a proposed Google data center. The project promises to provide tens of millions of dollars for the city and schools — but has bitterly divided residents.
by Dan Kraker

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Tax breaks for data centers? Minnesota cities weigh incentives to lure the mega-projects 

Tax breaks for data centers? Minnesota cities weigh incentives to lure the mega-projects 

Hermantown officials are expected to vote Monday night on a proposal to extend tax incentives to Google in exchange for city and school funding and infrastructure costs — and the largest private investment in the city’s history.
by Dan Kraker

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Boundary Waters canceled permits, no-shows up last year

Boundary Waters canceled permits, no-shows up last year

The U.S. Forest Service says more than 40 percent of permit reservations for May 1 through Sept. 30 of last year were never used.
by Kirsti Marohn

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