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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.

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Climate Cast

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

First smoke, then fire? BWCA braces for the worst

First smoke, then fire? BWCA braces for the worst

Residents in northern Minnesota woke up to thick smoke Tuesday morning that spread from wildfires burning across the border in Canada, and some people around the Boundary Waters Canoe Area are bracing for a severe fire season that will likely last all summer.
by Dan Kraker

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Air quality alert expanded across Minnesota over Canadian wildfire smoke

Air quality alert expanded across Minnesota over Canadian wildfire smoke

State pollution control officials have extended the alerts through Thursday morning, and increased the range from as far north as Roseau down to the Twin Cities region, as well as Rochester and Mankato.
by MPR News Staff

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The latest Eid fashion trend? Sustainability

Muslim designers, noticing a demand for sustainable Eid clothing, have launched eco-friendly pieces leading up to the holiday.
by Dalia Faheid

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Drought stresses Minnesota crops, streams and lawns

Drought stresses Minnesota crops, streams and lawns

Farmers in parts of the state are watching crops shrivel in the heat, and homeowners consider whether to keep their lawns green.
by Dan Gunderson

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Invasive starry stonewort found in Leech Lake

Invasive starry stonewort found in Leech Lake

A company removing aquatic plants contacted the DNR when its staff suspected they found the invasive algae near a resort in Steamboat Bay.
by Kirsti Marohn

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Court sends PolyMet permit back to state environmental regulators

Court sends PolyMet permit back to state environmental regulators

A state court on Monday sent a key air emissions permit for the planned PolyMet mine back to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, a setback in the company’s bid to open the state’s first copper-nickel mine.
by Dan Kraker

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Hot, dry conditions show no sign of letting up in Minnesota

Hot, dry conditions show no sign of letting up in Minnesota

Heat and drought conditions are forecast to continue this week in Minnesota, with temperatures climbing into the 90s across much of the state and little rain — putting additional stress on crops and expanding the threat of wildfires. 
by Riham Feshir

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Rangers clear BWCA closure zone as officials keep eye on Quetico wildfires

Rangers clear BWCA closure zone as officials keep eye on Quetico wildfires

Rangers worked through the weekend to reach campers spread across a vast swath of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness that's now closed to visitors amid a growing threat from wildfires just across the Canadian border.
by Andrew Krueger

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Huge Oregon blaze grows as wildfires burn across western U.S.

Huge Oregon blaze grows as wildfires burn across western U.S.

The destructive Bootleg Fire just north of the California border grew to more than 476 square miles, an area about the size of Los Angeles, as critically dangerous fire weather loomed in the coming days.
by The Associated Press

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St. Cloud looks to restore old stormwater tunnel for bats

St. Cloud looks to restore old stormwater tunnel for bats

The project will build a new, rerouted storm sewer to replace an existing brick-and-mortar tunnel built in the 1920s. That old tunnel will be restored to provide critical habitat for bats facing population declines due to a deadly fungal disease.
by Kirsti Marohn

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