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.

Biden boosts offshore wind energy, wants to power 10M homes
The Biden administration is moving to sharply increase offshore wind energy along the East Coast, saying Monday it is taking initial steps toward approving a huge wind farm off the New Jersey coast as part of an effort to generate electricity for more than 10 million homes nationwide by 2030.
More ice anglers leave behind more trash on frozen Minnesota lakes
This past winter, the pandemic spurred many Minnesotans to head out on frozen lakes in pursuit of socially distanced recreation — and a few fish, if they were lucky. On some lakes, the uptick in ice fishing meant more litter left behind.
Minnesota home insurance premiums tripled as extreme weather increased
Damage from three storms in 1998 alone cost more than those during the previous 40 years combined. Since then, the pace of costly storms hasn’t let up.
Line 3 construction brings complication, controversy to Fond du Lac Reservation
Three Minnesota Ojibwe bands were among the plaintiffs who brought a case to the state appeals court this week that could bring construction of the Line 3 oil pipeline project to a standstill. But Native nations — including the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa — have a complicated relationship with the project. 
Once imperiled, America's bald eagle populations are soaring
The number of bald eagles in the lower 48 states has quadrupled since 2009, according to a new survey. The findings are a bright spot in an otherwise troubling picture for American birds.
 How climate change impacts health
Host Angela Davis talks to MPR News meteorologist Paul Huttner and two Minnesota doctors about the health impacts of warm winters, heavy rains, more pollen, wildfire smoke and the other effects of climate change.
Lawsuit seeks greater protection for endangered bumblebee
Conservation groups want a federal court to require more protection for the endangered rusty patched bumblebee. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last year decided not to order special habitat protections to help the bee population recover.
Masks and gloves are saving lives — and causing pollution
Disposable masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment have safeguarded untold lives during the pandemic. They're also creating a worldwide pollution problem, littering streets and sending an influx of harmful plastic into landfills and oceans.
Lake Ocheda drawdown produces hordes of dead fish
High winds over the weekend resulted in mass amounts of dead fish coming to the surface and floating to the shoreline on Lake Ocheda’s three basins south of Worthington, Minn.
Biden eyes $3T package for infrastructure, schools, families
Fresh off passage of the COVID-19 relief bill, President Joe Biden is assembling the next big White House priority, a sweeping $3 trillion package of investments on infrastructure and domestic needs.