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.

MN appeals court hears arguments in Line 3 challenge, asking whether state needs another oil pipeline
A Minnesota Court of Appeals panel grilled attorneys for Enbridge Energy and the state Public Utilities Commission over whether the company proved there’s demand for the oil the Line 3 pipeline replacement project would carry. Opponents continue to argue that the pipeline isn’t needed.
NOAA upgrades forecasts as climate change drives more severe storms
The computer model that predicts the weather is getting more power. Climate change is upping the stakes for forecasters as extreme weather gets more common and residents demand earlier warnings.
Chippewa tribes blast Wisconsin wolf hunt, say it was about killing
Chippewa tribal officials in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan have blasted the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for putting on what they say was a poorly planned wolf season during which state-licensed hunters blew past their quota in a matter of days.
Minnesota may add climate impacts to environmental review
Changes to Minnesota's environmental review program would require proposers to add up their project’s carbon footprint — and consider ways to reduce emissions that contribute to climate change.
California has a new idea for homes at risk from rising seas: Buy, rent, retreat
Sea level rise is threatening billions of dollars’ worth of coastal property. A California lawmaker is proposing a novel way to retreat from the threat: buying and then renting out properties as long as they're habitable.
After leaving Isle Royale on an ice bridge, wolf made epic journey
A recently published study details the epic journey of a lone female wolf after leaving Isle Royale National Park on an ice bridge. The wolf was one of the first relocated to the park as part of a landmark effort to bolster the wolf population on the Lake Superior island.
The celebration over, Deb Haaland now faces a long to-do list at Interior
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has a long and seemingly insurmountable to-do list, including a pledge to begin repairing a legacy of broken treaties and other abuses against tribes.
Hurricanes keep showing up early — forecasts are catching up
The National Hurricane Center is getting a head start this year by releasing its tropical weather outlook two weeks earlier.
Rain gardens help Minneapolis’ first ‘eco-mosque’ control flooding
Climate change means wetter springs for Minnesota. One north Minneapolis mosque is using rain gardens to manage water and keep rivers clean.
‘Forever chemicals’ found in groundwater at dozens of Minn. landfills
Fifteen of the closed landfills were found to have PFAS contamination at least 10 times higher than the state’s health-based advisory values. MPCA officials say the agency will expand water monitoring and testing efforts to get a better idea of the scope of the contamination and if further action is needed.