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

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Expect low ice years on Lake Superior to continue

Expect low ice years on Lake Superior to continue

This year, Lake Superior saw its lowest January ice levels in 48 years. While there will be outliers, scientists expect the trend to continue.
by Paul Huttner

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'I live with Standing Rock in my heart': Massive pipeline protest resonates 5 years later

'I live with Standing Rock in my heart': Massive pipeline protest resonates 5 years later

Tribal members who gathered at a small protest camp near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota were trying to stop the Dakota Access pipeline from crossing under the Missouri River nearby. The camp grew to thousands, and became an international movement. Its influence is still felt at pipeline and climate change protests, and in the lives of those who were at the camp.   
by Dan Gunderson

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AP interview: EPA head committed to 'scientific integrity'

AP interview: EPA head committed to 'scientific integrity'

The new head of the Environmental Protection Agency is taking steps to restore what he calls “scientific integrity” at the EPA. And one way Michael Regan is trying to do that is by reversing Trump administration actions that sidelined many academic scientists as advisers in favor of industry figures.
by The Associated Press

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Here's what's in President Biden's $2 trillion infrastructure proposal

Here's what's in President Biden's $2 trillion infrastructure proposal

The proposal would overhaul roads, transit, utilities, internet access and more in the name of creating jobs. It's also intended to combat climate change, racial inequality and competition from China.
by Scott Detrow

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Biden boosts offshore wind energy, wants to power 10M homes

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.
by The Associated Press

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More ice anglers leave behind more trash on frozen Minnesota lakes

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.
by Kirsti Marohn

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Minnesota home insurance premiums tripled as extreme weather increased

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.
by Paul Huttner

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Line 3 construction brings complication, controversy to Fond du Lac Reservation

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. 
by Dan Kraker

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