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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.

Crews cleaning up oil spilled in train derailment near Minnesota-Ontario border

Cleanup of crude oil continued Thursday at the scene of a train derailment in Ontario near the Rainy River, just across the border from Minnesota. Railway officials said the oil had been contained on-site.
by Andrew Krueger

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Becker recycling plant fire burns for 3rd day

Becker recycling plant fire burns for 3rd day

Firefighters are battling a stubborn fire at a metal recycling plant for a third consecutive day. The fire at the Northern Metal Recycling plant in Becker is unleashing noxious, billowing smoke.
by The Associated Press

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Rural lawmakers push back against 'clean cars' proposal

Rural lawmakers push back against 'clean cars' proposal

The Walz plan would create a rule managed by the state Pollution Control Agency designed to make more low- and zero-emission vehicles available for sale in Minnesota. But rural Republican state senators say the proposal should have gone through the Legislature instead of an agency rule-making process.
by Dan Kraker

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Fire in Becker scrap metal yard continues to send smoke over a wide area

Fire in Becker scrap metal yard continues to send smoke over a wide area

After 40 hours battling a blaze in a scrap metal yard, fire crews in Becker, Minn. are changing tactics that they expect will create even more intense smoke conditions, as the fire is expected to burn for several more days.
by Matt Sepic

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Lead-free program for MN loons gets green light

Lead-free program for MN loons gets green light

A Senate committee has cleared the way for Minnesota to receive federal funding to help the state's loons.
by Kirsti Marohn

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How warming winters are affecting everything

How warming winters are affecting everything

Winters are warming faster than summers in many places, and colder parts of the U.S. are warming faster than hotter ones. The warming winter climate has year-round consequences across the country.
by Amy Mayer, Molly Samuel, Mose Buchele, Nat Herz, Lauren Sommer, Patty Wight and Michael Elizabeth Sakas

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Winter veggie gardens bloom in Minnesota as home greenhouse options grow

Winter veggie gardens bloom in Minnesota as home greenhouse options grow

New energy-efficient structures are enabling homeowners and small farmers to grow veggies year-round. “There isn't a whole lot you can't grow,” says the founder of GroShed — even when it's 30 below zero, the days are short or the sun is weak.
by Martin Moylan

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In long-running dispute over water and land in Pineland Sands, a farmer is caught in the middle

In long-running dispute over water and land in Pineland Sands, a farmer is caught in the middle

Cattle rancher Tim Nolte's plan to expand his farm has gotten caught up in a yearslong debate over the effects of changing land use on the water of the Pineland Sands region, which covers four counties in north-central Minnesota.
by Kirsti Marohn

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In northern Minn., neighbors navigate the bitter fight over copper-nickel mining

In northern Minn., neighbors navigate the bitter fight over copper-nickel mining

The conflict over copper-nickel mining in northern Minnesota typically divides people into two camps: Those who think it can be done while also protecting the nearby wilderness — and those who think it can't. But for many who live near the proposed mines, the issue isn't always so black and white.
by Dan Kraker

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