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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.

Minnesota considers raising water permit fees

Minnesota considers raising water permit fees

Cities, industries and some livestock farmers could pay more for water quality permit fees under a proposal by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. But some cities and farmers are objecting, saying the money should come from the state's general fund instead.
by Kirsti Marohn

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Climate One series: John Browne on engineering the future

Climate One series: John Browne on engineering the future

For the Climate One series, Greg Dalton interviews John Browne about his book, “Make, Think, Imagine: Engineering the Future of Civilization.”
by MPR News Staff

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As regulations roll back, could clean water protection business dry up?

As regulations roll back, could clean water protection business dry up?

The Trump administration is stripping clean water protections put in place by President Obama, and some in the industry worry that the regulatory changes will threaten their business.
by Nick Mott

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Regulators revisit environmental review for Line 3 pipeline

Regulators revisit environmental review for Line 3 pipeline

Most of Friday's testimony strayed well beyond the narrow official scope of the proceedings into the broader questions of whether the project should even be built.
by The Associated Press

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State regulators to hear public comments on Line 3 pipeline project once again

State regulators to hear public comments on Line 3 pipeline project once again

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved the project, which would replace an aging Enbridge Energy oil pipeline across northern Minnesota, in June 2018. But last summer, the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled that the project first needed a revised environmental study in order to move forward. On Friday, the PUC will hear public comments on the new study.
by MPR News Staff

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As Xcel moves toward coal-free, will natural gas remain part of energy mix?

As Xcel moves toward coal-free, will natural gas remain part of energy mix?

Xcel Energy is proposing to replace a coal-fired power plant in Becker with a brand-new plant that would burn natural gas to generate electricity. The company says it needs natural gas as part of its transition to carbon-free electricity. But some climate advocates say building a new fossil fuel plant is unnecessary — and may be unwise.
by Kirsti Marohn

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Federal grand jury subpoenas 3M over chemical discharges

3M has been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury in connection to discharges from a chemical plant in northern Alabama that may not have complied with permit requirements.
by The Associated Press

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BBC World Service special: 'My Perfect City: Oslo'

BBC World Service special: 'My Perfect City: Oslo'

This hour, we head across the pond to get some ideas from Oslo, Norway about ways to improve our cities from an environmental, social and economic standpoint. Should Oslo get the "gold medal for urban living?"
by MPR News Staff

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Study: Young walleye are smaller in MN lakes with zebra mussels, spiny waterflea

Study: Young walleye are smaller in MN lakes with zebra mussels, spiny waterflea

A new University of Minnesota study has found that when lakes were infested with the two common aquatic invasive species, young walleye didn’t grow as large as quickly, as they did before the invaders arrived.
by Kirsti Marohn

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What's next for the Keystone XL pipeline in South Dakota

What's next for the Keystone XL pipeline in South Dakota

Plans for construction of the Keystone XL oil sands pipeline inched forward last week with several approvals at both the federal and state levels, but opponents in South Dakota say they haven’t given up on preventing, or at least slowing, the pipeline’s construction.
by The Associated Press

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