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.

Bill could help curb oversalting during Minnesota winters
A bill aimed at reducing the amount of salt used by commercial businesses that treat driveways, sidewalks and parking lots is getting traction this year in the Minnesota Legislature.
Army Corps of Engineers grants final permit for PolyMet mine
PolyMet Mining Corp. has received the final permit it needs to proceed with building Minnesota's first copper-nickel mine, the company and the Army Corps of Engineers announced Friday.
Floods show national security threat posed by climate change
The military has warned that climate change is a security threat on many fronts. That includes "through direct impacts on U.S. military infrastructure and by affecting factors, including food and water availability, that can exacerbate conflict outside U.S. borders," the government's grim climate report said last year.
Hungry wolves may get new home at Isle Royale National Park
A U.S.-Canadian team prepared Thursday for another mission to relocate gray wolves to Isle Royale National Park in Michigan from a second Lake Superior island, where the predators are in danger of starvation after gobbling up a caribou herd.
What do you do with a dead solar panel?
As solar power becomes more common, so does its waste, making solar recycling crucial.
Great Lakes feeling the burn from climate change
The Great Lakes region is warming faster than the rest of the U.S., a trend likely to bring more extreme storms while also degrading water quality, worsening erosion and posing tougher challenges for farming, an environmental advocacy group said Thursday.
Minnesota's famed winter isn't what it used to be
Minnesota is among the fastest warming states, and Minnesota's winters are warming faster than its other seasons. Data show that since 1970, Minnesota's winters have warmed at an average rate of 1.1 degrees per decade -- that's more than five times faster than the rate of winter warming in previous years.
U.S. judge blocks oil, gas drilling over climate change
A judge has blocked oil and gas drilling on almost 500 square miles in Wyoming. The order marks the latest in a string of court rulings over the past decade faulting the government's consideration of emissions when issuing energy leases.
5 key points from a new report on Minnesota electricity
A new analysis from BloombergNEF shows the state is rapidly changing how it produces electricity.
Hear the new EPA chief Andrew Wheeler on cars, coal and climate
The newly confirmed EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler speaks about climate change, personal transportation, the future of coal and more.