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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.

How to prepare your garden for the coming 'snowpocalypse'

How to prepare your garden for the coming 'snowpocalypse'

University of Minnesota gardening expert said laziness and patience will pay off for those Minnesota gardeners who haven't pruned or uncovered their plants ahead of this week's blizzard.
by Elizabeth Shockman

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Are plastic bag bans garbage?

Are plastic bag bans garbage?

The national movement to get rid of plastic bags is gaining steam -- with more than 240 cities and counties passing laws that ban or tax them since 2007. But one economist who studied bag regulations in California found it was a classic tale of unintended consequences.
by Greg Rosalsky

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Walz administration renews challenge to Line 3 oil pipeline

Gov. Tim Walz says his administration has renewed its challenge to a regulatory panel's approval of Enbridge Energy's plan to replace its aging Line 3 crude oil pipeline across northern Minnesota.
by Associated Press

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Could springtime flooding lead to spread of invasive carp?

Could springtime flooding lead to spread of invasive carp?

This spring's widespread flooding across the Midwest has brought destruction and economic hardship in Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri. Minnesota, still in the midst of the spring flooding season, has seen rivers swell and tributaries spill their banks.
by Kirsti Marohn

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Southern Minn. rivers likely to rise again from spring snowstorm melt; Red River Valley remains hopeful

Southern Minn. rivers likely to rise again from spring snowstorm melt; Red River Valley remains hopeful

Just as celebrations of "ideal conditions" and the "perfect melt" began creeping into talk of the spring flood season in Minnesota, the reminder that spring can be unpredictable has arrived: Several forecasts suggest the state might be in for a walloping wintry storm by the end of the week.
by MPR News Staff

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Big cities, bright lights and up to 1 billion bird collisions

Big cities, bright lights and up to 1 billion bird collisions

When birds migrate, they can become attracted to and disoriented by artificial lights. The result: they end up colliding with skyscrapers and other buildings. Minneapolis is among the most dangerous cities for birds.
by Lindsey Feingold

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Crookston's Red Lake River forecast, prep looks good -- so far; Red River continues its rapid rise near Fargo

Crookston's Red Lake River forecast, prep looks good -- so far; Red River continues its rapid rise near Fargo

While cities and towns in the southern part of the state slowly exhale as floodwaters slowly recede, they do so with caution. Heavy rain or snow could cause the rivers to rise and crest yet again. And in the Red River Valley in northwestern Minnesota, forecasters expect a series of crests downriver beginning this weekend.
by Dan Gunderson and MPR News Staff

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Pipeline opponents ask judge to strike down Trump's permit

Pipeline opponents ask judge to strike down Trump's permit

Opponents of the long-stalled Keystone XL oil pipeline asked a federal court Friday in a lawsuit to declare President Trump acted illegally when he issued a new permit for the project in a bid to get around an earlier court ruling.
by Associated Press

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Corporate risk, opportunity from climate change

A new report details climate change risks and opportunities major companies see impacting their bottom line.
by Paul Huttner

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Family-run Iron Range furnace company hopes clean design will pay off

Family-run Iron Range furnace company hopes clean design will pay off

Lamppa Manufacturing makes the cleanest-burning wood furnace in the country. And it's preparing for a big expansion, just as the federal government is about to tighten its regulations on wood heaters. The new rules could give Lamppa a leg up on its competition -- but only if the EPA leaves them in place.
by Dan Kraker

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