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.

DNR busts Minnesota snapping turtle poachers, frees turtles
Three men face charges tied to the illegal taking of snapping turtles. The DNR freed 23 turtles while executing a search warrant at a Frazee meat market. Other turtles weren't so lucky.
Rising temps make farming possible in subarctic Alaska
Some Alaskans are seeing warming temperatures as an opportunity to grow more food in areas that have to import much of what they eat.
Governor Mark Dayton says he intends to apply some of the policies created for a mine in Michigan to a proposed mine in northeastern Minnesota.
Halloween activity: Build a bat house
Still looking for a good way to celebrate Halloween? Saturday at the Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge in Bloomington, check out a celebration of bats.
Gov. Dayton's 'due diligence' on PolyMet copper mine
Gov. Mark Dayton is visiting two mines in neighboring states to inform his decision about a proposed mine in Minnesota: One is a Superfund site, the other a job creator.
Climate Cast: What is permafrost and why does it matter?
In this week's Climate Cast, the president of the International Permafrost Association explains the importance of the frozen soil and its connection to climate change.
Bee expert: USDA punished me for research on pesticides
A USDA scientist from South Dakota says officials retaliated after he publicized work showing bees and monarch butterflies can be harmed by a widely used class of insecticides.
Dayton: PolyMet must set aside funds for mine cleanup
After returning from a tour of an abandoned precious metals mine in South Dakota now in the midst of a multimillion dollar cleanup, the governor said the trip reinforced the need to make sure the state has money in hand for a reclamation effort.