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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Muskie-walleye war on NW Minnesota lake snags DNR
Critics say stocking muskie in Otter Tail County's Pelican Lake hurts walleye fishing. The DNR says there's no proof. The questions, however, are pulling the agency waist deep into another Minnesota fish fight.
Five solutions to our water crisis
Many of the nation's water-supply systems need expensive improvements. And in the West and elsewhere, utilities are focused on finding enough water to meet demand. Although the problems are complex, experts generally agree on some basic solutions.
The water crisis is already here, struggling inches below our feet
Cheap water is something Americans have come to take for granted, but farm runoff, drought, and aging infrastructure threaten this increasingly precious resource. Just as with crumbling bridges or congested highways, the solutions don't come cheap.
Waterfowl hunting season opens; DNR testing for bird flu
Waterfowl numbers in North America this year are above the 30-year average. DNR crews will test the migrating birds for avian influenza, with a focus on western and central Minnesota.
DNR, Zoo release rare bison herd into state park
The Department of Natural Resources says there were once an estimated 30 million to 60 million bison in North America.
Dan Olson's 'Minnesota Sounds and Voices' special
Highlights from Dan Olson's "Minnesota Sounds and Voices" series, including forest ecologist AmberBeth Van Ningen, dancer Nancy Raddatz, Kathy Dummer of Blue Mounds State Park, educator Jamal Abdur Salaam, Dakota educator Sisoka Duta, jazz man Butch Thompson, the Rev. Dr. Barbara Holmes and piper Dick Hensold with members of Messiah's Men.
U.S., China unveil plan to curb greenhouse gases
The proposal includes a nationwide cap-and-trade system beginning in 2017. China and the United States are the No. 1 and No. 2 emitters of heat-trapping carbon pollution.
Three Minnesota utilities that rely heavily on coal-fired power say they expect electricity rates to go up under new federal carbon rules aimed at addressing climate change.
Cities bear rising cost of keeping water safe to drink
Algae blooms in Lake Erie, fed by agriculture runoff and overflowing sewer pipes, have become so toxic that they shut down Toledo's water system for two days last summer and have the city looking at spending millions to avoid a repeat.