Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now

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.

Submit a question or story for Getting to Green here.

Climate Cast

Listen to Climate Cast, the MPR News podcast all about our changing climate and its impact in Minnesota and worldwide.

Toledo bans tap water after algae toxins found

The water ban is affecting more than 400,000 people and the governor has declared a state of emergency. Officials are telling some residents to avoid showering with the water, reports Toledo News Now, and to make sure their children and pets stay away from it, as well.

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Mosquito numbers down, West Nile virus still a threat

Mosquito numbers down, West Nile virus still a threat

The heat of August, paired with the heavy rains and flooding of early summer, have created conditions perfect for mosquitoes carrying the virus.
by MPR News Staff

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Iraq's fight against militants shifts to control of water

Iraq's fight against militants shifts to control of water

Islamist extremists have pushed Iraq into crisis. They have taken towns and cities, roads and bridges, and Iraq's army can't seem to push them back. Now the militants and the army are battling for control of the two great rivers that flow through Iraq: the Tigris and the Euphrates. The extremists are believed to have skilled water engineers among their number, and if they control Iraq's waterways, they could create serious disasters.
by Alice Fordham

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

DNR shuts down SE Minn. sand mine, requires new permit

Houston County gave the Erickson Mine permission to start mining silica sand, but a 2013 law requires a DNR permit for mines if they are located near trout streams within an area known as the Paleozoic Plateau.
by Elizabeth Dunbar

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

State: EPA wrong to reverse Mesabi Nugget ruling

The EPA approved the state's water quality variance for Mesabi Nugget in 2012, allowing the facility to exceed water quality standards for four pollutants: hardness, bicarbonates, conductivity and total dissolved solids. But the EPA reversed itself earlier this month.
by Elizabeth Dunbar

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
How to make the Vikings stadium more bird-friendly

How to make the Vikings stadium more bird-friendly

Sharon Stiteler, who blogs at BirdChick.com, joined MPR News' Tom Crann to discuss the concerns of the Audubon Society about the new Vikings stadium and possible solutions.
by Tom Crann

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Charting Minnesota's future water supply

Charting Minnesota's future water supply

The Legislature asked the Met Council to study possible solutions both to White Bear Lake's low water and to concerns about unsustainable groundwater pumping in the region.
by Elizabeth Dunbar and Dave Peters

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!
Erosion exposes Enbridge oil pipelines near river in NW Minn.

Erosion exposes Enbridge oil pipelines near river in NW Minn.

Flooding has uncovered three of seven Enbridge Corporation pipelines that cross the river, pipes that largely carry crude oil from Canada across Minnesota. Although the pipelines generally are buried three to four feet below ground, in some places erosion has exposed them to the elements.
by Dan Gunderson

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!