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

Minnesota could become first state to ban antibacterial chemical triclosan

Minnesota could become first state to ban antibacterial chemical triclosan

The chemical has been around since the 1960s and more recently has been added to a long list of products -- from deodorant and face cream to toothpaste. University of Minnesota researchers, who have found increasing amounts of triclosan in lakes and rivers, say it can interact with chlorine and sunlight to form harmful dioxins in the environment.
by Elizabeth Dunbar

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Why farmers can prevent global warming just as well as vegetarians

Why farmers can prevent global warming just as well as vegetarians

A study argues that if we want to cut emissions from meat production, we should help farmers produce more meat with less land. Farmers also need incentives not to cut down forests to graze animals.
by Eliza Barclay

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Isle Royale wolf's death a blow to repopulation hopes

Isle Royale wolf's death a blow to repopulation hopes

The loss is a blow to an already struggling wolf population at Isle Royale, which has fallen sharply in recent years.
by Dan Kraker

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Should voluntary water regulations for farmers be made mandatory?

Should voluntary water regulations for farmers be made mandatory?

– Dave Peters, editor, Beneath the Surface, Minnesota’s Pending Ground Water Challenge You can’t talk about water use in Minnesota for long before you get around to talking about farming. That’s clear from two recent stories by MPR News. One, by MPR News reporter Dan Gunderson, showed how increased irrigation and leaching of nitrates from…
by MPR News Staff

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Bear researcher Lynn Rogers' permit at issue in hearing

Bear researcher Lynn Rogers' permit at issue in hearing

Lynn Rogers' work collaring research bears near Ely and placing web cams in their dens has won him legions of online fans and made him the star of several BBC documentaries. But it's also raised the ire of Minnesota's Department of Natural Resources.
by Dan Kraker

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Industry challenges EPA greenhouse gas rules at U.S. Supreme Court

Industry challenges EPA greenhouse gas rules at U.S. Supreme Court

The case focuses on a three-year-old requirement that companies get permits anytime they construct new power plants or modify existing ones that will emit a lot of greenhouse gases. Rhe court's ruling is not expected to threaten EPA's broader strategy to fight global warming.
by Elizabeth Shogren

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Study: Mpls. can reduce emissions and stay with Xcel

A study recommended the city instead negotiate an agreement with Xcel to buy greener forms of energy.
by Curtis Gilbert

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Super energy-efficient house a first for Twin Cities Habitat

Super energy-efficient house a first for Twin Cities Habitat

A new house in north Minneapolis, painted a stark red, is not only built to be green and energy efficient, but it generates its own energy.
by Liala Helal

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Daily Circuit asks: How sustainable is our water use?

Minnesota is rich in water, but our use of it seems less sustainable than it once did. Two state officials talked about water issues with Daily Circuit host Tom Weber.
by Dave Peters

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