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.

St. Paul adopts updates to bike plan, will add over 160 miles in next 15 years
Bicyclists will have an easier time navigating St. Paul in the future. This new reality comes on the heels of a move Wednesday night by the St. Paul City Council where members voted to build over 100 miles of new lanes and trails over the next 15 years. It’s a sweeping update since the city adopted its bike proposal in 2015.
How will Canada wildfires affect Minnesota air quality in 2024?
Drought, strong winds, warmer temperatures and a dry winter have created perfect conditions for a dangerous wildfire season — both here in Minnesota and across the border in Canada. Last summer, heavy smoke drifted south into Minnesota, causing a record number of air quality alerts.
Coal and new gas power plants will have to meet climate pollution targets
Fifteen years after the EPA said greenhouse gasses are a danger to public health, the agency finalized rules to limit climate-warming pollution from existing coal and new gas power plants.
Report: Twin Cities air quality improving, but climate change complicates cleanup
The American Lung Association released its 25th annual State of the Air report Wednesday and it shows air quality in the Twin Cities metro area improved slightly between 2020 and 2022.
American Crystal Sugar Company heavily fined for air quality violations
Moorhead based American Crystal Sugar Company has been fined $350,000 for air quality violations. Under a new state law, a portion of that money will go to a local community health board.
State regulators launch big Mississippi water monitoring project
State regulators gathered at the Mississippi River on Earth Day to announce a big undertaking: The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will test water along all 650 miles of the river within the state’s borders this year.
Sabathani Community Center in south Minneapolis celebrates sustainability projects
On Earth Day, Scott Redd stood with Rep. Ilhan Omar and Sen. Tina Smith in the parking lot of the Sabathani Community Center in south Minneapolis. They were there to celebrate the center — the city’s oldest African American community center — as a leader in sustainability and energy.
Broadband installation the leading cause of underground infrastructure damage
That's according to a brief released last week by North Star Policy Action, an independent research organization. Jake Schwitzer, the executive director of North Star, shared more of the findings and why some are raising concern.