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

Boundary Waters wildfires bring grief over forest loss, but hope for long-term renewal

Boundary Waters wildfires bring grief over forest loss, but hope for long-term renewal

Wildfires that officials say will burn into the fall have already scorched more than 70,000 acres, including huge swaths of the wilderness. But experts say fire is needed for a healthy forest.
by Dan Kraker

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Residents of northern Minnesota lake community voice skepticism about mining manganese

Residents of northern Minnesota lake community voice skepticism about mining manganese

The mineral is an important component of lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles, buses and power tools. But the prospect of an underground mine less than 2 miles from downtown Emily has many local residents worried about potential impacts on water, air and their quality of life.
by Kirsti Marohn

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Minnesota offering $1.7M to aid communities hurt by emerald ash borer

Minnesota offering $1.7M to aid communities hurt by emerald ash borer

Rachael Dvoracek, a community forestry project specialist for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, spoke with MPR News about the grants that will focus on removing, treating or replacing trees infested by emerald ash borer.
by Clay Masters and Ben Revier

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Talon Metals tweaks its Tamarack nickel mine plan. Will it be enough to win state approval?

Talon Metals tweaks its Tamarack nickel mine plan. Will it be enough to win state approval?

Talon Metals’ proposed mine reaches a milestone today, when the public for the first time has a chance to comment on the project. Despite changes the mine still faces opposition from the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe and others.
by Dan Kraker

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Twin Cities singles trade dating apps for buckthorn removal

Twin Cities singles trade dating apps for buckthorn removal

The Buckthorn Removal Singles Club meets every Sunday at a Minneapolis park to remove invasive plant species and create connections.
by Nicole Ki

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PUC approves permits for big solar power and energy storage project in southern Minnesota

The Lake Charlotte Solar project would generate 150 megawatts of electricity and would provide 600 megawatt hours of energy storage in a battery system in Rutland Township in Martin County. It would be built by Geronimo Power on more than 1,000 acres of land in the township.
by Hannah Yang

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Audit finds shortcomings in Minnesota farm program to protect water quality

Audit finds shortcomings in Minnesota farm program to protect water quality

The report from the Office of the Legislative Auditor released Friday found the Minnesota Department of Agriculture certified and provided financial assistance to some farmers who didn’t meet all the program’s standards.
by Kirsti Marohn

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Wildfires force Forest Service to close access to parts of Boundary Waters, ban campfires

Wildfires force Forest Service to close access to parts of Boundary Waters, ban campfires

The U.S. Forest Service is closing public access to a large swath of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area northwest of Ely, and the agency has also banned campfires, as several small wildfires burn in the wilderness.
by Dan Kraker

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