Environmental News

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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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Creating a throw-away culture: How companies ingrained plastics in modern life
Plastic has become embedded in everyday life. That’s because for the last 70 years, the plastics industry convinced consumers to embrace the material for its low cost and disposability.
Meetings planned on nitrate contamination in southeast Minnesota water
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency declared state agencies need to take additional steps to protect drinking water in southeast Minnesota. The region’s karst geology makes wells especially susceptible to nitrate contamination from fertilizer, manure and wastewater.
Residents complain of water problems after Elko New Market pumping test
The residents say the changes occurred late last year, the same time the city was conducting an aquifer test by pumping groundwater at higher-than-normal rates. The pump test was prompted by a proposal by a California-based company, Niagara Bottling, to build a facility in Elko New Market to produce bottled water. 
Dead animals recovered from animal rescue with years of accusations
In February, Fridley police got a tip about animal abuse at Happy Tails Rescue, a ‘no-kill’ rescue organization that takes in abandoned cats and dogs in need of a home. In late May, Fridley police seized more than 50 animals from the shelter — including 13 dead cats and two dead dogs. 
Minnesota ID‘s first case of avian influenza in a dairy herd
A Benton County farmer noticed signs of illness in a few cows last weekend. By the next day, more than 40 cows showed signs of fever, state animal health officials said Thursday. They say the risk to the public from the virus remains low “at this time.”
Black-led nature retreat center faces pushback on North Shore
A nature-based retreat center planned outside Two Harbors aimed at providing a restorative getaway for Black, Indigenous and people of color, is receiving pushback from some local residents over concerns of noise, traffic, and other impacts on their rural “way of life.” 
Minnesota e-bike rebates: 7 questions, answered
The Minnesota Department of Revenue will accept up to 10,000 rebate applications and review them on a first-come, first-served basis. The site, though, crashed Wednesday morning after it launched. Officials say they’re working on a fix.