Environment

Canadian Pacific Kansas City railway said some of the cars that derailed near Lancaster, Minn., were carrying hazardous materials, but said “the initial assessment by first responders on the scene is that there are no leaks from the rail cars.”

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources says it intends to rewrite its mining rules to better protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area from noise and light pollution, by expanding a mining buffer zone around the wilderness.

More than a dozen fires were continuing to burn on Tuesday, and officials said over 16,000 people had evacuated under a mandatory order.

State and federal land managers are warning of extreme fire danger across northeastern Minnesota, as a lack of precipitation, low humidity, warm temperatures and strong winds combine to create ideal conditions for wildfires.

The announcement is the latest development in what has been a years-long issue in California: insurance companies dropping homeowners because of the growing risk of wildfires.

Since 1987, this is only the 10th bear attack involving serious injuries documented by the DNR.

The four canoers set out from the headwaters at Itasca State Park in Minnesota on May 10. They made their way south accompanied by a team of assistants who travelled alongside the canoe by boat and road.

Local and state officials are monitoring a gasoline leak discovered earlier this week at a gas station in Lake Crystal, Minn., west of Mankato.

The U.S. Supreme Court placed new restrictions on the scope of the jurisdiction the Clean Water Act has over wetlands, ruling in favor of Idaho landowners who had challenged the law.

The University of Minnesota has received a $10 million grant to lead a multi-state effort to help rural, tribal and underserved communities apply for and secure federal resources for climate action. The grant will go towards creating technical assistance centers in six states that are scheduled to open this summer.