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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July 15, 2020 2:55 PM

Trump looks to curb landmark environmental act for projects

President Donald Trump announce changes Wednesday to the National Environmental Policy Act's regulations for how and when authorities must conduct environmental reviews, making it easier to build highways, pipelines, chemical plants and other projects.

by The Associated Press

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July 14, 2020 3:38 PM

Biden outlines $2 trillion climate plan

The former vice president's initiative calls to chart the United States on "an irreversible path" to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

by Alana Wise

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July 14, 2020 6:41 AM

North Dakota urges court to halt Dakota Access line shutdown

North Dakota is urging a federal appeals court to block a judge’s order to shut down the Dakota Access Pipeline.

by The Associated Press

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July 10, 2020 5:45 PM

Pandemic bike boom gives cities permission to green their streets

A survey of residents in six European countries found 75 percent of respondents supported maintaining changes to streets that have allowed for more biking and socially-distant walking during the pandemic.

by Paul Huttner and Megan Burks

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July 7, 2020 6:37 PM

U of M Morris now carbon neutral on electricity

The latest milestone means the balance of the electricity the university uses is generated from clean energy sources that don’t give off carbon dioxide, which contributes to climate change.

by Kirsti Marohn

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July 7, 2020 4:12 PM

Judge rejects Dakota Access request for emergency order

A federal judge rejected a request for an emergency order to delay the process of shutting down the Dakota Access pipeline while attorneys appeal a ruling to shutter the pipeline during the course of an environmental review.

by The Associated Press

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July 6, 2020 10:55 PM

UN predicts rise in diseases that jump from animals to humans

Zoonotic pathogens, which include not only COVID-19, but HIV/AIDS and Ebola, have increasingly emerged due to stresses humans have placed on animal habitats, according to a new United Nations report.

by Scott Neuman

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July 6, 2020 8:56 AM

Judge orders Dakota Access pipeline shut down pending review

A federal judge says the Dakota Access pipeline must be shut down and drained of oil within 30 days.

by Dan Gunderson and The Associated Press

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July 3, 2020 6:29 PM

Holiday weekend brings streams of visitors to state parks; fire threat rises in NE Minn.

State parks across Minnesota are seeing an increase in visitors this season, as people seek outdoor activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

by Dan Kraker and Kirsti Marohn

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July 2, 2020 1:00 PM

Crop failure rate for wild rice is increasing with climate change

Climate change is taking a significant toll on wild rice in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and the plant's significance to Ojibwe communities makes finding a solution all the more delicate — and dire.

by Paul Huttner and Megan Burks

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