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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Forest Service ordered to look into environmental effects of fire retardant
A federal judge in Montana has ordered the U.S. Forest Service to take a tougher look at the possibility that routinely dropping toxic fire retardant on wildfires from airplanes will kill endangered fish and plants.
The DNR sues a Minnesota township over housing construction too close to a lakeshore, a $360,000 training facility is being built for power line workers near Baudette, and Moorhead becomes one of about 50 Minnesota communities with ordinances punishing those who host parties knowing that underage drinking occurs. Reporter Dan Gunderson talks with host, Cathy Wurzer.
100 days of oil: Gulf life will never be the same
A hundred days ago, shop owner Cherie Pete was getting ready for a busy summer serving ice cream and po-boys to hungry fisherman. Local official Billy Nungesser was planning his wedding. Environmental activist Enid Sisskin was preparing a speech about the dangers of offshore drilling.
American Robert Dudley will become BP PLC's first ever non-British chief executive, the company said Tuesday as it reported a record quarterly loss and set aside $32.2 billion to cover costs of the devastating Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
BP's Hayward to leave as CEO; Russia job in works
Tony Hayward, who became the face of BP's flailing efforts to contain the massive Gulf oil spill, will step down as chief executive in October and be offered a job with the company's joint venture in Russia, a person familiar with the matter said Monday.
Green roofs may bring long-term energy savings
Walking past the blank concrete walls of Williamson Hall, it's hard to imagine the roof was once a maze of diverse plant life. The University of Minnesota research project on green roofs is coming to a close, but the question remains of what to do with the research.