D.C. Memo: The Klobuchar inauguration
What Minnesota’s delegation said about the inauguration, and more.
Gregg Aamot
Gregg Aamot is a longtime Minnesota journalist and college instructor. After getting his start at a newspaper in rural Minnesota, he spent a decade with The Associated Press in Minneapolis, reporting from many regions of the state. Aamot is the author of “The New Minnesotans: Stories of Immigrants and Refugees” and teaches English at Ridgewater College.
D.C. Memo: Most impeached president, ever
Minnesota’s delegation splits on impeachment vote; Klobuchar prepares to take the lead on Capitol riot investigation; and the feds tell Minnesota to expand COVID-19 vaccinations.
Scientific panel with U prof hopes review of Trump water rules gains traction with Biden administration
The report says Trump-era rules erased Clean Water Act protection for more than half of the wetlands in the United States and for 18 percent of the country’s streams.
D.C. Memo: All coup’d up
Omar drafts articles of impeachment; Fischbach sworn in; Emmer opposes $2,000 stimulus checks; and more.
D.C. Memo: Dean of the Problem Solvers
This week: House Republicans back a last-ditch election lawsuit; Omar softens her tone while Phillips toughens his.
D.C. Memo: Pony up
This week: Stillwater’s Denis McDonough joins the Biden administration; Republicans remain silent; and Dylan keeps being Dylan.
D.C. Memo: The Minnesota turkey vote
This week: Jake Sullivan talks diplomacy in a Biden administration, lawmakers eye more COVID relief, and the AP takes note of state Sen. Tom Bakk’s party switch.
Can solar power lead the Red Lake Nation toward energy independence?
In September, the Red Lake Band of Chippewa started working on the second phase of a 12-step solar project, a 240-kilowatt array atop the reservation’s workforce center in Red Lake.
How a citizen-led group hopes to keep invasive species out of the Boundary Waters
The group has managed to boost watercraft inspections on some lakes in the Ely area and to begin inspections on other lakes that have never been monitored for invasive species. But the region is vast.
No more ‘range anxiety’? How the MPCA, companies hope to allay a nagging concern about electric cars
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will fund the installation of as many as 38 “fast-charging” stations across the state – from Fairmont in the south to Warroad on the Canadian border.
MPCA unveils pilot program to fund six electric school buses in Minnesota
The agency is using money from the state’s share of a $2.9 billion settlement the federal government reached in 2016 with Volkswagen over the German car maker’s violation of emissions standards.
How the city of Baxter, in Minnesota lakes country, added 638 acres of woods to its footprint
The woodlands next to Camp Ripley, part of a landscape area designated for protection from development, promise to provide a wealth of hiking, canoeing and other outdoor pursuits.
Phasing out: Utilities, cities prepare for the end of coal-fired energy in Minnesota
The state’s largest utilities are planning to phase out most of their coal-fired plants by the end of the decade.
Water wars: Can a Sebeka farmer grow potatoes in the sandy soils of central Minnesota?
Tim Nolte’s irrigation proposal has become a highly charged, if small, part of a larger and ongoing debate about corporate farming, growing methods and the future of family farms.
University of Minnesota study shows declines in air pollution during the COVID pandemic
The study looked at nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter – types of pollution that can cause several health issues, including cardiovascular, respiratory and neurological illnesses.
Greater Minnesota solar projects highlight utility plans for speeding up the green economy
“It was nice to see that they gave us a lot to work with,” said Joseph Sullivan, the utilities commissioner who first floated the idea for sped-up projects in May. “They really stepped up.”
Anisa Hajimumin Q&A: DEED’s new assistant commissioner talks about jobs for immigrants and refugees — and our common aspirations
Earlier this week, DEED announced the hiring of Anisa Hajimumin as the agency’s new assistant commissioner for immigrant and refugee affairs.
Hawk Creek Watershed Project: How one Minnesota conservation group helps keep its local waters clean
Over the past three years, the HCWP has garnered about 25 percent of the federal funds that have been granted to watershed agencies in Minnesota – money those groups use for drainage ditches, embankments, rain gardens and other projects designed to protect local waters.
Can energy companies help Minnesota’s economy recover from the COVID pandemic?
MPUC Commissioner Joseph Sullivan challenged the state’s major energy companies to speed up the completion of projects that could put people to work.
Twenty petitions and 10,000 comments: A look at the public response to the Enbridge Line 3 water permit
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has agreed to review concerns about its permit for the Enbridge Line 3 project after four groups and 16 individuals petitioned the agency for a “contested case hearing.”
