Golden Valley’s attempt to close home ownership gap met with questions about equity
Some residents are asking why the city is pursuing affordable housing next to a freeway.
Environment
A look at the four bills regulating PFAS chemicals being considered at the Minnesota Legislature
Often referred to as “forever chemicals,” PFAS are found in products ranging from carpet to cleaning products to cosmetics.
Critical of Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, some DFLers want to revive citizens board idea
The proposed eight-member “community board” would vote alongside the MPCA commissioner on permits for things like new dairy farms and mining projects.
Public Utilities Commission vice chair on how regulators will approach Minnesota 100% carbon-free law
MinnPost caught up with PUC vice chair Joe Sullivan last week about whether the electric sector can hit goals in the landmark climate law and whether he’s concerned about reliability of the grid.
Great Lakes pollution threatens Ojibwe treaty rights to fish
PFAS are the latest concern in Lake Superior, where fishing is central to the lifeways of the Red Cliff Band and other Indigenous nations.
The long, bitter fight over Minneapolis’ Roof Depot site, explained
An occupation-style protest against tearing down an East Phillips warehouse — and a judge’s last-minute order halting the demolition — were two new twists last week in a drama that’s lasted almost a decade.
With carbon-free law in place, Minnesota Democrats now debating whether to mandate energy storage
A thorny debate has been emerging at the Legislature over whether lawmakers should pass more regulations on the electricity sector after requiring utilities to be carbon-free by 2040. One Democrat hopes to jumpstart construction of batteries to store wind and solar power.
Snow dazed and amused: Rochester superintendent’s video goes viral after blizzard that wasn’t
After Rochester superintendent lampoons his own bad call, students draw on Shakespeare, sleep research and outright flattery to plead for snow days.
Impressed by the snow? That’s nothing compared to Minnesota’s 60-below record Tower set in 1996
While Tower holds the record, the local weather guy in Embarrass had one of his thermometers break during the extreme cold.
How energy incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act could worsen Midwest water pollution
Billions of dollars worth of clean energy incentives rely on raw materials from polluting corn and livestock.
9 things to know about Minneapolis-St. Paul snowstorm response plans and how you can help
Where and when should I move my car? Should I put my trash out? Answers to these, and other important questions as the Twin Cities straps in for a potential record-breaking storm.
How this snowstorm and this season stack up to Minnesota winters past
How does what’s in the forecast for this week compare to snowstorms of yesteryear? And how does this season stack up to historic records and averages?
A slew of state proposals shows threat of ‘forever chemicals’
Lawmakers in Alaska, Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont are expected to offer proposals that would take on PFAS in products across a multitude of industries.
How small city utilities are grappling with Minnesota’s new 100% carbon-free standard
Hibbing has a biomass plant, while Princeton has backup diesel generators. Could they and other city utilities be forced to find alternative power sources?
For years, St. Paul took a hands-off approach to trash collection. Now, the city might start buying garbage trucks
The city council’s vote this week highlights just how much St. Paul has changed on this issue in a short amount of time.
Democrats wrestle with studying ‘advanced’ nuclear energy in wake of Minnesota carbon-free bill
The research might be something of an olive branch from Democrats to minority Republicans, who lambasted the DFL for refusing to lift a ban on new nuclear plants in the landmark electricity regulations signed by Gov. Tim Walz on Tuesday.
Minnesota’s carbon emissions on track to meet climate goals set in 2007
It’s a significant moment for DFL lawmakers and Gov. Tim Walz’s administration as they push to slash pollution that causes climate change, but the news comes with significant caveats, including pandemic-related reductions.
A guide to the Minnesota DFL’s 100% carbon-free standard
The bill, which would steer utilities toward a carbon-free electric grid is simple in concept, but is full of exceptions, carve-outs and off-ramps.
Biden administration imposes 20-year mining moratorium in watershed of BWCA
The moratorium will bar Twin Metals from constructing a proposed copper, cobalt and nickel mine.
Q&A: Michael Noble departs Fresh Energy with optimism for future of climate policy
Noble and Fresh Energy played a significant role in the passing of the 2007 Next Generation Energy Act, signed by Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, landmark climate legislation that required Minnesota to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent between 2005 and 2050.
