PolyMet is now owned by Switzerland’s Glencore. Why it matters
Glencore brings a hefty bankroll, a wealth of experience in the field — and a history of labor issues and pollution problems.
Environment
With parasitic mites in ascendance, honeybee losses reach a grim new high
A principal researcher says he worries about commercial beekeepers, not their honeybees, disappearing if trends continue.
St. Paul joins Minnesota cities planning for action on climate change
St. Paul’s plan is currently in draft form, and the city is accepting comments now. The big goal is to become carbon neutral within 30 years.
PolyMet, the EPA, and the accusations against the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, explained
As PolyMet marches toward construction, new questions have emerged about a critical state water permit issued by the MPCA.
What the historic floods of 2019 show about the folly of engineering U.S. rivers
Great recent reads on disrupted river transport nationwide, a long history of trying to make the Mississippi behave, and the ongoing crisis in getting barges through New Orleans.
What is Amy Klobuchar’s stance on copper-nickel mining?
Minnesota’s senior senator has long been a champion of the iron industry. Her position on copper-nickel mining, however, remains something of a mystery — to those on both sides of the issue.
Once a world leader in creating public lands, U.S. now leads in shrinking them
The driver is industrial use, like mining and logging, and the pace of lifting protections is accelerating.
EPA releases long-sought comments on PolyMet permit
The document provides powerful ammunition for critics of MPCA’s role in permitting the state’s first copper-nickel mine.
Climate change causes ‘roller coaster’ mercury levels in Wisconsin fish
Researchers find that climate change-caused variations in Wisconsin lake levels have begun to reverse recent gains in controlling environmental mercury.
Minnesota’s Legislative Water Commission, left in limbo, hopes for quick resuscitation
It was either an innocent snafu, partisan budget negotiations gone awry or a mix of the two. But either way, the LWC is stuck in government purgatory — granted new funding but still set to sunset on July 1.
Climate change is driving rapid shifts between high and low water levels on the Great Lakes
In May, new high water level records were set on Lakes Erie and Superior, and there has been widespread flooding across Lake Ontario for the second time in three years.
A setback for Line 3: What the latest court ruling means for the future of the project
The Minnesota Court of Appeals reversed a decision by the state’s Public Utilities Commission, a ruling that may delay Enbridge’s progress toward building the 337-mile pipeline.
New energy finance still flows heavily to the same old fuels, global study finds
The world is off-track for long-term sustainability, and maybe for meeting short-term demand growth as well.
An illustrated guide to the signs of Minnesota summer
More phenology fun.
How a bipartisan plan to ban the use of carcinogenic TCE fell apart at the Minnesota Legislature
Both the House and the Senate voted to outlaw TCE, and Minnesota would have been the first state in the country to end the use of the chemical, commonly used as an industrial solvent. But neither bill ultimately became law.
‘An absolute failure’: Why the Legislature’s energy and climate budget does a whole lot of nothing
Despite a fair bit of common ground between House DFLers and Senate Republicans, a conference committee on the topics deadlocked.
Air pollution may damage every organ in the human body, research review finds
Fine particulates are linked to cataracts; also, they may travel directly from nose to brain, bypassing lungs.
Budget deal looks to address chronic wasting disease, even as Legislature sidesteps more controversial environmental issues
The CWD legislation was a top priority for Republicans and DFLers in the Legislature’s environmental committees, though they differed on how best to address the issue.
Amid a million coming extinctions, some reasons for hope: A Q&A with the U of M’s Kate Brauman
Brauman is one of the coordinating lead authors of a global report on plant and animal extinction.
Air pollution afflicts nearly all of U.S. national parks, 33 at city-like levels
If you’re planning to visit Sequoia this summer, best check for smog alerts; on many days the ozone is as bad as L.A.’s.
