A collection of news and stories from around the state of Minnesota.
While Republicans have walked back from their demand that the state kill the new auto emissions standards, they now insist that a two-year delay in implementing them is key to any budget deal.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency says the latest rules are meant to address threats to drinking water and wildlife across much of the state. But the GOP, and a broad lineup of agriculture trade groups, have criticized the rules as inflexible.
“You are seeing a lot more of these cover crops,” said Odin farmer Tom Peterson. “Five years ago, you hardly saw any. The challenge, though, for that (farmer) on a corn and soybean rotation is getting a cover crop planted early enough in the fall. There’s not a lot of time.”
Independent state Sen. Tom Bakk and his DFL counterpart in the House, Rep. Fue Lee of Minneapolis, say they want to pass a bonding bill this year. But with two weeks to go in the session, Bakk’s committee has met just twice so far — and hasn’t passed any proposals.
The U’s West Central Research and Outreach Center is seeking money from the federal government and the state Legislature to fund a deeper dive into alternative energy storage — and some local lawmakers appear to be interested.
The EPA is partially disapproving Minnesota’s most recent Clean Water Act Impaired Waters List because the list doesn’t include any rivers or lakes loaded with sulfate, which kills off wild rice beds over time.
The DNR has settled on a 750-mile route that it plans to soon mark with signage and begin promoting as an “adventure trail.”
When it comes to the chance of virus spread, not all outdoor gatherings are equal.
The increase in many Minnesotans’ home heating bills is because of cold weather elsewhere. When an arctic blast froze Texas in mid-February, natural gas supply seized up as demand skyrocketed, driving up prices.
While the money has been celebrated by child care advocates, the windfall has also raised questions over how best to use it.
A few districts and charter schools plan to be in distance learning for at least several more weeks, including the largest district in Greater Minnesota: Rochester.
Among the Walz administration’s efforts, its proposed budget would allow the MPCA to beef up its enforcement of emissions standards – the lack of which, the agency says, often creates inequities.
The chaos in the South that drove up natural gas prices will significantly affect Minnesotans’ heating bills. Here’s what state lawmakers and regulators are looking to do about it.
The plan has the support of several industry groups, notably taconite mining, and some Minnesota cities. Many environmental groups and several tribal governments are lined up against it.
Even after Walz announced a relaxation of limits on in-person learning for middle and high schools in Minnesota, the state Senate moved to make sure he could never again have the ability to close classrooms in the first place.
Even as top lawmakers pledge to negotiate a compromise over funding for extra security for the trial of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, the episode has highlighted the deep divisions between the state’s rural and urban areas.
Though the program — which allows those who invest in early-stage Minnesota businesses to claim a 25 percent tax credit — has been popular, it has come nowhere near its goals for boosting startups by nontraditional owners.
The idea is to entice law enforcement from other parts of Minnesota to help with security around the trial for the ex-Minneapolis police officer charged with killing George Floyd. But the plan has already faced opposition from legislative Republicans.
Companies that could quickly build out fiber optic internet have been squeezed out of areas covered by a federal grant to a company with limited resources and experience, something state funders said was necessary to avoid duplicate use of taxpayer money.
