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Environment

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Anthony Souffle/The Minnesota Star Tribune

Community members have been advocating for change for 30 years. The expected closure of the GAF Roofing site will not end their campaign.

A natural gas furnace. Natural gas prices have fallen this week and are in the throes of a two-month skid, thanks in part to plentiful supplies.
Frosted Birch trees reach for the sky on a bitter cold morning in December. ] Minnesota -State of Wonders, Arrowhead in Winter BRIAN PETERSON • brian.peterson@startribune.com
Grand Marais, MN 2/14/2014

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Lynx kittens spotted in Voyageurs for first time in years

A decade after scientists found “no resident lynx” in the park, a feline family passing by a trail camera gives hope.
January 15, 2026

New effort to open mining near BWCAW could undermine protections outside Minnesota

A novel use of the Congressional Review Act by Rep. Pete Stauber could remove a hurdle for Twin Metals while emboldening opponents of other similar bans.
January 15, 2026
Rising above the treeline (Top of this photo), on the shore of Birch Lake, the Twin Metals Copper Nickel Mine Plant site and Tailings Management site is part of the proposed plan. ] In theory, the copper-nickel mine Twin Metals wants to build in the headwaters of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is a zero-discharge mine -- a closed loop that will endlessly recycle millions of gallons of water, including rainwater and the polluted process water it uses to extract ore and

Grayson, Ely’s beloved 9-year-old ‘ambassador’ wolf, has died

The stark white arctic wolf at the International Wolf Center was still in good health. The cause of death is unknown.
January 13, 2026

Minnesota DNR approves exploratory mineral drilling near Boundary Waters

The agency allowed the project for Franconia Minerals despite criticism from environmentalist groups.
December 31, 2025

Mississippi River mining plan dredges up concerns about damage to natural areas

Dakota County and the Metropolitan Council, worried about effects on local parks, are asking for more information before the project moves forward.
December 27, 2025

Enbridge owes nearly $3 million for breaching aquifer during Line 3 construction in Minnesota

The breach in Aitkin County was one of four discovered in Minnesota.
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Stored pipeline at Enbridge's Superior, Wis., terminal from the end of 2019. The company's proposal to build a pipeline across northern Minnesota is still on hold. (AP Photo/Jim Mone, File)

Minnesota state park lake still mostly empty after draining in August

A valve malfunction caused Lake Alice at William O’Brien State Park to empty into the St. Croix River. The Minnesota DNR is still planning repairs.
December 24, 2025

Minnesota to launch ambitious moose recovery plan after 15-year decline

Wildlife managers will try to reshape up to 150,000 acres of forest to help moose survive in Minnesota.
December 20, 2025
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NDAs, code names and shell companies: How Minnesota officials support data center secrecy

Governments are signing non-disclosure agreements and concealing basic information about potential data centers.
December 18, 2025

‘Butcher bird’ strikes again

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December 17, 2025

Medical facilities improperly disposing body parts and bandages at municipal waste facility

Ramsey-Washington Recycling and Energy said sending infectious waste to municipal waste facilities violates state law and poses health and safety risks for workers.
December 16, 2025
Piles of trash are collected and sorted on the main tipping floor Thursday, Nov. 09, 2023, at Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy Center in Newport, Minn.

Scientists warn federal funding cuts could undermine walleye recovery in Minnesota

The Trump administration froze grant money awarded to the Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center in August and wants to cut its budget next year.
December 14, 2025
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