Energy / Environment

Jul 5, 2017

Infrastructure limits growth in wind power

By Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton TULSA, Okla. – Wind energy’s biggest expansion hurdle is not a lack of supply or demand. Or even local wildlife. It’s a matter of getting the energy from the turbine to the consumer. American wind power development may have to be curtailed by as much as 15.5 percent in some areas without additional transmission lines and upgrades to existing infrastructure, ac[...]

Jul 5, 2017

Fracking has transformed oil drilling, but carries risks

By Sarah Terry-Cobo OKLAHOMA CITY — One of the most important advancements for the modern oil and gas sector has become a household curse word. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is crucial to producing petroleum and natural gas and has transformed the U.S. industry in the last decade. Fracking is responsible for the industry’s success. But drilling companies must be upfront with the pub[...]

Jul 5, 2017

Solar installation increasing rapidly, unevenly

By Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton TULSA, Okla. — Solar power continues to shine in the U.S. But adoption across the nation has grown in fits and starts. The solar industry is experiencing rapid job growth, despite accounting for less than 1 percent of all consumed energy nationwide. U.S. employment in the solar industry grew 17 times faster than the American economy in 2016, with most of those jobs i[...]

Jul 5, 2017

Polls find more people like green energy

Sixty percent of Americans oppose President Donald Trump’s proposed 31-percent budget cut to the Environmental Protection Agency

Jul 28, 2016

New state office follows private sector’s lead in sustainability initiatives

Lt. Gov. Tina Smith announced the establishment of a new Office of Enterprise Sustainability in the state’s Department of Administration last week

Jun 22, 2016

Cleanup grants await Met Council approval

Snelling-Midway site recommended for $1.25M

Mar 3, 2016

DNR approves final environmental review for PolyMet mine

A plan for Minnesota's first copper-nickel mine passed a major milestone Thursday with the Department of Natural Resources approving the project's final environmental review, meaning the company can now start pursuing the long list of permits it needs to move forward. DNR Commissioner Tom Landwehr said he determined that the 3,500-page environmental impact statement for the proposed PolyMet min[...]

Mar 2, 2016

Recycling mandatory at commercial properties

A new state law that went into effect Jan. 1 requires commercial property owners in the seven-county Twin Cities region to have recycling and garbage-collection programs in place. Any buildings that collect more than 4 cubic yards of waste a week — about 60 standard-size trash bags — will have to fulfill the mandate. A building recycling program, under the law, has to collect at least three[...]

Mar 1, 2016

Dayton: PolyMet environmental announcement to come Thursday

Gov. Mark Dayton said Tuesday that his administration will announce on Thursday its long-awaited decision on whether it will approve the final environmental review for the proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine in northeastern Minnesota.

Feb 26, 2016

Leaving door open for TIF at Ford site

Final contamination analysis is nearly finished

Jan 6, 2016

CapX2020 project heats up in Rochester

Xcel Energy is nearing a big milestone for its $500 million high-voltage power line project in Rochester, part of a $2 billion initiative that’s touted as the Upper Midwest’s first major grid update in decades. Crews are expected to finish work this month on a 12-mile, 161-kilovolt transmission line into the Rochester area. The line is intended to improve service, accommodate growth in [...]

Jan 5, 2016

Sustainable: Resiliency in the age of climate change

The United Nations’ Paris conference that led to an agreement to slow global warming could not hide the reality that the environment is undergoing a dramatic transformation around the world. While Minnesota is not threatened by rising oceans or desertification, it does face threats caused by global warming, from flooding to temperatures that can span 100 degrees in a course of a year, leaving[...]