Minnesota Lawyer

Conservation Minnesota questions if Dayton's budget runs afoul of the strictures governing the Legacy amendment.

Former senators Dennis Frederickson and Bob Lessard are among new DNR commissioner Tom Landwehr's lieutenants.

Sen. Ellen Anderson is disappointed about being passed over in her bid to be reappointed to the Minnesota Legislative-Citizens Commission on Minnesota Resources.

Long-time energy policy guru Bill Grant has been named as the director of the energy office in the Minnesota Department of Commerce.

Gov. Mark Dayton has signed an executive order that sets expedited goals for state environmental agencies to approve permits. His order is similar to legislation authored by Republicans in the Legislature.

Five environmental groups have filed suit regarding the proposed PolyMet non-ferrous mining project on the Iron Range.

Amid heavy lobbying from mining interests in northern Minnesota, Mark Dayton named The Nature Conservancy's Tom Landwehr to head the state Department of Natural Resources.

State Rep. Tom Hackbarth is not out of the woods yet. He faces possible criminal charges for inconsistencies in his story about why he was armed in a Planned Parenthood parking lot after hours.

After more than a week of intrigue, Rep. Denny McNamara, R-Hastings, has been chosen to lead the House Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Policy and Finance Committee.

With preliminary damage assessments coming in at $64.1 million, Gov. Tim Pawlenty is asking President Obama to declare a disaster for flood-damaged areas of southern Minnesota.