Environment
Clean energy opponents' honesty questioned by Pat Kessler
The big business lobbying liars are on the air here in Minnesota with ANOTHER campaign of lies and information -- this time it's about the "cap and trade" program in the climate bill, which just started to be heard in a Senate committee this week.MORE »
Power lines re-energize eminent domain debate
A group of frustrated landowners said they want lawmakers to level the playing field between themselves and utility companies in disputes over the siting of new power lines.
Russell Martin of Elko is among several property owners who said loopholes in state law allow power companies to effectively bully landowners into selling their property for less than it's worth.MORE »
Green-gloved trash-sifter
When lunch is a slice of pizza and a carton of chocolate milk, sorting the trash is easy: pizza crust, milk carton and napkin in the green organics bin, Styrofoam tray in the trash. A brown bag lunch brought from home is more complex. "Could you please empty that?" I ask. Wordlessly, the student shakes baggies, a granola bar wrapper and an empty chip bag into the red trash bin. She looks at me, holding up the paper bag. "Organics," I say, pointing to the green bin. "Food and paper go in here to make compost." MORE »
NEWS DAY | Farmland conservation: Not so much
Millions of acres of fragile farmland, taken out of production and put into the Conservation Reserve Program, is now being returned to production, reports AP. The reason: a cap on farmland in the Conservation Reserve Program, imposed by the 2008 Farm Bill.MORE »
Cleaning up Powderhorn Lake
"How did all this trash get into the lake?" asked Hayley. The third grader was one of a small crew plucking litter out of Powderhorn Lake on a recent blustery Saturday. We hardy neighbors faced frigid winds as we extended our EasyGrab reachers and household rakes into the cold basin to pull up plastic bags, bus transfer tickets and soda straws.
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NEWS DAY | Coal loses, from Big Stone to Ashland
The Star Tribune reports that developers of the $1.6 billion, coal-powered, Big Stone II power plant in South Dakota have abandoned the project.MORE »
Chemicals, food ingredients and learning disorders
Much of the U.S. regulatory system covering toxins is based on assessing individual chemicals and their effects on human health, rather than what happens in the real world-where we are exposed to multiple chemicals that interact with each other in a variety of ways. In a new article published in the peer-reviewed Behavioral and Brain Functions Journal, led by former FDA researcher Renee Default and co-authored by IATP's David Wallinga, M.D., among others, researchers look at the links between child learning and behavior disorders, low-level mercury exposure, mineral deficiencies and food additives. MORE »
Great Lakes lose if shippers keep polluting
Here's the good news: the EPA is proposing stricter emission standards for U.S. ships. MORE »
Sustainably saving money and keeping roads clear
An estimated 1,000 miles of Minnesota state highways are prime candidates for an environmentally friendly snow-control program that's been shown to return at least $17 in benefits for every taxpayer dollar invested. Trouble is, only about 20 miles have gotten this highly cost-effective treatment.
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