Recent content from Jennifer Bjorhus
Replacing water heaters with heat pumps can help the environment, and get you a tax credit
Tax credits and subsidies are available for this lesser known appliance.
Minnesota nitrate contamination shows little sign of going away, despite years of effort
Minnesota has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to reduce nitrate contamination of drinking water and rivers. The progress so far is negligible.
Twin Cities man's dying wish: Compost me for the benefit of the planet
He died in September, but Steve Wheeler's journey could change Minnesota.
Minnesota DNR reports first discovery of non-native signal crayfish in state
The large crayfish could become invasive, displacing native species.
Record-low trapping numbers may point to trouble for Minnesota muskrats
Long-term decline of the small semiaquatic mammal flitting through waters in Minnesota raising flags.
Climate change spiked heat that canceled Twin Cities Marathon, climatologist says
The muggy 92-degree weather was more than 40 degrees hotter than ideal for running, race officials said.
On a stretch of gravel road, Dodge County families ravaged by cancer question nitrate
The chemical from farm fertilizers and manure spread on fields has been found in drinking water wells.
Environmental groups sue EPA over water pollution from large livestock farms
They claim waste from the megafarms is contributing to a national clean water crisis.
Group gets $10M to plant thousands of trees to cool urban heat islands in Minnesota
Federal grant to Great River Greening will finance planting nearly 14,000 trees over the next five years.
Unauthorized drainage ditch still scars fields in southwest Minnesota
Lyon County farmers have until the end of the year to plug the ditch and install a dam-like structure on marsh.
Little action so far on plan to enlist farmers to clean up polluted groundwater in Minnesota
Minnesota Department of Agriculture has issued three of 20 action plans needed for farmers where nitrate has contaminated public water supplies.
Consumers have yet to develop a taste for Kernza, the environmental wonder grain
Minnesota has the most acres devoted to Kernza — but needs much more to reduce farm pollution.
Inject carbon under U.S. forest land? Federal government is considering allowing it.
The proposed change has some conservation groups calling foul, claiming it's wrong to dump permanent waste under precious natural areas, even to fight climate change.
Minneapolis says planting a snake plant will clean your home's air. It won't.
Houseplants have clear benefits, but scrubbing indoor air is not one of them, many scientists say.
With no other options to clean up its drinking water, small Minnesota town turns to bugs
$6.5 million biological nitrate reduction plant in Cold Spring, Minn., is state's first.
Fourth aquifer rupture discovered along Line 3 in northern Minnesota
Environmental activists first revealed the breach caused by construction of Enbridge's pipeline.
There's new hope for eliminating PFAS from tap water: pitcher filters
It's one bright spot in the still-unfolding global environmental tragedy of "forever chemical" pollution — and a surprise.
Small plane crashes into Lino Lakes pond, pilot uninjured
Police and fire staff responded to an unnamed pond in a neighborhood north of Main Street near Interstate 35E.
Pilot lands Cessna on Blaine road
The pilot, who landed smoothly and was uninjured, was dealing with a sudden drop in oil pressure.
Hopkins death under investigation
A man in the apartment was arrested and is receiving medical treatment for injuries.
Controversy brews over environmental credit program to restore wetlands near Lake Mille Lacs
Dispute turns on when "conifer bogs and swamps" in Aitkin County were drained away.
Scientists think a fungus could conquer invasive buckthorn
Chain saws, shears, chemicals and goats are losing the battle against the noxious plant.
Beer mash spill, other pollution violations lead to $250K fine for western Minnesota ethanol plant
The company called the settlement voluntary but said it's making leadership changes to improve environmental controls.
Corridors of native pollinator plants to sprout along Minnesota's state highways
Minnesota's new Highways for Habitat program aims to build native vegetation along roadsides.
Supreme Court ruling eliminates protections from vast areas of wetlands
Environmentalist groups denounce "devastating" ruling; state regulators say Minnesota's expansive wetlands protections will blunt the impact.
Energy secretary announces electric vehicle grants, spotlights clean energy in Minnesota
Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm announced grants to two nonprofits to make electric vehicles more accessible to underserved communities.
Lawmakers reach historic deal on environment, climate, energy
The bill features a broad ban on PFAS and $1 billion in new spending for environment and energy projects.
New EPA rule targets taconite industry, the biggest mercury polluter in Minnesota
Mercury, a powerful neurotoxin, is a major pollutant in the state's waters.
Environmental firm files formal complaint against Cargill over soy production in Brazil
ClientEarth says the Minnetonka-based ag giant has failed to monitor its suppliers and thus contributed to deforestation.
Farmers' trench digging raises concerns about wetlands protection in Minnesota
Local wetlands authorities say the damage was unintentional and will be repaired.
Nitrate levels in 8 southeast Minnesota counties near crisis point
A petition to EPA describes an "imminent and substantial endangerment" to the health of southeast Minnesota residents.
'Climate migrant' fled Puerto Rico for the safety of Minnesota
Ivan "Banjo" Fontánez calls himself a "weather trekker," potentially the leading edge of a worldwide shift.
Environmental advocate Winona LaDuke steps down from her organization
The decision came a week after a court ruling in a sexual harassment case involving Honor the Earth.
Farmers, gas stations sue Gov. Tim Walz over Minnesota 'clean car' rule
Cutting demand for gasoline and liquid fuels will hurt Minnesota businesses, plaintiffs argue.
How recyclers defuse the climate bomb inside your old refrigerator
As the U.S. phases down a climate super-pollutant in refrigerants, the EPA is developing new regulations to catch more of the gases before they escape into the atmosphere.
Minnesota will restrict snare and leghold traps to protect rare Canada lynx in Arrowhead
The decision settles a lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity but was opposed by trapper groups.
Here's how you can reduce salt use on your icy sidewalk
Sanding, scraping and sweeping will all help reduce salt runoff into lakes.
'Low Salt, No Salt Minnesota' targets private contractors
New initiative is aimed at those who weren't getting the message about reducing salt use on icy pavements to fight water pollution: private property owners.
Minnesota's greenhouse gas emissions show steep drop
The disruption of the pandemic contributed to that decline, but officials said factors go beyond that.
Minnesota auto dealers lose court fight with state pollution regulators over 'clean car' rule
Industry group likely to ask state Supreme Court to hear the case.
'Carbon Express' pipeline runs into skepticism in Minnesota farm country
A massive project to store climate-harming emissions from ethanol plants hinges on landowners.
Maverick Minnesota lawyers looking for wastewater polluters target cities, businesses
A law firm that has targeted hundreds of businesses over violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act has a new focus: water pollution.
New honeybee vaccine gets little buzz from Minnesota bee community
The USDA has approved the first-ever vaccine for honeybees. But Minnesota's beekeepers say their troubles are bigger.
How to save the lynx from extinction? It starts with poop
Two decades after they were declared a threatened species, Canada lynx still need a recovery plan. Their poop, which researchers and volunteers collect in Minnesota, could be crucial in preservation efforts.
Family's unplowed prairie to become one of state's newest refuges
Scientific and Natural Areas are a key tool in the state's fight to save species from extinction.
Mpls. offers incentives for EV chargers in new garages after state code blocks requirement
Estimates are as high as $5,000 in prewiring costs to make a garage stall ready for electric vehicle charging, officials say
Eyeing surplus, DNR to try again for huge outdoors investment
In the last session, the department asked lawmakers for more than $300 million for one-time projects around the state, but left largely empty-handed after major spending bills collapsed under partisan spending disagreements.
Peggy Douglass, who died at age 61, touched lives over three decades at Hennepin County human services
Her motto: "Thanks for coming to work!"
Local companies retool to remove climate villain from your fridge and AC
This year, the United States started phasing down a lesser-known but powerful greenhouse gas: hydrofluorocarbons.
Enbridge to pay $7M, faces criminal charge after Line 3 pipeline breached aquifer
Pipeline construction linked to three aquifer breaches. Company faces misdemeanor charge in one instance.
Ravenous earthworms are destroying a ghostly fern and endangering Minnesota forests
Minnesota's Chippewa National Forest is home to most of the world's population of goblin ferns. But time may be running out for the ancient ferns as surrounding forest floors are destroyed by a voracious invader: Earthworms.
How you can help Minnesota's most endangered animals and plants
Across the state, people are taking measures to save vulnerable species at risk of extinction. Here's what you can do.
This butterfly disappeared from Minnesota. Biologists now fight to save the last few in the world
Beginning in the early 2000s, the Poweshiek skipperling population suddenly cratered in Minnesota, for reasons that aren't yet fully clear. Researchers at the Minnesota Zoo are part of a last-ditch effort to stop the species from dying out.
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Minnesota's transition to electric vehicles is long, bumpy
Changes are underway, but the gap between climate goals and reality is wide.
Its habitat decimated, this charismatic Minnesota bird is dancing on the edge of oblivion
Minnesota's prairie chickens were once so abundant their flocks cast shadows on the ground. But like so many other species, they're dying out.
Minnesota set to clamp down on greenhouse gases: 'It's a big, heavy lift'
State's new climate plan calls for faster, deeper cuts in global warming gases.
6th mass extinction is underway in Minn. — but squads of defenders are fighting back
The list of species at risk of statewide extinction grows ever longer. But these vulnerable plants and animals have defenders: In Blaine, scientists and volunteers mobilized to rescue a patch of rare bristle-berries from road construction.
These 50 animals and plants have disappeared from Minnesota
Scientists know the actual number of extirpated species is much larger, but we don't have a full picture of what species have lived here.
Dozens of Line 3 protesters in Minnesota still face prosecution
Enbridge-funded public safety account paid $8.6 million for policing Line 3 construction.
5 changes Minnesotans will likely see from the historic climate bill
The Inflation Reduction Act has the potential to transform the way we drive, heat our homes and grow our food.
Water spills again from aquifer breached by northern Minnesota pipeline
Groundwater was discovered bubbling from a breach that Enbridge Energy said it had sealed last year.
How the little, polluted Crow River clouds the Mississippi
The Crow is the first major agricultural river emptying into the mighty waterway, and it doubles the Mississippi's nutrient pollution, state officials say, adding phosphorous, nitrogen and sediment.
Extinction threat may be greater than known, study finds
Nearly one in three species of all kinds — 30% — face global extinction or have been driven to extinction since the year 1500, according to research led by the University of Minnesota.
Wetland delineation? There's an app for that
St. Paul startup creates BioApp to cut time surveying wetlands.
Mendota Heights nixes homeowner's bluff-top landscaping without permit
The property lies in the protected Mississippi River Corridor Critical Area.
Long-awaited federal study finds threat to Boundary Waters from hardrock mining
The study was hailed by environmentalists seeking a ban on mining in the Superior National Forest.
EPA tightens the health standard for 'forever chemicals' in drinking water
Even as they widen testing for PFAS in water supplies, Minnesota officials criticized the change as impossible to measure.
Minnesota car dealers file new legal action in fight against 'clean car' rules
The rules will require auto makers to send Minnesota more electric vehicles.
Human rights, conservation groups oppose Cargill's bid to open new port in Brazil
Locals dispute land deal as forests and native vegetation continued to be razed for soy and cattle.
3M will pay $2.8 million fine for hazardous waste violations in Cottage Grove
The penalty stemmed from the handling of toxic waste at the company's incinerator.
Farmers in Minnesota get more cover crop funding to keep soil from washing away
"There just aren't the federal resources to meet the need," said Todd Hogrefe with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Fond du Lac Band says it will be downstream victim of PolyMet mine pollution
Tribe finds ally in EPA, but the mining company disputes the threat.
