Release Date: Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Minnesota Environmental Partnership
News Watch
Environmental news from around Minnesota

Today's Topics: Agriculture and Food; Clean Water, Land and Legacy Funding; Education; Energy; Fish and Wildlife; Global Warming; Great Lakes; Invasive Species; Off-Highway Vehicles; Parks and Trails; Pollution and Toxins; Recycling and Waste Reduction; Transportation; Water; Wetlands 

Agriculture and Food

• MPR: Emmer tells farmers he will cut agriculture regulation

Clean Water, Land and Legacy Funding

• Outdoor News, Inc: Workshop to assist applicants apply for conservation grant money
• Rochester Post-Bulletin: DNR hosts meetings to learn how to apply for conservation grants

Congress

• MinnPost: Stripped down energy bill leaves out 'cap and trade'
• Pioneer Press: Ross Douthat: Why the right is rightly dubious of climate prescriptions from the left
• Star Tribune: Opinion: Consider human, not political, cost of climate change bills

Education

• Albert Lea Tribune: Entenza visits Riverland energy program

Energy

• AP: ATC proposes La Crosse-to-Madison line
• Bemidji Pioneer: City of Bemidji to seek grant for solar energy at BREC
• Bemidji Pioneer: Editorial: Green BREC only benefit 'feel-good'
• Bloomberg News: New coal plants outpace wind power in first half of 2010
• Chicago Tribune: Editorial: On ethanol -- enough, already
• Finance and Commerce: Hennepin board panel approves $3.5M wind project
• Finance and Commerce: Judge weighing Goodhue Wind plan
• Finance and Commerce: RECs are hot commodity before cap-and-trade
• MPR: Xcel activates hot-weather 'Saver Switch'
• Pioneer Press: Andrew Sharpless: End the favors for fossil fuels
• Pioneer Press: Heat forces Xcel to flip energy saver switch; 325,000 homes affected
• Washington Post: Editorial: End subsidies for corn ethanol
• West Central Tribune: Facts about the Paynesville wind farm

Fish and Wildlife

• MPR: Sandhill crane hunting season draws fire
  (MEP member groups Audubon Minnesota and the Minnesota Conservation Federation mentioned)
• Rochester Post-Bulletin: DNR investigates Lake Zumbro fish kill
• St. Cloud Times: Sandhill crane hunt makes sense

Global Warming

• Grand Forks Herald: Opinion: The virtue of waiting on warming
• Pioneer Press: Editorial: Tell it to the judge (and jury)
• Pioneer Press: Thomas Friedman: On climate, we're going to be sorry

Great Lakes

• AP: Duluth prepares for tall ships festival
• Duluth News Tribune: Swim Duluth, North Shore waterfronts at your own risk
• Northland's News Center: Lake Superior Beach Monitoring Put On Hold
• Pioneer Press: Duluth: The tall ships are coming! The tall ships are coming!

Invasive Species

• Forum Communications: Asian carp threatens most of Minnesota
• Fox 9: Officials Work to Prevent Asian Carp in Great Lakes
• Star Tribune: Big, bad carp knocking on Minnesota's door
• Pioneer Press: Minnesota attorney general reiterates Asian carp threat
• Winona Daily News: Treatment could help fight ash borer

Off-Highway Vehicles

• Duluth News Tribune: St. Louis County Board sticks with Cloquet Forest ATV plan

Parks and Trails

• MPR: Opinion: Ely's leaders need to ask for options on the cell tower

Pollution and Toxins

• South Washington County Bulletin: City, 3M close to deal on air testing
• South Washington County Bulletin: Opinion: Meeting will correct incinerator misinformation

Recycling and Waste Reduction

• Duluth News Tribune: Opinion: Grandma’s ‘Trash Team’ a group of unheralded heroes
• Marshall Independent: YMC to broaden rural recycling program
• Star News: Deadline nears for free organics program cart

Transportation

• MN Daily: Light-rail line could boost West Bank development
• Star Tribune: Are downtown two-way streets better?
• Star Tribune: Rail plan roils St. Louis Park
• TC Daily Planet: Changes beyond the curb: Rezoning for Central Corridor in St. Paul
• WCCO: Traffic Lights 'Talk' To Each Other In Woodbury

Water

• Alexandria Echo Press: Opinion: Lake Christina has bright future
• Mankato Free Press: Editorial: Shoreland rules need expediting
• Owatonna People's Press: City tests ‘green’ pavement in two alleys
• Owatonna People's Press: Opinion: Saving green by going green?
• Star Tribune: Cleaning up the Vermillion River

Wetlands

• Star Tribune: Investigators dig into old dump near Fort Snelling