Minnesota Independent

Minnesota Reps. taking heat for moves to block EPA

By Andy Birkey | 03.04.11 | 2:15 pm

Environmental groups are going after Minnesota members of Congress who have voted to block the EPA from regulating greenhouse gas pollution. A recent poll shows that votes by Republican Reps. Michele Bachmann and Chip Cravaack aren’t popular in their districts, and Rep. Collin Peterson, a Democrat, is getting attacked from both sides — the GOP says his stance against EPA regulation is “wishy washy,” while interest groups say he’s siding with foreign oil producers.

Dayton signs GOP’s environmental petition reform into law

By Andy Birkey | 03.04.11 | 8:17 am

Gov. Mark Dayton signed a controversial bill into law on Thursday that would reform the environmental permitting process in Minnesota. Environmental groups had slammed the bill; but despite that, Dayton signed an executive order implementing most of the reforms. Republicans offered Dayton faint praise Thursday evening after Dayton made their bill the law of the land.

Walz, Paulsen join calls to lift Minnesota’s nuclear moratorium

By Andy Birkey | 03.03.11 | 9:07 am

DFL Rep. Tim Walz and Republican Rep. Erik Paulsen (pictured) have joined together to urge Gov. Mark Dayton to sign a bill that would lift Minnesota’s moratorium on new nuclear power plants. The moratorium repeal is currently in conference committee after passing the House and is likely to end up on Dayton’s desk this legislative session.

President Barack Obama. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

House of Representatives votes to defund Obama’s ‘climate czar’

By Kyle Daly | 02.23.11 | 9:38 am

In a 249-179 vote, the House of Representatives last week passed an amendment to its budget plan that targets policy czars in the Obama administration. Specifically, it would remove funding for the Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change and Director of the Office of Health Care Reform positions.

Watchdog groups warn of risks of tar sands pipelines

By Eartha Jane Melzer | 02.18.11 | 9:45 am

As the U.S. State Deptartment considers a proposal to build a nearly 2,000-mile long pipeline to transport Canadian tar sands to refineries on the Gulf Coast, key questions about the safety of moving tar sands by pipeline remain unanswered, watchdog groups warned this week.

GOP’s Beard wants more coal plants because God will fix global warming

By Andy Birkey | 02.16.11 | 4:00 pm

Rep. Mike Beard (R-Shakopee) is pushing for more new coal-fired power plants in Minnesota, but the Shakopee Republican is undeterred by reports about the effects of carbon-emitting energy production on global warming. His reason: He believes God will prevent the planet from running out of fossil fuels while also eliminating the harms associated with climate change. While Beard speaks from his religious tradition, many others in Minnesota’s faith communities believe it’s dangerous to wait for divine intervention to solve our environmental problems — and they say it’s the duty of people of faith to preserve the planet for future generations.

House Republicans attack CO2 regulations as bad for business

By Eartha Jane Melzer | 02.11.11 | 10:57 am

The first of several promised clashes over U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulatory powers came this week at a hearing over a Republican bill that would block the agency from regulating greenhouse gases out of concern for climate change.

Gov. Mark Dayton. Photo: Kathy Easthagen, Minnesota Independent

Dayton signs executive order expediting permitting process

By Andy Birkey | 01.24.11 | 12:31 pm

Gov. Mark Dayton signed an executive order on Monday that would speed up the environmental permitting process of the Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. The order is similar to a bill proposed by Republicans and was one of their top “job creation” priorities.

Legislators seek repeal of Mississippi River Critical Area program

By Andy Birkey | 01.21.11 | 11:24 am

Legislators in the Minnesota House and Senate are proposing a repeal of a decades-old program to protect the Mississippi River. HF95/SF39 would eliminate the Mississippi River Critical Area (MRCA), a program that since the 1970s has provided planning and management for the 72-mile stretch of the Mississippi from Ramsey in northern Anoka County to Hastings in southern Dakota County. River advocates say the repeal of the program could have significant impacts on the environmental and aesthetic benefits of the river.

The Mississippi River near Cottage Grove. Photo: Mpls55408, Flickr

Cottage Grove group calls for higher standards for 3M after decades of PFC pollution

By Molly Davis | 01.21.11 | 6:00 am

For decades, 3M has manufactured perfluorochemicals, or PFCs, in the broader Twin Cities area. The chemicals, used in a variety of 3M products, including fire retardants and paint, have left a toxic legacy: contamination of drinking wells and the Mississippi River. That pollution, at issue in a recently filed state lawsuit, is drawing attention to the broader impacts of industry in the area: One community group is asking the state Pollution Control Agency (PCA) to take into account the total effect of industrial pollution on community health as Minnesota revises several of 3M’s environmental permits.