ENVIRONMENT

Crash spills 30,000 gallons of fuel

State officials are trying to determine the environmental threat posed by 30,000 gallons of petroleum product spilled into a ditch Saturday near Plummer, Minn., the result of a rail accident. A semi-trailer struck a Canadian Pacific Railway train where it crosses U.S. Highway 59 south of town, killing the driver and releasing the petroleum product.

By Christopher Bjorke , April 02, 2012

Minnesota Legislature OKs permit efficiency bill

The Minnesota Legislature has sent Gov. Mark Dayton a measure aimed at speeding up the environmental permitting process for businesses. The bill passed Thursday with bipartisan support. It was approved 50-16 in the Senate and 92-36 in the House.

By Associated Press , March 29, 2012

'Take your poopy diapers to the dumpsite'

A case of intermittent diaper dumping in Beltrami County has officials pleading for help. During the past four years, several cases of illegally dumped adult diapers, catheters and other hazardous materials, including syringes, have been dumped in county road ditches.

By Forum Communicatioins , March 25, 2012

High court sides with Idaho property owners over EPA order

Today's Supreme Court decision is a victory for Mike and Chantell Sackett, whose property near a scenic lake has sat undisturbed since the Environmental Protection Agency ordered a halt in work in 2007. The agency said part of the property was a wetlands that could not disturbed without a permit.

By Mark Sherman , March 21, 2012

Oil Patch dominates platform debate

The social and environmental effects of western North Dakota’s growing pains highlighted a two-hour debate Friday over the Democratic-NPL Party’s proposed platform for 2012.

By Kristen M. Daum , March 16, 2012

Greg Ostermeier, Grand Forks, letter: ‘Bury CO2, get oil’ offers partial solution at best

I have a hard time seeing a net increase in CO2 emissions as much of a win for the environment.

By Greg Ostermeier , March 15, 2012

Laura Miller and Brad Crabtree, Minneapolis, column: A common-sense energy, environment solution

This is a timely, constructive solution for the economy and environment when consensus on most other big issues of energy policy is increasingly hard to find.

By Laura Miller and Brad Crabtree , March 11, 2012

BP oil spill settlement may help company restore faith with federal government

BP's multibillion-dollar settlement deal with people and businesses harmed by its 2010 oil spill removes some uncertainty about the potential financial damages it faces. It also may help the company restore its all-important relationship with the federal government.

By Chris Kahn, Jonathan Fahey, and Michael Kunzelman , March 03, 2012

Spending on environmental projects along Missouri angers farmers

A proposed boost in spending for environmental projects along the Missouri River is angering farmers who claim last year's flooding is evidence that the spending focus needs to shift to flood protection. But the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers disputes the idea that flood protection is taking a backseat to the environment.

By Heather Hollingsworth , March 03, 2012

BP, plaintiffs reach settlement over oil rig explosion

BP and a committee representing plaintiffs suing over the 2010 Gulf oil spill have reached an agreement, a federal judge said late Friday night. As a result of the agreement that will be filed with the court for approval, the trial that was scheduled to begin Monday has been postponed for a second time, Judge Carl Barbier said.

By Harry R. Weber and Michael Kunzelman , March 02, 2012

Power line to Grand Forks scrutinized still

Handful of opponents say new route needed
A small handful of people living along or near the 345-kilovolt transmission line that Minnkota Power Cooperative is proposing to run from Center, N.D., to Grand Forks testified Monday that the project still doesn’t address all environmental or other issues.

By Kevin Bonham , February 27, 2012

Minnesota issues new rules intended to stop emerald ash borer

The quarantine covers Hennepin and Ramsey counties in the Twin Cities and Winona and Houston in the southeast. The rules announced today formalize and update an emergency quarantine imposed last year.

By Associated Press , February 27, 2012

Behind uncertainty, Canada prepares for fight over second oil pipeline

Canada’s recent push for the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline to carry oil from the tar sands of Alberta to the nation’s West Coast, where it would be sent to China, has been marked by uncharacteristic defiance. And it first flared in the brouhaha over the bananas. Responding to urgings from U.S. environmentalists, Ohio-based Chiquita Brands International Inc. announced in November that it would join a growing number of companies trying to avoid fuel derived from Canada’s tar sands, whose production is blamed for accelerating climate change and leveling boreal forests.

By Kim Murphy , February 25, 2012

Minnesota sees garbage along roadsides and ravines resurface

While most people wouldn’t dream of dumping refuse along a road or in the woods in this day of environmental awareness, ditch and ravine dumping has always been a problem that ebbs and peaks. Minnesota Conservation officers say we seem to be back on a peak.

By John Myers , February 24, 2012

Some Williston residents favor crackdown on litterbugs

An existing city ordinance prohibits littering in town, and dumping your garbage on a public street can result in a $100 fine. Some say that's not enough.

By Associated Press , February 21, 2012