September 10, 1997 - Browning Ferris Industries, the nation's second largest waste hauler, plans to open methane- to-energy plants at more than half the 110 landfills it operates across the country. Methane is one of the products of garbage decomposition, and up until recent years it has gone unused. BFI held an open house to celebrate the first year and a half of operation of a methane to electricity plant at the Pine Bend Landfill in Inver Grove Heights. The event also celebrated improved relations between BFI and its neighbors. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.
July 21, 1997 - MPR's Mary Losure files this story about the North Shore's fishing families and the environmental catastrophes that destroyed their way of life. In the 1930's, Lake Superior supported a thriving commercial fishing industry. Now, on a lake holding one tenth of the world's fresh water, only a handful of commercial fishermen and women remain.
June 24, 1997 - A report released today by the World Wildlife Fund says global warming threatens this country's national parks, including Voyageurs National Park. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.
June 12, 1997 - During this springs flooding in the Red River Valley, dotted through the coverage of the human drama were stories of deer and rabbits marooned on islands in the rising waters. Squirrels and raccoons were stranded in the treetops as the flood swirled around them. Its going to cost millions and take month if not years to rebuild the towns and the farms....but the flood is not expected to make a significant dent in wildlife populations. Most species are well adapted to survive natural disasters--- although human caused changes are another matter. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.
June 2, 1997 - In June Northern States Power and nine other utilities will apply for a federal license to store high-level nuclear waste in the Utah desert south of Salt Lake City. If the project goes ahead, the Skull Valley band of Goshute will receive millions of dollars for storing the spent fuel on their reservation, but opposition to the project is building. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.
May 14, 1997 - Federal regulators have rejected the planned $6 billion dollar merger of Northern States Power and Wisconsin Energy Corporation. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave the companies three months to work out a new plan for the merger, which would create the nation's tenth largest investor owned utility. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.
April 30, 1997 - When Minnesota schoolchildren found an outbreak of deformed frogs in the summer of 1995, scientists thought it would be only a matter of months before they figured out the cause. But nearly two years later, it's still a mystery, and the federal Environmental Protection Agency is becoming increasingly concerned. The EPA is preparing to spend several million dollars to investigate the problem, and find out whether it poses a threat not just to frogs, but to humans. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.
March 26, 1997 - A new study shows a 25 percent drop in the rate at which mercury is accumulating in Minnesota lakes. The decline comes despite the fact that mercury contamination levels worldwide continue to climb. Like acid rain, mercury pollution is hard to fight, since it can spread thousands of miles from its source. The study, published in the April issue of Environmental Science and Technology, offers some of the first evidence that local cutbacks in mercury emissions are paying off close to home. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.
March 20, 1997 - The U.S. Forest Service is asking for public comment on a plan to log 110-year old red and white pines in the Superior National Forest. A blockade by members of the environmental group Earth First! stopped the logging in December, but if the new plan goes ahead, the trees will be logged next winter. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.
February 20, 1997 - Members of the environmental group Earth First! are stepping up their protests against logging practices in Minnesota. In December, Earth First demonstrators blocked the cutting of mature white pines in the Superior National Forest. Now the group says a council charged with protecting the state's forests is dragging its feet. Earth First! wants a ban on logging on public land until the Minnesota Forest Resources Council comes up with a plan to ensure forests are protected from overcutting. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.