Will Oil Spill Impact Loon Numbers?
With the ice now out on most Quetico-Superior area lakes, experts are wondering if the region’s common loon population will have been impacted last year’s Gulf of Mexico Oil spill.
Pollution
Sulfates Standard Change Proposed in House
Legislation to markedly roll back the allowable amount of sulfate in wild rice waters in Minnesota is being proposed in the Minnesota House where proponents say current standards are too strict and not based on solid science.
Old Mine Drainage Worries Advocates
The drainage of pollutants from an abandoned mine near Ely coupled with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency allegedly lax oversight of the situation has environmental advocates concerned about the state’s ability to oversee the large copper-nickel mines proposed for the area.
Coalition to Sue Over Park Air Quality
A coalition of environmental organizations intends to sue the Environmental Protection Agency and two other federal agencies over haze pollution in national parks and wilderness areas, including Voyageurs National Park and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Lawsuit Aims to Loosen Wild Rice Water Standards
A lawsuit filed Friday by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce seeks to loosen water quality standards in areas where wild rice is grown, saying current regulations are too restrictive and based on faulty science.
Endocrine Disruptors Found in Kabetogama
Chemicals that cause endocrine system disruption in aquatic animals were found in Kabatogama Lake, one of the lakes that makes up Voyageurs National Park, according to a recent study.
Petition Filed Over Taconite Plant Emissions
Five environmental advocacy groups including the Voyageurs National Park Association and the Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness have filed a petition with the federal Environmental Protection Agency objecting to an air pollution permit granted to the United Taconite processing plant in Forbes, Minnesota.
Minnesota DNR Awarded Mercury Grant
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has been awarded a $1.6 million federal Environmental Protection Agency grant to study atmospheric mercury emissions from the state’s taconite processing plants.
Group Finds Mine Pollution near BWCAW
The advocacy group Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness claims that sulfide mine pollution is occurring at a 36-year-old mine site off of Spruce Road near the South Kawishiwi River just miles from the limits of the BWCAW.
Do Voyageurs and a Garbage Vaporizer Mix?
Plans by Koochiching County to build a gasification facility which would use a plasma arc torch to vaporize garbage and other waste in order to produce energy is being scrutinized by environmental advocates since the facility would be a neighbor to Voyageurs National Park.
Legislature Mulls PolyMet Assurances
Minnesota state legislators will soon consider bills which could raise the level of financial assurances required by PolyMet Mining Company in order to operate its proposed NorthMet copper-nickel mining operation near Babbitt.
Suit Planned Over Tailings Basin
Three environmental advocacy a groups are planning a lawsuit over pollution violations from the tailings basins of the former LTV Steel plant near Hoyt Lakes which PolyMet Mining intends to use for its planned copper-nickel mining operation.
Northern Minnesota Haze Rules Passed
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency passed new regulations aimed at reducing haze over northern Minnesota, including Voyageurs National Park and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The MPCA board voted 7-1 in favor of the new rules, despite calls for tighter restrictions.
Groups Request More Action to Reduce Haze in National Park and Wilderness Areas
Last week several environmental groups asked federal agencies and the state of Minnesota to take a more active role in preventing air pollution that contributes to haze over Voyageurs and Isle Royale National Parks and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Minnesota’s Regional Haze Plan Open to Public Comment
A regional haze plan developed by the Minnesota Pollution Control agency seeks to address visibility impairment and haze in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Voyageurs National Park. The plan is open for public comment until September 3.