March 17, 1999 - Legislation banning the use of underwater video cameras for fishing is headed to the Senate floor, following an 8-to-5 vote today in the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. Supporters say the cameras change the nature of the sport, and put pressure on limited fishing resources, but manufacturers say the state is trying to put them out of business without any evidence the cameras are dangerous.
April 14, 1999 - The Koch Petroleum Group has announced plans to cut emissions at its Rosemount Refinery by 50 percent over the next 5 years. Koch officials say the voluntary effort is designed to polish the company's environmental image and help it compete in the long haul. Koch also announced a Minnesota environmental group will help monitor the company's emmissions.
April 15, 1999 - Arsenic in drinking water is a growing concern among environmental epidemiologists in Minnesota. It's estimated that two-thirds of all drinking wells in the state exceed acceptable levels for arsenic set by the Environmental Protection Agency. The University of Minnesota's Water Resources Center held a conference today in Morris to discuss the potential dangers of naturally-occuring arssenic and possible solutions to the problem.
May 5, 1999 - MPR’s Bob Kelleher reports on the diminishing population of rainbow smelt in Lake Superior. Years ago, the smelt run drew huge crowds to Lake Superior beaches, where fish were netted by hand and cooked over open fires. Raucous all-night beach parties fueled by generous doses of alcohol achieved mythical status around the big lake. But now, the big smelt runs are history.
May 24, 1999 - In Martell, Wisconsin, residents are organizing to stop a new dairy farm planned near one of the best trout streams in the midwest--- the Rush River, about an hour's drive east of the Twin Cities. Opponents say a manure spill from the farm's storage lagoons could wipe out the trout in the Rush River for years to come. Defenders of the project say such fears are based on emotion, not science, and that large scale dairy operations are the way of the future in Wisconsin.
May 26, 1999 - A Mainstreet Radio special broadcast from Lake Benton. Rachel Reabe hosts a discussion about Minnesota's wind farm on Buffalo Ridge and the greater wind-power industry with guests Marlin Thompson, Lake Benton mayor; Jim Nichols, a former agriculture commissioner who now heads economic development efforts for the area; and Audrey Zibelman, director of Energy Marketing for Northern States Power.
May 26, 1999 - A Mainstreet Radio special broadcast from Lake Benton. Rachel Reabe hosts a discussion about deregulation of the electric industry with guests Steve Minn, Minnesota Public Service commissioner; Jim Nichols, Arlene Lesewski, Republican state senator from Marshall; Michael Noble, executive director of Minnesotans for an Energy-Efficient Economy; and Rick Lemonds, general manager of Lyon-Lincoln Electric Cooperative.
May 26, 1999 - MPR’s Mary Losure reports that Governor Jesse Ventura has vetoed a bill that would have loosened the Minnesota Pollution Control's regulation of animal feedlots. The bill would have exempted livestock farmers from state air quality standards when they were spreading manure on farm fields. It also would have eliminated a new set of rules that govern which feedlots are subject to environmental review.
May 28, 1999 - Thousands of Minnesotans are heading to a lakeshore cabin this Memorial Day weekend. If you're one of them, aside from the boating and picnicing, chances are you may be doing a little yardwork. But before you get winded mowing that acre of lawn, you might want to look over a new book put out by the Department of Natural Resources filled with suggestions on how to develop an environmentally friendly lakeshore frontage. DNR Nongame Wildlife Supervisor Carrol Henderson co-wrote "Lakescaping for Wildlife and Water Quality.
June 9, 1999 - First in a two-part series on Devils Lake, Mainstreet Radio’s Dan Gunderson reports on the changes that have taken place to lake in northeast North Dakota, which has risen nearly 25 feet in the past six years. The lake has no natural outlet to release water and above normal precipitation in recent years has raised the lake to levels not seen in recorded history.