The Supreme Court has ruled against the challenge to the Transporation Amendment that will be before voters on November 7.  Here’s a link for the Associated Press story.

Today’s topics: Agriculture, Education, Energy, Fish, Forests, Global Warming, Great Lakes, Mining, Off-Highway Vehicles, Open Space, Prairies, Toxins, Transportation, Water, and Wildlife.
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Companies from across the business spectrum are beginning to factor the impacts of global warming into their business strategies. The impacts may be negative, like higher payouts for insurance companies (seven of the 10 most expensive catastrophes for Allstate have happened in the past two years), or positive impacts, like clean energy investment opportunities.

Companies like General Electric, Goldman Sachs, and the reinsurance giant Swiss Re are examining how they’ll do business in a world moving away from an over-dependency on fossil fuels and towards a cleaner, more efficient energy system. A representative of Swiss Re explained that carbon is becoming a commodity. In fact, one report done by a UK-based company found that companies can increase their brand value by demonstrating to customers that they are “carbon responsible.”

As the world continues its shift from fossil fuels, only those companies embracing and preparing for the change in energy sources will come out ahead.

Most anyone who has talked to me for more than five minutes knows that I grew up in Colorado.  Well, I just returned to Minnesota from a trip to my motherland and I thought I’d share a few photos.  In particular, I had the chance to visit my cousins in the San Luis Valley in Southern Colorado, where Sandhill cranes are currently migrating through.  These three feet tall birds are really something to see.  (more…)

Today’s news that the number of oxygen-starved “dead zones” in the world’s seas and oceans has risen by a third in the past two years is almost too much to comprehend. So let’s try this: according to United Nations marine specialists, there were 149 of these zones in 2004—today there are 200. Does that help drive home the dire state of our marine resources? If you’re a typical Minnesotan, probably not. That’s too bad, because Corn Belt states like Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois are largely responsible for one of the worst dead zones on the planet: a stretch of hypoxic water in the Gulf of Mexico that this year grew to the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined. Making Midwestern agriculture more sustainable would go a long ways toward bringing life back to the Gulf dead zone, and could serve as a model for other areas of the world suffering from marine asphyxiation. But first we need to eliminate our aquatic apathy and start caring about this issue—a surprisingly big challenge. (more…)

In its most recent meeting on October 12, the LCCMR continues to struggle with the myriad issues involved in determining how to make legislative recommendations as to the amount of monies put toward natural resource projects, and what exactly those projects may encompass. The day-long meeting adjourned with some progress – and a share of stalled items. (more…)

Today’s topics: Development, Energy, Food, Global Warming, Great Lakes, Great Outdoors, Member News, Open Space, Transportation, Wetlands, and one federal digression via Fargo.
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As you read this, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) is taking significant steps that may lead to the dismantling of one of the most effective sustainable and organic agriculture programs in the nation. This program has been a leader in advancing farming that protects Minnesota’s environment. The MDA’s proposed undercutting of this program is deeply troubling on a couple of levels, not the least of which is that such a move could reduce the already small amount of resources devoted to organic and sustainable agriculture. But just as disturbing is the manner in which this proposed “reorganization” is taking place: behind closed doors without the input of the groups or individuals who helped make this program possible in the first place. It’s time to send a message to our Agriculture Commissioner and Governor and let them know that gutting an innovative state program is bad for farmers, consumers and the environment. (more…)

Today’s topics: Air, Business, Energy, Fish, Forests, Great Lakes, Off-Highway Vehicles, Solid Waste, Transportation, and Water.
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After voters passed a resolution calling for a renewable energy standard in Colorado, Xcel is stepping up to the plate, and hitting it out of the park (read “Xcel meets Amendment 37 goals years early” in the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal). Colorado has a great resource in wind energy, but the wind in Minnesota and the Dakotas is even better. By meeting the standard years ahead of schedule, Xcel shows that the market responds efficiently and economically to new standards, and that they are not onerous or difficult to achieve.

Kudos to Xcel Energy, and we look forward to the announcement any day that they intend to help set (and surpass) a standard here in Minnesota too! Xcel, what do you say?