Topics

Energy & Resources

  • CenterPoint working to restore heat to homes in Buffalo
    CenterPoint Energy is working to restore natural gas to thousands of customers near Buffalo, Minn. The utility shut off service yesterday because of a problem with its delivery system.October 13, 2006
  • City of Buffalo left without natural gas service
    Service was cut off after problems with repair and maintenance work on gas lines, and officials said it could be two days before the service was restored.October 12, 2006
  • Predicting winter's heating costs as uncertain as forecasting the weather
    The feds say the cost of heating with natural gas will be cheaper than last year. But Minnesota's largest energy company says it believes heating costs will jump. What gives?October 10, 2006
  • Crops bounce back for a strong harvest
    Minnesota's corn and soybean farmers are harvesting decent yields following a year of weather uncertainties. There's was too much rain, then too little. A mid-summer drought nearly ruined the October finish.October 4, 2006
  • Minnesota regulators approve additional storage for nuclear power plant
    The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has approved extra above ground storage for radioactive waste at the Monticello nuclear plant in central Minnesota.September 29, 2006
  • Suburban health club wants you fit and green
    Lately, the word "environmentalism" is popping up a surprising amount in the world of business. In suburban White Bear Lake, one fitness club has even changed its business goals to include improving the health of the planet.September 24, 2006
  • Delivering windmills
    Dock workers in Duluth are getting used to handling a challenging new cargo: windmills for wind farms in Minnesota and North Dakota. Business in windmills is booming -- despite inconsistent federal support.September 22, 2006
  • Ethanol makers search for cheaper raw material
    There could be a major change underway in how ethanol is made. Several companies want to start producing the alcohol fuel from plant fiber. Most ethanol now is made from corn. How likely is the transition to what's called cellulose ethanol?September 22, 2006
  • Gasification may turn coal into 'clean' fuel
    Some energy experts say America should turn to coal as its main source of energy. But coal produces pollution. How to overcome that dilemma? The answer might be found in a new power plant planned for northern Minnesota.September 20, 2006
  • Coal is back; so are concerns over pollution
    Utilities are embracing coal as a plentiful, relatively cheap source of energy. But environmentalists say coal-fired power plants remain a major source of air pollution.September 19, 2006
  • New energy from old sources
    In the Midwest, two of the biggest energy kings are coal and corn. There are new challenges to those popular energy sources.September 18, 2006
  • Mixed signals on energy policy
    As U.S. consumers grapple with their dependence on foreign oil, the country is also sorting out its priorities in a national energy policy.September 18, 2006
  • Minneapolis goes green to save green
    The buildings we live and work in consume a lot of energy. When the buildings are owned by government, taxpayers end up footing the utility bill. Minneapolis officials have signed on to a plan which commits them to dramatic energy savings in new public buildings.September 14, 2006
  • North Dakota oil patch is booming
    Rising oil prices are bringing new exploration, and hundreds of millions of dollars to North Dakota oil fields.August 28, 2006
  • Conservationists push a more efficient light bulb
    Want to save money and the environment? It could be as easy as changing a light bulb, according to organizers of the Minnesota Energy Challenge.August 24, 2006

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