U.S. Rep. Chip Cravaack says new emissions standards enacted by the Environmental Protection Agency are a threat to Minnesota's mining industry. The rules are aimed at reducing the haze over northeastern Minnesota. Cravaack calls them an assault on jobs and says the federal government should let the state enforce pollution rules.

The American Lung Association released its "State of the Air" report Wednesday and has given Ramsey County an "F" for "short-term particle pollution." That's down from a "B'' in 2009, a "C" in 2010 and a "D'' in 2011. Overall, Minnesota earned better grades for "high ozone days," but lower grades for "high particle pollution days."

Petroleum and the chemical used to clean up the 2010 Gulf oil leak have shown up in the eggs of pelicans that nest in western Minnesota. Swift County is home to North America's largest colony of American White Pelicans, which winter in the Gulf of Mexico. Biologists will monitor how the chicks hatched from polluted eggs develop.

The low-interest loans from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency are to help long-haul truckers buy a small unit to cut down on engine idle time. The small battery-operated units can operate air conditioners, heaters, lights and other electronic devices when trucks lay over.

Spectro Alloys Corporation admits that it violated air pollution standards in 2007 and then filed false reports with state and federal regulators. In addition to a $500,000 fine, the company must come up with ways to ensure that future reports are accurate. Spectro makes recycled aluminum.

According to the report by Environment Minnesota, about half of the toxic chemicals are dumped into the Mississippi River. The Blue Earth and Rainy rivers also rank high in industrial pollutants.