CURE

Boswell Energy Center Sign

Environmental Organizations Demand that Minnesota Power Comply with Wastewater Rules at Boswell Plant One Year After Massive Coal-Ash Wastewater Spill

Energy & Innovation, Energy & Innovation Press Releases

Today, Sierra Club, CURE, and the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA) sent a letter to Minnesota Power demanding that the company address problems associated with storage and management of coal ash wastewater at the coal-fired Boswell Energy Center, which violate the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and associated federal regulations. Under a federal rule governing management of coal ash […]

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Duluth Night Skyline

Judge sides with consumers & environment, slams proposed BlackRock buyout of Minnesota Power

Energy & Innovation, Energy & Innovation Press Releases

Private equity acquisition of public utility would result in “net harm” On July 15th, Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) released her report recommending that the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) reject the proposed private equity buyout of ALLETE, Inc., parent company of Minnesota Power, a Duluth-based regulated electric utility serving northern Minnesota residential and industrial customers. Under

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hands holding candlesticks at a candlelight vigil

This Is Not Normal

People & Communities

Minnesota’s Tragedy and the Power of Collective Decency CURE is devastated by the assassination of Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and the attempted assassination of Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. Both families lived lives dedicated to helping others, at the legislature and beyond. We knew Speaker Emerita Hortman as a devoted public

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Peg Furshong

CURE’s Peg Furshong appointed to Task Force on Future of Minnesota’s Water by Attorney General Keith Ellison

CURE Press Releases, Land & Water, Land & Water Press Releases

This spring, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison created the Advisory Task Force on Future of Minnesota’s Water. This Task Force aims to study issues affecting the stewardship of Minnesota’s water resources, explore best practices, and collaborate to develop a broad set of recommendations for policymakers and regulators, advocacy groups and business leaders, communities, and individuals. Additionally,

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No CO2 Pipelines sign in a rural setting

South Dakota regulators reject Summit’s CO2 pipeline permit

CO2 Pipelines, Energy & Innovation

MN PUC declines to reconsider CO2 pipeline permit decision for Otter Tail & Wilkin Counties On April 21st, Summit Carbon Solutions—the company proposing to build the controversial five-state, 2,500-mile Midwest Carbon Express CO2 pipeline network—faced yet another significant setback when South Dakota rejected its application for a permit to build and operate approximately 700 miles of pipeline

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Duluth Night Skyline

Take the Power Back

Energy & Innovation

Why Minnesota Power Should Not Be Privatized ALLETE—a publicly traded energy company headquartered in Duluth MN—announced in May 2024 its plan to be acquired by two large, private investors: the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments) and Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). Among ALLETE’s other holdings it owns Minnesota Power—a public utility serving 150,000 Minnesotan residents, 14 municipalities,

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stanley tucci over the image of a data center

Gird Your Loins: Navigating the Wave of Data Center Development in Minnesota

Energy & Innovation

Minnesota, like states across the country, is facing a sudden influx of proposals to build massive “hyperscale” data centers to meet the demands of big tech companies looking to scale up artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency mining, cloud computing, and related digital technologies. But while the advancement of Big Tech projects careens forward at breakneck speed, the public scrutiny

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people gathering in the MN state capitol rotunda for Rise + Repair 2025

CURE’s Cliffs Notes on the First Act of MN’s 2025 Legislative Session

Energy & Innovation, Land & Water, People & Communities

This is the second CURE Legislative update of 2025. Stay tuned for periodic updates at key points during the Session, which officially ends on Monday, May 19th. It’s been two months since Minnesota legislators assembled at the Capitol for the start of session, and after a halting start, we now have a better idea of

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Kelsey Olson

Kelsey Olson

Director of Environmental Stewardship

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Kelsey Olson (she/her) joined CURE in 2025 as its Director of Environmental Stewardship. As a skilled environmental naturalist, Kelsey’s work focuses broadly on environmental education and advocacy with a keen focus on rural land use and how that use impacts our environment and climate. Working Lands, how land is used to support agriculture and forestry, is a key focus of her work. She brings 15 years’ experience in public communication, environmental education, and rural community engagement – strong communication strategies are core in her work. This includes two terms of service with AmeriCorps in the VISTA program in Oregon and Maryland and a nearly 10-year career as a naturalist followed. She recently worked on communications and marketing for rural economic development.

Kelsey lives in New London, MN, with her young children, husband, dog, and two cats. They enjoy spending time together outside and finding small treasures in nature. Visits to Minneapolis often include visits to one of their favorite historical museums, the American Swedish Institute. Kelsey enjoys experimenting in the kitchen, canning local produce, and making kombucha.