Minnesota officials surveilled activists urging closure of waste incinerator, emails show

Local officials tried to grow close to activist groups and collected information that was then shared with industry Newly released emails show local government officials in Minneapolis have quietly surveilled environmental justice activists who are working to close a controversial waste incinerator that is emitting pollution into low-income neighborhoods around it, activist groups allege.

County officials sent an employee who is also an environmental justice activist to collect intelligence, among other tactics, emails show. The information was then used to help successfully kill state-level environmental legislation…