Minn. Senate gives initial OK to new nuke plants
3 minutes ago
By ELIZABETH DUNBAR
Associated Press Writer
(AP:ST. PAUL, Minn.) Things weren't looking good last week for future nuclear power plants in Minnesota, but all that changed as the Senate voted overwhelmingly to lift the state's current ban on new facilities.
The measure passed Thursday on a 42-24 vote and was tacked on to an energy policy omnibus bill that received preliminary approval. In introducing the amendment, Sen. Steve Dille highlighted the reason some states are showing a newfound interest in nuclear: Plants can produce energy without significant carbon dioxide emissions.
"This is one of the options we need to have on the table in order to meet our energy needs for the future in a cost effective way and also to take into consideration the climate change issues we are facing," said Dille, R-Dassel.
Efforts to lift the ban have come up many times before, but this is the first time in recent years the legislation has gotten a full hearing.
Last Wednesday, the Senate and House energy committees held a joint meeting to listen to more than three hours of expert testimony. The next day, the House energy committee listened to another three hours of testimony from environmentalists, the nuclear energy industry and those who live near Minnesota's existing nuclear plants near Monticello and Red Wing.
The committee rejected the measure on concerns about Minnesota deviating from its renewable energy goals and getting itself into a bind when it comes to storing nuclear waste. Both arguments came up again as senators debated lifting the ban.
Sen. Ellen Anderson, a Democrat from St. Paul, said there's still no good solution for what to do with nuclear waste, so Minnesota should focus on renewable energy.
"We've put ourselves on a good path in this state to find homegrown sources of energy," she said. "I think we need to stay on that path and not get distracted by the nuclear one."
But later, Anderson, who heads the Senate energy finance committee, acknowledged there's been a shift in the debate since 15 years ago when the current ban passed. "It's interesting how things have changed around here," she said. "At that time we weren't thinking so much about global warming."
The issue will likely come up in conference committee, but it also could be introduced as an amendment on the House floor.
Sen. Amy Koch, R-Buffalo, who said lifting the moratorium was one of her main goals for the legislative session, has high hopes that the House and Senate will come to an agreement and send the legislation to Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
Nearly all Republican members of the Senate voted to lift the ban with support from 22 Democrats, and a spokesman says Pawlenty also supports the proposal.
"I think the people of Minnesota have been speaking," Koch said. "It wasn't just a little win, it was 42 to 24."
