Koch’s Nuclear Moratorium Repeal Passes in House

After receiving the bill from the State Senate just two weeks ago, the Minnesota State House approved S.F. 4, a bill written by St. Michael-Albertville area Sen. Amy Koch aimed at repealing the 17-year-old ban on licensing nuclear energy plants in Minnesota. The companion House bill was H.F. 9, which was authored by Rogers area legislator Rep. Joyce Peppin and co-authored by District 19B’s Rep. Joe McDonald, who represents St. Michael-Albertville.

The bill, which was introduced in the Senate in January and approved by a wide margin in that chamber Feb. 3, will get an amendment review in the Senate before it presumably passes again and goes to Gov. Mark Dayton, where he may choose to sign it into law or veto it.

The bill passed in the House Thursday night.

“It’s time to allow clean, affordable and reliable new nuclear power plants to be considered when we look at how Minnesota’s future energy needs will be met,” Koch said. “To be clear, deciding to repeal the prohibition is not a directive to construct a new nuclear power plant in Minnesota. Lifting the ban, would, however, allow our electricity providers and our utilities commission to consider all options.”

Opponents argued there isn’t a huge need for baseload in Minnesota to date, and none of the power companies in Minnesota have expressed interest in building a plant.

 Dr. Arjun (ARE-juhn) Makhijani (MOCK-hah-jon-ee) testified in the Senate, questioning the cost of a new plant.

“In the midst of an economic recession, is it appropriate for Minnesota lawmakers to create a path that would most likely lead to ratepayers bearing the risks of new nuclear reactors – if any should be proposed?” he asked, in a written statement.
Makhijani is the author and co-author of numerous reports and books on energy and environment related issues, including two published by MIT Press.  He was the principal author of the first study of the energy efficiency potential of the US economy published in 1971. He is the author of “Carbon-Free and Nuclear-Free: A Roadmap for U.S. Energy Policy” (2007).

Koch said lifting the ban simply encourages entrepreneurship.

“It isn’t the final answer to our energy future,” she said. “But it would add to the growing number of options the Public Utilities Commission can consider as part of a statewide, comprehensive energy policy,” she said. “It opens the gate.”

Dayton has not revealed his political leanings on the issue, but has gone on record with his concerns about the storage of nuclear waste.

All waste created by the three generating stations in Minnesota – two at Prairie Island near Red Wing and the Monticello plant just 14 miles from St. Michael-Albertville – is stored at an above-ground, fuel storage facility on the plant’s grounds.

Koch is looking to address that issue through the final three sections of  S.F. 4.