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State House energy panel votes no on lifting nuclear ban

State House energy panel votes no on lifting nuclear banB Star Tribune by ELIZABETH DUNBAR , Associated PressL March 27, 2009 ST. PAUL, Minn. – A state law prevents new nuclear power plants from being built in Minnesota,………………..An effort to change that suffered a setback Thursday, when members of a House energy committee voted down a bill that would lift the ban……………………many, including environmental groups, have argued that little has changed in the more than 15 years Minnesota has had a law banning new nuclear plants. Nuclear waste storage can still be a problem, and President Barack Obama’s budget calls for eliminating funding for a proposed nuclear waste site at Yucca Mountain in Nevada that might have helped states looking for a more permanent place to store the waste…………………

Even if Minnesota were to lift its moratorium, lawmakers on both sides of the issue have acknowledged it would take anywhere from 12 to 14 years and perhaps longer for a nuclear plant to come online in the state.

Some think that’s too long when it comes to finding ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“We can’t afford to wait,” said Sen. Ellen Anderson, a St. Paul Democrat who opposes lifting the nuclear ban. “I think it will distract from maximizing the potential for wind and other energy sources in Minnesota.”

State House energy panel votes no on lifting nuclear ban

March 28, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, USA