Capitol View

Going nuclear

Posted at 12:27 PM on November 24, 2009 by Tom Scheck
Filed under: Campaign 2008: MN Legislature, Campaign 2010, Campaign 2010: Minnesota Governor, Campaign 2010: U.S. House

DFL Rep. Tim Walz and GOP Rep. Erik Paulsen appeared at a news conference this morning with representatives from various labor unions and the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. The group is urging the Minnesota Legislature to repeal a moratorium on the expansion of nuclear power plants in Minnesota. They said the state's future energy needs could be met by a new nuclear plant -- something they say is safer than past nuclear projects.

Here's the audio of the news conference: Listen

DFL Rep. Bill Hilty of Finlayson isn't convinced. Hilty said he's not against the expansion of nuclear power but wants proof that it's "capable of being brought online on time, on budget and at a reasonable cost to rate payers:"

"As soon as anyone anywhere on the planet can demonstrate that this next generation of reactors is capable of being built on time, on budget and at a reasonable cost of electricity then it's time for us to look at it but Minnesota does not need to be a nuclear guinea pig."

The issue will be one to watch in the upcoming legislative session. The Minnesota Senate passed an amendment last session that would remove the moratorium but similar efforts were defeated in the Minnesota House on a 72 to 60 vote.

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The feature examines statements made by Minnesota politicians and checks them for accuracy. Based on data analysis, document reviews and interviews with non-partisan analysts, statements are rated either true, false or inconclusive. PoliGraph is a collaboration between Minnesota Public Radio News and the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. More

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