Senate committee approve lifting ban on nuclear power

A key committee in Minnesota's Republican-controlled Senate has approved lifting the state's moratorium on new nuclear-fueled electrical plants.

The Energy, Utilities and Telecommunications committee approved a bill lifting the ban along mostly party lines this afternoon.

Sen. Ellen Anderson, DFL-St. Paul, said nuclear energy is a far-off alternative and the state should be focusing on options closer at hand.

"I'm glad that our utilities are committed to following the path that we established over the last few years, which is to develop Minnesota based, clean sources of energy, that we have in abundance, like wind and solar, that create jobs now in our communities," she said. "And that's what I'd like to see more of. I think that's more in Minnesota's best interest."

Republicans said that the state's 16-year moratorium on new nuclear plants has stymied development, and that lifting the ban would eventually make atomic energy a more practical option.