Dibble and Kelash Vote Against Lifting Nuclear Energy Ban

State Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL- District 60) was one of only 14 senators to vote against lifting a moratorium on new nuclear plants in Minnesota, which passed the Senate in the first month of session.  

Supporters said it was time to lift the ban, which has been in place since 1994, in order to provide what Sen. Amy Koch (R- District 19) described as “clean, affordable and reliable” energy options in the state.

Dibble told Southwest Minneapolis Patch he voted against lifting the ban partly because Minnesota isn’t currently in need of more energy and won’t be for another 15 years or so.

“It’s kind of an academic exercise, we don’t have any utilities that was asking for this,” Dibble said.

Dibble also has economic and environmental concerns.

“The fact that nuclear waste has no long term solution of any sort, so we’re going to be storing the spent nuclear fuel in casks scatted all around the country or our state flood plains in these devices that are only warrantied for 50 years,” he said.  

Sen. Kenneth Kelash (DFL- District 63) also opposed the bill.

In the House, the proposal’s currently in the Commerce and Regulatory Reform Committee. The governor has said he’ll consider signing it, but said he supported more restrictions, including a provision that the amount of nuclear waste generated in the state remain at today’s levels.

Sen. Ellen Anderson (DFL- District 66) offered a number of amendments that reflected these concerns, but all of them failed.