Pro-Nuclear Industry Group Forms to Lobby for New Nukes in Minnesota

A coalition of pro-business groups has formed to push for an "aggressive grassroots campaign to push for the [new nuclear power plant] moratorium's repeal," during Minnesota's 2010 legislative session.

The group, called Sensible Energy Solutions for Minnesota (SESM), includes Cameco, Inc. a Eden Prairie based uranium trading company; the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, the Minnesota Pipe Trades Association, Northern States Power Co., who operates the state's two nuclear plants; St. Paul Building and Construction Trades Council; and Minnesota Outdoor Heritage Alliance--a right-leaning hunting and fishing group sponsored by snowmobile companies, gun makers, outdoors-equipment retailers and shooting groups.

"Currently, there are more than twenty applications with the Department of Energy for construction of nuclear power plants in the United States," said Minnesota Pipe Trades Association President and SESM Board Member Carl Crimmins. Under the moratorium, those new power plant proposals will not come to Minnesota-- an attractive site for new power plants with our abundant water supply (for plant cooling).

Following the lead of the nuclear industry worldwide, SESM is touting nuclear power as a source of clean energy and potential solution to Global Warming. Pro-environment advocates-- who reject this idea-- signed a join statement supporting the nuclear moratorium when repeal was up for consideration in the Minnesota State Legislature in early 2009.

A joint statement--signed by Clean Water Action, Environment Minnesota, the Izaak Walton League and the Sierra Club Northstar Chapter--issued in April 2009 said, "This is a step in the wrong direction for Minnesota, moving us away from our commitments to increasing clean, renewable energy like wind and solar. [Repealing the moratorium] opens the way for new nuclear plants, a source of nuclear waste and a massive drain on water from Minnesota’s rivers. The reason Minnesota adopted the moratorium—the problems with nuclear power and nuclear waste—have not been solved."

With breaking news daily about pressing matters like the economy, healthcare and US military endeavors making headlines, will the Minnesota public use grassroots pressure to resist increasing Minnesota's nuclear power sector as they did in the early 1990s with the coalition against increasing nuclear waste storage atPrairie Island near Redwing, Minnesota? Or will the "grassroots" efforts of this industry group successfully sway Minnesota's lawmakers in 2010?