1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to energy; establishing a nuclear waste 
  1.3             council; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota 
  1.4             Statutes, chapter 216C; repealing Minnesota Statutes 
  1.5             2000, section 116C.711. 
  1.6   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.7      Section 1.  [216C.053] [NUCLEAR WASTE COUNCIL.] 
  1.8      Subdivision 1.  [ESTABLISHMENT.] The commissioner shall 
  1.9   establish the Minnesota nuclear waste council to review 
  1.10  objective information and analysis of nuclear waste issues, and 
  1.11  to develop state policy regarding the disposal, storage, and 
  1.12  transportation of nuclear waste. 
  1.13     Subd. 2.  [MEMBERSHIP.] The commissioner shall chair the 
  1.14  council, whose other members shall consist of: 
  1.15     (1) the commissioners of health, transportation, pollution 
  1.16  control, and natural resources or the commissioners' designees; 
  1.17     (2) the chairs of the house and senate policy committees 
  1.18  with jurisdiction over energy and environmental issues or the 
  1.19  chairs' legislative designees; 
  1.20     (3) one enrolled member of a federally recognized Minnesota 
  1.21  tribe or band with ceded territories in Minnesota, appointed by 
  1.22  the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council; 
  1.23     (4) one representative of a utility that operates a nuclear 
  1.24  electric generating facility in the state, appointed by the 
  1.25  commissioner; and 
  2.1      (5) one other citizen member appointed by the commissioner. 
  2.2      Subd. 3.  [DUTIES.] The council's duties include: 
  2.3      (1) monitoring developments related to the federal 
  2.4   high-level radioactive waste disposal program under the Nuclear 
  2.5   Waste Policy Act, Public Law Number 97-425; 
  2.6      (2) developing recommendations regarding the appropriate 
  2.7   state regulation of the production, storage, disposal, and 
  2.8   transportation of high-level radioactive waste in the state; and 
  2.9      (3) advising the governor and the legislature on all policy 
  2.10  issues relating to those issues. 
  2.11     Subd. 4.  [ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES.] The commissioner shall 
  2.12  provide staff to the council, and other member agencies shall 
  2.13  cooperate with the council in the performance of its duties.  An 
  2.14  entity operating a nuclear electric generating facility in the 
  2.15  state shall be assessed under section 216B.62 for the reasonable 
  2.16  administrative costs of the council.  Amounts assessed shall be 
  2.17  deposited into the general fund, credited to the special revenue 
  2.18  fund, and appropriated to the commissioner for the reasonable 
  2.19  administrative costs of the council.  These amounts are in 
  2.20  addition to other amounts appropriated to the commissioner.  The 
  2.21  council may create advisory task forces under section 15.014 
  2.22  that are necessary to carry out council responsibilities under 
  2.23  this section.  Section 15.059 governs terms, compensation, 
  2.24  removal, and filing of vacancies of members appointed by the 
  2.25  commissioner. 
  2.26     Subd. 5.  [EXPIRATION.] The council terminates within 30 
  2.27  days of the day that the decommissioning process of the last 
  2.28  nuclear electric generating facility operating in the state is 
  2.29  complete.  Section 15.059, subdivision 5, does not govern the 
  2.30  expiration date of the council. 
  2.31     Sec. 2.  [REPEALER.] 
  2.32     Minnesota Statutes 2000, section 116C.711, is repealed. 
  2.33     Sec. 3.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.34     Sections 1 and 2 are effective the day following final 
  2.35  enactment.