HF 2280

as introduced - 85th Legislature (2007 - 2008) Posted on 12/15/2009 12:00am

A bill for an act
relating to energy; removing prohibition against issuing certificate of need for
nuclear-powered electric generating plant; extending sunset date for Legislative
Electric Energy Task Force and requiring it to contract for a study of economic
and environmental effects of constructing a nuclear-powered electric generating
plant; appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2006, sections
216B.243, subdivision 3b; 216C.051, subdivision 9.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 216B.243, subdivision 3b, is amended to
read:

Subd. 3b.

Nuclear power plant; new construction prohibited; relicensing
Additional storage of spent nuclear fuel.

(a) The commission may not issue a certificate
of need for the construction of a new nuclear-powered electric generating plant.

(b) Any certificate of need for additional storage of spent nuclear fuel for a facility
seeking a license extension shall must address the impacts of continued operations over
the period for which approval is sought.

Sec. 2.

Minnesota Statutes 2006, section 216C.051, subdivision 9, is amended to read:

Subd. 9.

Expiration.

This section is repealed June 30, 2007 2008.

Sec. 3. NUCLEAR ENERGY STUDY.

Subdivision 1.

Scope of study.

The Legislative Electric Energy Task Force
shall contract with an entity to conduct a comprehensive study of the economic and
environmental costs and benefits of constructing a new nuclear-powered electric
generating plant in Minnesota. The study must investigate, at a minimum:

(1) advances in technology that would be reflected in the plant's design and
operation, compared with the technology embodied in nuclear-powered electric generating
plants currently operating in Minnesota, and their impact on the plant's useful life, its
operation and maintenance costs, and its health and safety risks;

(2) predesign, design, and construction costs of constructing a 600-megawatt
nuclear-powered generating plant in Minnesota, and comparable costs of delivering an
equivalent amount of energy by:

(i) constructing a conventional coal plant;

(ii) constructing a coal plant using "clean-coal" technology;

(iii) constructing a coal gasification plant; and

(iv) a combination of cost-effective energy conservation investments, including the
implementation of statewide efficiency standards for a range of electric appliances, and
energy generated from renewable sources including wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal;

(3) estimated costs of storing the plant's nuclear waste on site;

(4) the projected retail rate per kilowatt hour from the plant, compared with the
projected rate from the alternatives listed in clause (2), items (i) through (iv). These
projected rates must include, as applicable, different estimates of a regulatory tax imposed
on electric generation plants based on the amount of carbon emitted;

(5) environmental impacts of the plant's operation, compared with those associated
with each alternative listed in clause (2), items (i) through (iv), to water, to land, and to air,
including greenhouse gas emissions and particulates; and

(6) the health effects associated with human exposure to the plant's emissions.

Subd. 2.

Report.

The study's findings must be submitted in a report to the
Legislative Electric Energy Task Force no later than March 1, 2008.

Subd. 3.

Assessment.

The cost of the report must not exceed $200,000, and must be
paid from revenues raised through the Legislative Electric Energy Task Force's assessment
authority under Minnesota Statutes, section 216C.051, subdivision 6.

Sec. 4. EFFECTIVE DATE.

Sections 1 to 3 are effective the day following final enactment.