Issue Position: Nuclear Moratorium

Issue Position

Nuclear Moratorium & the Need for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency

Back in the early 1990s, John Marty was the first senator to propose a moratorium on new nuclear power plants in Minnesota. His legislation passed the Senate at that time, and the moratorium ultimately became law in 1994 when the nuclear dry cask storage legislation was adopted. That moratorium remains in effect today.

John continues to support the moratorium because there has never been a solution to the nuclear waste storage problem, and without the federal government providing liability insurance, nuclear plants would be far too expensive to build. Even if the nuclear moratorium was lifted, there is no company considering construction of a plant in Minnesota, and it would be at least fifteen years before a nuclear plant could generate its first electricity. Lifting the nuclear moratorium would not lead to additional power in the near future, and it would weaken Minnesota's opportunity to become a leader in environmentally and economically sustainable green energy. John Marty opposes any attempt to repeal the moratorium.

Even with the current costs for renewable energy and energy conservation, nuclear power is not economically competitive. With rapid advances in energy storage and renewable technology, renewable energy will be available for base load power needs long before any new nuclear plant could be completed.

John supports green energy research and development so that Minnesota becomes the base for America's green energy industry. Wind, solar, geo-thermal, biomass and other forms of renewable energy protect the environment and build Minnesota's economy.

Source