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| Date: | February 4, 2011 | | Contact Name: | Sandra Whalen | | Contact Phone: | 651-296-5238 | | Contact Email: | sandra.whalen@senate.mn | |
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| ENERGY CHAIR APPLAUDS SENATE REPEAL OF NUCLEAR BAN Senator Rosen calls bill “a path to energy independence” |
This week, the Minnesota Senate gave bipartisan approval to a bill that will finally untie our hands and enable a discussion of the options available to us to fulfill the commitment we made that a quarter of the state’s energy be generated by renewable sources by 2025.
Nuclear energy has many things going for it: It is clean, inexpensive, and helps us become less dependent on foreign oil and gas. It is safe, and new processes are showing us great strides in efficiency. Other states are moving on it, and as I had the pleasure to hear the President say in person in the State of the Union address, we all must consider nuclear energy for the future.
SF4 is more than an energy bill. It is a path to energy independence that will offer certainty for businesses and job creators as they plan for tomorrow and work to keep existing jobs. Entrepreneurs seeking to invest, expand, or start a business in Minnesota need to be assured of our state’s ability to deliver base load power.
Lifting the nuclear moratorium isn’t the final answer to Minnesota’s energy concerns, but adds this practical option to a growing number of options that the Public Utilities Commission can consider as part of a statewide, comprehensive energy policy.
Sen. Julie Rosen, Chair
Senate Energy, Utilities & Telecommunications Budget & Policy Committee
Fairmont
