Minnesota lawmakers are once again debating whether the state should lift a three-decade ban on new nuclear power plants in the state.

Though in order for that to happen, advocates will need to persuade skeptical Democrats and a Dakota community whose land is right next to an existing plant.

At a Thursday hearing for a new bill to lift Minnesota’s nuclear moratorium, the House Energy Committee heard from advocates who say nuclear power will be key to the state’s clean energy transition and opponents concerned about costs, safety and storage of nuclear waste. Republican members advanced the bill for a vote of the full House, though its prospects are unclear.

The Prairie Island Indian Community’s approval could be key to securing support from Democratic Farmer-Labor lawmakers, and while a tribal representative said he was encouraged by conversations with bill author Rep. Spencer Igo, R-Wabana Township, more needs to be done before they could support an end to the ban.

Blake Johnson, a lobbyist for the southeast Minnesota tribe, acknowledged the role of nuclear energy in producing carbon-free electricity for the state, but said the community needs more assurance it is protected from expansion of nuclear power.

“Our tribal members have lived next to spent nuclear waste for 30 years and next to a generating plant for 50 years,” he said. “What would you say if your people are struggling with what sits in the earth and adding more means that it will be a problem we leave for our children, our children’s children, and so on?”

Existing nuclear plant

Prairie Island sits about 700 yards away from the nuclear power plant and more than 1,000 tons of radioactive waste — closer than any other community in the United States — tribal or otherwise, Johnson said.

The nuclear plant was constructed without tribal consent half a century ago, just a few years before Prairie Island received electricity and running water, Johnson said. The state approved on-site waste storage with the promise there would be a moratorium on new nuclear power and an eventual federal long-term solution for storage.

Igo’s bill would allow the state Public Utilities Commission to issue a “certificate of need” for a nuclear power plant again and contains language specifically banning the construction of a new nuclear plant or waste storage facility on Prairie Island.

Minnesota has two nuclear power plants that started operating in the 1970s: a two-reactor plant at Prairie Island near Red Wing and a one-reactor plant in Monticello. None have been built since following a moratorium on new plants enacted in 1994.

Carbon neutral by 2040

Advocates argue nuclear power will be key as the state transitions to carbon-free electricity to combat climate change. The DFL-led Legislature passed a bill in 2023 requiring all energy in the state to be carbon neutral by 2040, and nuclear would provide reliable baseload power, they say.

Republicans have repeatedly tried to remove the 2040 mandate, but they say nuclear power will help if it remains in place.

“It’s important that we utilize every tool in the tool box that we pursue an all of the above energy approach,” Igo said. “And if we’re going to get there and we’re going to make sure to keep energy affordable and reliable, we need to use everything at our disposal.”

Some DFL members of the House Energy Committee said they were curious about nuclear power but wanted more reassurances about safety, waste and costs.

Rep. Athena Hollins, DFL-St. Paul said she was happy Igo had worked with the Prairie Island Indian Community, but added lawmakers should do more to ensure waste doesn’t end up elsewhere in the state.

“We always end up putting it in the communities that are most vulnerable and are historically disadvantaged,” she said. ”I think that it needs to be a broader conversation.”

Concerns about Prairie Island, practicality of building new plants by 2040, and environmental risks have kept most Democrats from openly supporting an end to the moratorium, but some senators have gotten on board.

2025 bill

A 2025 bill sponsored by Sen. Andrew Mathews, R-Princeton, has the support of Sen. Grant Hauschild, DFL-Hermantown, and Sen. John Hoffman, DFL-Champlin. It hasn’t seen success in the DFL-controlled Senate.

Xcel Energy, which runs the state’s two nuclear plants, says nuclear power will play a “foundational role” in the transition to carbon-free electricity. The company is open to expansion in Minnesota, but has not taken a position on lifting the moratorium.

“While we believe that advanced nuclear energy resources should be one of the options as we continue the energy transition, any discussion about lifting the state’s moratorium on new nuclear plants must include the Prairie Island Indian Community as a key stakeholder,” company spokesman Theo Keith told the Pioneer Press in a statement.

Minnesota Power, which provides electricity in northeastern parts of the state, said the state should approach lifting the moratorium with “care and intent.”

“We believe that ensuring reliability and affordability as we decarbonize our system, means all emerging technology and options, including nuclear power, need to be carefully considered to help meet the energy needs of the future,” said Minnesota Power spokesperson Amy Rutledge.