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MAY 15, 2001

The Prairie Island Tribe of Minnesota plans on opposing a bill introduced on Monday to re-authorize a nuclear plant next to the tribe's reservation.

The tribe was able to have the state and the company behind the plant limit expansion at the Prairie Island site. A 1994 law limited Xcel Energy to fill 17 outdoor casks with highly radioactive spent nuclear fuel.

That limit would allow the company to continue operating at full capacity in 2007. The bill introduced by Sen. Mark Ourada, R-Buffalo, and Rep. Loren Jennings, DFL-Harris, will extend operation until 2013 or 2014, when the company's federal license expires.

The company can seek to renew its license.

Get the Story:
Bill would allow longer life spans for nuclear plants (The Minneapolis Star Tribune 5/15)
1994 Agreement Gives Tribe Legal Standing to Enforce Storage Limits (Prairie Island Tribe 5/14)

Relevant Links:
Xcel Energy - http://www.xcelenergy.com