Morrow has nuclear storage concerns

Feb 8 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Robb Murray The Free Press, Mankato, Minn.

Even though the likelihood of a new nuclear plant being built in Minnesota anytime soon is remote, Rep. Terry Morrow's getting a jump on raising concerns.

A bill to repeal the moratorium on construction of new nuclear plants has passed the state Senate and will be up for a vote in the House next week. If that happens, Morrow says he's concerned about where this all could lead years from now if a new plant is ever built.

The St. Peter lawmaker says he's been looking over government documents generated during the last 30 years regarding the location of nuclear plants. And according to his research, a rectangular area that touches Nicollet, Sibley and Renville counties at one time was identified as a candidate for nuclear waste storage.

Because of that, the third-term Democrat says, he's concerned that that's also a suitable candidate for a plant because he figures it would be built close to the waste-storage site.

"I've been saying all along that I'm deeply concerned about the waste-storage issues," Morrow said, "and I've been looking for answers about the waste-storage issue."

Morrow scoured documents supplied by the U.S. Department of Energy and discovered nuclear waste can only be stored in certain geologic formations, one of which is gneiss, which can be found in the Nicollet/Sibley/Renville area.

"In looking at these documents, it looks like there are 14 sites in Minnesota that are potentially acceptable for nuclear storage," he said.

Even if the moratorium is lifted, Morrow said it could take up to 15 years before a plant could start producing electricity. But that doesn't mean he'll wait to have his concerns heard, he said, especially when it comes to the storage of nuclear waste.

"It's a problem that needs to be resolved. What happens to nuclear waste, how do we dispose of it?" he said. "I think the implications are immediate for people in my district."